People are on the move. You’ve got a tempting but not perfect job offer. Do you carry it in your head?
It can be a powerful bargaining position, one that can end up with what you really want: a promotion, more money, the ability to work long distance.
Again, the worst cases are not fantastic. Instead of enjoying the rush of a climb, you might be left with a new job you don’t want, or hard feelings and high expectations if you stay.
How do you know if you need to approach the conversation or just make a decision on your own, calmly? And if you do outside, how can you minimize the risk of everything going wrong?
“It doesn’t have to be a showdown,” says Michele Woodward, executive coach in Washington, DC. He recommends negotiating with his boss when the outside supply is about 80% of the way to the job of his dreams. “It’s like going out with a partner. You have to express your interest to stay in the relationship.