Need a little career strategery advice

I work at a cancer center. Was recruited by another cancer center - bigger, more prestigious, 30% more pay, crappier benefits, crappier work environment, better location (colorado vs illinois). Ultimately, not a good enough offer to uproot family and deal with moving my crap across the country (50% more would have done the trick). My direct boss is pretty useless as far as any hope for career advancement, but I'm fairly close with one of the physician owners. Is there a gain/risk in telling the doc/owner a competitor is recruiting?

depends on how you do it.

If you say 'I could get this from this company - so you'd better give me a raise to keep me', they will likely say 'f-you, go for it'.

If you say 'Hey, just a heads up, this firm contacted me out of the blue with a very competitive offer. I'm not going to take it, and I want to stick with you, but just thought you might like to know in case any of our other team members are contacted', then they will love that and may move you up the ranks or salary scale (but no guarantees).

Potentially both. If you can spin it as a positive (that you were sought out, and are a desirable commodity) the owner/boss may recognize that you deserve a bump in pay to keep you.

If it appears you were searching for greener pastures and don't bring any more value to the business you could be encouraged to take the offer.

Really depends on your relationship with management.

Ask for more from the recruiting company, worse they can say is no and you are already planing on staying in IL.

What's the harm? How long would it take for you to get another job if the bossman got pissed and fired you? Do you have "FU money"?

Also, are you looking to get out of Illinois at all? If you were offered the 30% more by your current company, and someone came in a year later with another 30% more, would you stay loyal to your current cancer center? Are you currently underpaid?

I'm not particularly interested in working for anyone else other than me as a next gig - unless it is a too good to pass kind of deal. As for pay - aren't we all underpaid ? I'm actually paid ok for my current role - thing is, at least in my mind, I have capacity for a significantly bigger role. I've been getting small promos and movement consistently for the last few years, but my "one-up" doesn't have the juice to make anything big happen for me.

You have capacity for a bigger role--do you want a bigger role?

It really sounds like you have nothing to lose. Especially if you have a few ideas of what you want to do to work for yourself.

The real question is: how replaceable are you?

The answer will dictate how you approach your current management. Treading water in your current role will get tiresome in a hurry. If you're in your late 20's or 30's, career advancement should be foremost on your mind. Uprooting your family is uncomfortable; having the same job title for a decade, even moreso.

I never tell my current employer anything. You cross the line of trust and all my employers don't want to hear it. There is no easy way.

When I left my last employer they wanted to know if they could do anything to keep me. Like listen to my last 8 years of reviews when I offered suggestions on a better incentive plan and when I turned down a paid SEMA work vacation since I requested the money instead?

I have a cousin who started on Wall Street at $750K and after his first year a head hunter came along and offered to double that. Cousin refused (!) so head hunter went to cousins' boss to inform him about his employees loyalty. Boss was so impressed he went ahead and doubled cousins salary on the spot (!!!).

Today he struggles to make end meet at just 80 mill per. (hard not to feel inadequate when you see those sorts of numbers) I'd be happy to do half of what he does for 1/10th the pay.....

In reply to KyAllroad:

1st world problems.

yeah, I don't have any sympathy for someone that can't make it on $80,000,000 per

I work in construction and we get calls form headhunters all of the time. They will even call the office and ask for me.

I let my boss know. I try and get the name of the company they are recruiting for if I can. If they are so busy that they are going that far to find help, they may not be treating their customers the best due to being short handed. It is a great time to find their customers and get some work. I am in a sales position and use whatever in I can.

Headhunters have been around a while and you boss has probably spoken to one in the past. You did nothing wrong by speaking to them, why hide it? If you keep your linkedin up to date, it is like having your resume posted all the time anyway.

Cost of living in Colorado vs Illinois?

Quality of life, schools etc?

Sanity coefficient?

30% may not be enough, but when you hate to get up in the morning and drag your butt to a job you hate ....

If I posted this, what would you tell me?

Dan

914Driver wrote: Cost of living in Colorado vs Illinois? Quality of life, schools etc? Sanity coefficient? 30% may not be enough, but when you hate to get up in the morning and drag your butt to a job you hate .... If I posted this, what would you tell me? Dan

Cost of living is pretty close - although I expect IL to increase sometime soon in the form of tax increases. I live a few minutes from WI, so if IL gets too stupid I can always cross the cheese curtain and lower the cost of living. Quality of life - CO is the clear win. Sanity is perhaps a wash. I really like what I do so this isn't about hating to get up in the morning or being horrifically underpaid. I'm pretty much in the mindset that whatever is next needs to be at least 50% greater than where I'm at. This gig didn't make the cut. More interested in perceived help or harm in telling the powers that be - mainly the owners - I don't think there's any benefit in talking to my direct boss (she was a management fellow - who scored a vp gig. This is essentially her first job - myself and peers pretty much had to train her to be our boss. That role is a high burn out gig. She will either be promoted or fired within 3 years according to the last 5 people who had the job).

Are you administration or clinical care? In my neck of the woods administrators don't make E36 M3, but the clinical care staff have it pretty good. That may weigh into your decision...

admin side - I run internal medicine, supportive care, a survivorship clinic and social workers