Happy in my role but angling for a promotion, been approached by a recruiter...

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Ok guys bear with me. I've been in my role for nearly 5 years now. It's a wonderful company, easily the best I have ever worked for. I really enjoy the role although it has been sort-of sliding into something else as we've rolled out a new system which can grate a bit. However there's a lot of flexibility into making the role my own, so the blip might be temporary. Overall I were to be offered a promotion here and a token payrise I would be more than happy. I'd be very happy.

I got approached by a recruiter on Linkedin who after one email promptly left his company and disappeared The job sounded interested so I'm lining up an interview directly with the company. However it's vendor-side of my industry which is where I was previously to my current role (which is content owner/customer side). Obviously I can't speak for every company, but the difference generally is night and day. I look back on my previous role in vendor side and don't know why I put up with it for so long. We were treated like ****, the pay was **** etc.

However, the role itself sounds interesting and makes good use of my skillset. And seen as the recruiter approached me I know the pay would be at minimum - doubling my current salary. Not to be sniffed at. And the role would obviously be a lot more senior than my last venture vendor-side.

Sooooo. I'm lining up the interview.. my boss has always said let him know if I ever see other jobs that are interesting etc. he plays the supportive manager sometimes but I don't know if he means it, or what. I don't know whether to perhaps tell him I got approached and thought I'd go to the interview 'out of interest' and hope that's enough to make him think "actually my guy is employable elsewhere but I want to keep him, let's talk promotion". Or perhaps should I play hardball, if I get an offer simply present him with that and hope they counter-offer?

I've never been in the position to play my current employer a bit... I just don't know how to handle it. Honestly in an ideal world I'd want my boss to turn around, offer me a promotion and I'd be happy for another couple of years (and be infinitely more employable as well)...

Any thoughts? How much weight do you put behind working for a great, stable company with fantastic benefits and worklife - in comparison to a bump in salary and getting on up the ladder? Or, how best to use this situation to my advantage?

Thanks.

 

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The role is a big step up, hence the massive pay rise. Obviously I'm not guaranteed an offer, I'd be pleasantly surprised if I got one. For example it has direct reports (of which I don't currently), it has a lot of elements of business development (and is a bit sales-y) of which I don't do now. So it's a big ask but they do want to interview me. Those parts of the job are unusual to be paired with my technical skillset, the recruiter seemed to suggest they were struggling to find candidates with both anyway. Probably hence why they very quickly shortlisted me (even without the bus-dev/sales experience).

I'm definitely over-thinking it but I guess I'm just really scared to leave my current company. I can't over-state how good it is to work for. We're a film company, so always get invited to premieres, events. They do a lot of (free, obviously!) social events. Hire out whole up-scale restaurants for 1500 people with everything laid on. That sort of thing happens a few times per year. But along with that is the 'serious' benefits such free Sky, free Netflix, loads of corporate discounts (cinema tickets, gym etc.) plus , health screening, health insurance, dental etc. When I was vendor-side previously we got none of that. It was the bare minimum required of the company. Obviously I don't know if things have improved or this company runs itself a lot better (I'd hope so) but I'm just wary.

And the payrise might sound awesome, but last time I was vendor side you didn't even get a yearly inflationary payrise.. I'd be wary of that happening. I guess I'm thinking long-term... that said I'm well <40yrs old so perhaps thinking long-term should mean getting a fat payrise and eventually coming back to a nice company like my current one for the benefits, pension etc.

Anyway, it's more about how to handle it with my boss. I want to use it as leverage but unsure how best to do it. I guess I'll have to wait and see if I get an offer. If I don't I'd be happy to go to him and tell him I'd interviewed and it "wasn't suitable" so at least that takes the pressure out of it. If I do get an offer then well...

 

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I wouldn't worry about your yearly pay rises if you're getting your salary doubled just for moving... how many yearly pay rises in your current place does that equate to? Just jump ship again in 2 -3 years.

Yes. Agreed. I guess I think I was just trying to show the differences in one company from my current maybe.

I think the idea of deliberately telling someone you're going for an interview and then later (if you don't either get the job or don't get the reaction you wanted from your boss) having to make up an excuse is a really bad one - it doesn't look good at all.

So you're saying if I don't get an offer perhaps I shouldn't tell my current boss? I'm not sure I agree, I can see an upside of telling him I was approached directly - that makes me sound wanted in other places. And it also might make him think we should discuss my role and the next step.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

 

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Eh? If you don't get an offer then I'd definitely not tell him - how does it make you should wanted if you get rejected?

Well I wouldn't tell him I was rejected. I'd be vague and say it wasn't right for me. In my mind that shows willing to stay at my current company whilst also showing that other companies are interested in me.

My point is that it would be a bit different if they know you, you have a reputation with them etc..

Well it's a small-ish industry, I've met the hiring manager before. So it's probably somewhere sort-of inbetween what you're saying.

Hmn

 

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Yeah exactly. Part of me thinks if I put my boss on a sort-of time pressure to give me a promotion/payrise (because he knows I've got the offer in my back pocket), he'll just take the easy way out go "oh well that sounds like a really good step for you" and tell me take the new job

 

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If it takes you having to leave or the threat of leaving for an employer to want to offer you something better than they don't really value you.

I wouldn't say that's true, it just means in their opinion they value you at your current salary and status. That's always up for discussion though, coming to them with proof you're valued higher elsewhere is a great way to kick-start that conversation and force a re-think on your current employers part. Employers everywhere are good at keeping the status quo, sometimes they need a little nudge.

Like I said...you come to me with an offer from a competitor....myself and HR may decide it's worth a counter-offer to keep you on board for now, but you're going straight to the back of the queue for further advancement.

Sounds like you've been pretty lucky with your employers if all it takes is a request for a promotion to get it. I don't know of any of my peers, in any industry that can do that.

And your point is strange; you'd counter-offer to keep them but stop further advancement? If you counter-offer to keep them then they've achieved what they wanted If you batten down the hatches and make it impossible for them to progress they'll just leave when they feel they're ready for the next step. You've just given the employee exactly what they wanted; which is the next step for now.

After all your talk of 'straight-up honest conversations' it also seems very strange to take offence at an employee coming to you with an outside offer. Maybe they're seeking guidance, not sure the new job fits them. Maybe they are angling for a counter offer. Maybe they honestly don't know what's best. Taking offence at that seems very strange indeed...

Anyway, reason I came into this thread was to update you. I had the interview but the role doesn't sound quite right. It was more of a chat (no HR present), because I'd met the interviewer before, he remembered/knew of me so it was quite informal as it turns out. Keeping it simple, the role was more "line managery" than I had thought (I've never had any direct reports let alone the number they were saying the role came with) so I'm not expecting it to go anywhere. So, with regards to all the talk above - I still believe I should speak to my boss and tell him I was approached for another role. Explain honestly how it didn't turn out to be the right fit for me, and explain how it's been making me think about my progression and blah blah blah.. Thoughts?

 

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@mid_gen I appreciate your input but your experience is just that; only your experience. It seems to have served you well and if you've been lucky enough to be at companies where working hard (etc.) is all you need to do to get a promotion without asking, well I can tell you for a fact that's just not the way it works everywhere else. There's politics, lazy management, HR processes... there's a million things in a work environment that can get in the way. Life is not fair, we all know that.

If they've had to resort to pulling a counter-offer it means they don't deserve the promotion

Why so? If another company has head-hunted and deems them fit for a more senior role elsewhere, yet you're blind to it... who's fault is that? Or even head-hunted for the same role elsewhere on a lot more money, then they would realise they were under-valued at your company. Again, you're being overly simplistic.

It's not petty. If someone is on my team and has demonstrated what is required for a promotion, they'll get it, without asking

Again, you're being overly simplistic. It's entirely possible there's people in your team that think they have demonstrated what's required for a promotion yet they're not getting it. What else do they have to do? It sounds very much like it's your way or the highway..

than one where you have been actively focusing on a job search elsewhere, and are giving them an ultimatum

Well, let's bring it back to my situation. Firstly, I'm not actively job searching. I keep an eye on roles as my industry is expanding massively locally (as all good employees should). Instead a recruiter reached out to me regarding the role. So that attitude of "job hunting" isn't there and lands a much softer blow if that's what I tell my boss.

Secondly, I'm not going to get the role so there's no ultimatum. I want to demonstrate to my boss that I'm employable elsewhere (something a lot of bosses forget), and that I would consider looking if my career doesn't progress the way I want in my current workplace.

 

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Who's fault is it? It's mine, as their manager, it's part of the responsibility of the job.

And that's exactly where it falls over for a lot of people, in a lot of workplaces. That's why I'm saying you're over-simplifying it.

Aaaaanyway...

Well, let's bring it back to my situation. Firstly, I'm not actively job searching. I keep an eye on roles as my industry is expanding massively locally (as all good employees should). Instead a recruiter reached out to me regarding the role. So that attitude of "job hunting" isn't there and lands a much softer blow if that's what I tell my boss.

Secondly, I'm not going to get the role so there's no ultimatum. I want to demonstrate to my boss that I'm employable elsewhere (something a lot of bosses forget), and that I would consider looking if my career doesn't progress the way I want in my current workplace.

 

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Don't do it, there is no good reason that I can see for mentioning that you've already been for an interview and then didn't take the job... it is irrelevant.

Well, in my opinion there is a good reason. And that's reminding my boss that he shouldn't take me for granted; that I'm employable elsewhere. For a bit of useful context I don't work within a team, my boss and I have have the same title with him a couple of levels of seniority above me. The whole department we work for is based in the US (including him) so I am somewhat of a silo to myself in managing the work we have going on in the UK. Typical US/International setup; 20 people in the US managing 'domestic' and little ol' me managing 'international'. That's overstating it somewhat but I am kinda on my own.

Surely, you could say you've been approached and this has made you think seriously about your future career; explain you're happy with the organisation and team but would like to discuss progression?

This is my thinking. And come October I would have been here 5 years so it's a good sort-of anniversary to be thinking about this stuff. And also a good period of time to have been in my current role and look for that promotion/progression.

It is interesting how different opinions people have.. perhaps it's different industries etc.