We have all at least thought about it. What is “it” exactly? “It” is the idea that, as one author put it, one can use a “job offer as leverage for a pay raise.” That a job offer can be used as a bargaining chip—a means to (more or less) extort a pay raise out of your employer. While you may have never put this idea into practice (only considering it propositionally) if you are like me, you have at least wondered whether such an unabashed strategy could, or has, worked. As one might guess, operationalizing this idea is not only bad form, but it could potentially land you in hot water.
Washington Post contributor, and career advice guru, Lily Garcia, was recently asked by a reader who was offered a position at another firm if he or she should “approach [his or her] boss about a salary adjustment…if it is appropriate to use this offered position as a tool to help [him or her] do that.” While Garcia responds that it is possible to procure a raise using such a strategy, you should really only mention your new position to your boss “in the context of tendering your resume.” Nevertheless, what if your pitch is successful? What if, because you are a valued employee, and your employer would hate to see you go, your employer begrudgingly agrees to increase your salary?
Garcia adds that this strategy, even if successful, can be a double edged sword: by sharing your secret—by letting your employer know you have actively sought work elsewhere on your downtime—they will “know you are looking for a new job and looking to leave…they may give you a little more money—but then they will probably let you go when they are ready.” In light of this, if you are considering pulling such a stunt, I would advise you to simply be honest and candid with your employer. That is, simply ask for, or explain to your supervisor why you are deserving of a raise. Listen to commonsense: extortion is neither acceptable nor advisable.
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