Glossary
What is counter-offer?
A counter-offer is an improved package a current employer makes to a resigning employee to persuade them to stay.
Counter-offers are routine in tech hiring, especially for senior engineers, and they are the most common reason an accepted offer never turns into a start date. They work on the candidate's uncertainty in the days after resigning.
The defence is in the process rather than at the end: understanding early why the candidate is moving, pricing the offer correctly the first time, keeping in contact through the notice period, and having a recruiter who has had the counter-offer conversation many times before.
How do I stop a candidate accepting a counter-offer?
You cannot guarantee it, but you can reduce the risk: know the reasons they are leaving beyond money, make a strong first offer rather than a negotiable one, agree the start date before resignation, and stay in touch weekly until they start.