How to Deal with the Dreaded Counteroffer

Previously on The Water Cooler, we explored ways to ensure that you come out on the winning end when making an offer to a candidate. But what happens when your top candidate receives a counteroffer from his or her current employer?

Counteroffers should be expected for exceptional candidates; as the market for top talent continues to tighten, companies are more willing to provide more incentives in order to retain their star employees.

The best defense against a counteroffer, though, is a solid offense. Today we take a look at the ways you can mitigate the risk of a candidate’s counteroffer acceptance. We’ll highlight a few signs that candidates aren’t in the process for the right reasons, provide tips to help them give notice and much more to allow you to put up the best offense possible and lessen the likelihood of an accepted counteroffer.

The Interview Stage: Be the company they can’t “break up” with.

Building a strong relationship between the candidate and your company is the first place to start if you want to avoid a counteroffer down the road.

Candidates sometimes accept counteroffers because it’s more difficult to “break up” with their current employer than say yes to a new one. By cultivating a relationship between candidates and your organization early, you begin to sway the relationship meter so that accepting a counteroffer means they will have to “break up” with you, too.

Candidate Counteroffer Executive Recruiting

The interview process is a critical time to truly get to know why your opportunity is the right one for your candidate. Structure interview questions to gain a better understanding of what a candidate’s current organization is not able to offer (outside of more compensation). Is your candidate looking for a management opportunity? Is the current organization a far commute? Does your company offer a stronger culture fit?

Asking these and other questions can help you determine what your candidate is interested in. If you know what candidates are looking for, you know the reasons why your opportunity is the right one for them and can reinforce these during the offer stage.

For candidates who need to give a long notice period to current employers, make sure you continue to cultivate the relationship prior to their official start date. Encourage their new team to take them out to lunch, and invite new hires to social activities at the office so they can become ingrained in your company culture early on.

The Offer Stage: Walk them through the process of giving notice.

When extending an offer to your candidate, always make it personal; rather than focusing on compensation, remind candidates about everything that your organization is able to provide that their current employer can’t.

Timing also plays a big role in whether your candidate will accept a counteroffer. Deliver your offer on Friday and set a deadline to accept. Eliminating business days between when you give your offer and when you reconnect with your candidate hinders the current employer’s ability to give a counteroffer. Ultimately, you want to make sure you have the last word, not the current employer, so schedule a time to follow-up with your candidate on Monday and cut down on the risk that you won’t hear back.

Many candidates are not experienced at giving notice, so you should also help them visualize the process by actually walking them through it. Ask what they think will happen when they give notice and if they expect to receive a counteroffer.

Surveys have shown that as many as 90% of professionals who accept a counteroffer end up leaving their employer within 18 months, so candidates may need to ask some hard questions about their current situation. Why is a current employer offering a raise or promotion now? Is the candidate only valuable when he wants to leave the organization for another opportunity?

Working with a search firm like 180one can be key at this stage, as a recruiting firm should be equipped to help candidates evaluate counteroffers and guide them through the tough questions that need to be answered before accepting.

Your candidate accepted a counteroffer. Now what?

Despite your best efforts, your candidate may unfortunately decide to accept a counteroffer. In that case, find out more about the decision to accept. Did the current employer offer more money? Did the counteroffer come with a senior title?

Make sure to be consultative, not defensive; you may ultimately lose the battle, but there is still a chance that you can change the candidate’s mind.

Extending offers on Fridays also helps maintain momentum in the process, as you can keep other candidates in your pipeline warm and potentially move onto your next top candidate if you need to.

While you can never eliminate the probability that a candidate receives or even accepts a counteroffer, you can mitigate the risk by having a great offense.
The interview process is an opportunity to build a relationship with candidates and ensure them that a move is the right next step in their career. In the end, keep a positive attitude. The stats show that candidates will likely leave their employers shortly after accepting a counteroffer anyway. Treat your top candidates well regardless of whether they accepted your offer; you could still come out on the winning end and hire them once they do decide to leave.

Want more insight? Check out our General Education section of The Water Cooler and explore topics ranging from candidate relocation to diversity & inclusion in the workplace and more.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

New Opportunity: Sales Leader

By Effie Zimmerman • February 17, 2026

Sales Leader ABOUT THE COMPANY Organically Grown Company (“OGC” or the “Company”) is a leading organic produce distributor in the Pacific Northwest, committed to connecting growers, retailers, and consumers through a transparent, sustainable supply chain. As a mission-driven organization, OGC has built its reputation on deep grower partnerships, operational excellence, and an unwavering commitment to organic integrity. The Sales Leader will play a critical role in driving revenue growth, strengthening customer relationships, and leading a high-performing sales organization aligned with OGC’s values, strategic priorities, and long-term vision. ABOUT THE POSITION Reporting to the VP of Sales & Sourcing, this Sales Leader is responsible for and focused on ensuring the highest service levels for our customers. They are focused on leadership of the sales team, ensuring development, performance, morale, and retention. They provide primary leadership over product, pricing, actionable analytics, and promotions as main strategies to manage inventory and drive sales and profit. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Leading & Supervisory: Promote the development of flexible, adaptive, and innovative processes for use in new business growth by supporting and enabling an effective and efficient team approach. Provide leadership of the day-to-day operations of the sales department, while maintaining focus on the Company’s strategic goals. Promote safety, development, training, and evaluation of all sales team members. Collaborate organization-wide to support or lead projects and initiatives, facilitate process change, manage organizational change, and ensure success. Ensure proactive and effective collaboration and communication with all other departments for greater efficiency in support of service goals. Ensure proper levels of people growth and succession planning are in place and actively updated and refreshed. Foster a culture of belonging where people feel engaged and inspired. Support OGC sustainability goals and actively work to reduce environmental impact. Nurture, support, and promote the Company Mission, Values & Vision, and Brand. Exemplify OGC values: Cultivate Connection, Win on Service, Build Trust, and Move with Intention. Sales & Service: Develop and implement sales strategies, using analytics to set sales targets and provide guidance on associated sales actions, and forecast sales volume for both existing and new products. Develop and maintain a historical perspective on the marketplace to analyze and predict future trends and needs. Maintain familiarity with competitors’ products and services. Recommend changes in products, services, and sales policies by evaluating results and competitive developments. Stay current with new products and services offered by competitors, and with other trends in the organic produce industry. Develop and implement account management objectives, including key service metrics. Manage the negotiation of products with customers based on margin goals, which may include providing volume discounts or other agreements. Partner with the business development team to create onboarding plans for new business/new partnerships and grow existing accounts. Develop and sustain a sales culture of service & customer value creation. Develop and coordinate programs and processes for industry-leading customer service and sales to increase customer satisfaction, as measured with a trade survey annually. Work closely with Sourcing leadership to align demand planning and inventory strategies with sales growth. Responsible for developing and maintaining customer, grower, and vendor relationships. Travel as needed to meet with customers, attend and host at industry events, and nurture relationships. Analyze lead quality and sales trends to continually refine outreach strategies. Planning and Budgeting: Own budgeting, forecasting, and sales planning for the team. Manage the operational budget through a collaborative approach. Measure sales activities by developing key sales metrics, and ensure that these metrics are analyzed, reported on a regular basis, and adjusted accordingly to achieve OGC sales goals and objectives. Set departmental objectives and goals to align with OGC’s strategic plan, annual goals, and company initiatives. Provide strategic leadership for the future direction of the OGC Sales team in support of the OGC strategic plan and growth initiatives. QUALIFICATIONS 10+ years of progressive & successful sales experience, with at least 5+ years managing and coaching sales teams to meet and exceed sales goals. Preference for a deep understanding of the produce industry, including supply chain logistics, product characteristics, and quality control. Strategic planning and pricing experience. Strong knowledge of the channels of distribution of perishable products or related industries. Exceptional presentation, written and oral communication skills. Experience in fiscal management, including P&L’s, budgets, projections, cost control skills, and a proven track record of revenue generation and strong customer relationships. Excellent management and organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects concurrently. Interested in Learning More? 180one has been retained by OGC to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Lisa Heffernan / 971.256.3076/ lisa@180one.com .

180one's Year in Review: 2025

By Effie Zimmerman • February 11, 2026

Each year, 180one presents our Year in Review, sharing our insights into the overall executive talent market and recapping the work we performed on behalf of our clients throughout the year. To explore what we saw in years’ past, check out the Year in Review section of The Water Cooler.

New Opportunity: Corporate Controller

By Effie Zimmerman • February 6, 2026

Corporate Controller ABOUT THE COMPANY In 2024, Northwest Pump celebrated its 65th year of service. Since our founding, we’ve grown from humble beginnings into a trusted name in the petroleum and industrial industry. Through the decades, our commitment to quality, integrity and our valued customers has remained the foundation of everything we do. Northwest Pump provides a wide range of distribution and service capabilities to fueling and industrial customers across the Western United States. The Company’s 350 employees serve nearly 6,000 customers across its growing 20 branch locations. Northwest Pump’s people-first culture is highly regarded for providing a broad product portfolio, consultative services, and leading fill rates. In late 2024, NW Pump joined forces with H.I.G. Capital to bring you even better support and customer service. H.I.G. is a global alternative investment firm with $66 billion of capital under management. This acquisition not only validates the company’s strength but also reflects its continued potential for growth under new ownership. ABOUT THE POSITION Reporting directly to the CFO, the Corporate Controller will lead the accounting function, playing a critical role in ensuring financial accuracy, operational discipline, and scalable processes to support growth and value creation. This role partners closely with executive leadership and ownership, delivering timely, GAAP-compliant financial reporting while strengthening internal controls and upgrading systems and processes. The Controller will oversee all accounting operations, including monthly close, financial reporting, inventory accounting, and compliance, while building a high-performing team capable of supporting a complex, multi-location distribution environment. This position is highly hands-on and well-suited for a leader who thrives in a fast-paced, results-driven setting and is comfortable driving change. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes, ensuring accurate and timely financial statements in accordance with US GAAP. Lead all core accounting functions, including general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, inventory, and revenue recognition. Support mergers and acquisitions by participating in financial due diligence and assisting with the post-close integration of accounting policies, controls, reporting processes, and financial systems. Oversee inventory accounting across a multi-branch distribution footprint, including costing, reserves, and cycle count processes. Design, implement, and maintain strong internal controls and accounting policies appropriate for a PE-backed environment. Serve as the primary point of contact for external auditors, tax advisors, and other third-party providers. Partner with FP&A, operations, and leadership to provide financial insights that support margin improvement, working capital optimization, and growth initiatives. Support ERP optimization, systems integrations, and process improvements as the business scales organically and through acquisitions. Prepare reporting and analysis for executive leadership and ownership, including ad hoc requests. Recruit, develop, and mentor an accounting team, establishing clear accountability and a culture of continuous improvement. QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA preferred. 10+ years of progressive accounting experience, including prior controller or assistant controller experience. Public accounting experience is preferred. CPA required. Strong knowledge of US GAAP and financial reporting. Experience in manufacturing or industrial services business preferred. Demonstrated experience in modernizing accounting processes and systems. Hands-on leadership style with the ability to balance detail orientation and big-picture thinking. ERP system experience and a track record of process improvement. Strong communication skills with the ability to partner effectively across finance and operations. Interested in Learning More? 180one has been retained by Northwest Pump to manage this search. If interested in learning more about the opportunity, please contact Nicole Brady at 503-699-0184 or via email at nicole@180one.com .