The Counteroffer Decision: Stay or Go? with Akanksha Verma

You’ve resigned, and now they want you to stay. There’s more money on the table, maybe a promise of promotion, and a lot of flattery and guilt. Decisions made in that moment are easy to regret.

The Counteroffer Decision is a structured, five-part scoring tool that helps you decide with a clear head:

1. Why did you start looking? Weigh each of your real reasons for leaving and check whether the counteroffer actually fixes it. You’ll get a reasons score that shows whether the problem has been solved or just paid over.
2. Read the counteroffer closely. Six sharp questions with the red-flag answers highlighted, such as “Are promised promotions tied to a date and clear criteria?”
3. Compare both futures. A weighted side-by-side comparison of staying and going across nine factors, from pay and progression to your manager, flexibility and how it reads on your CV.
4. The regret test. How you’ll feel about each choice in 10 days, 10 months and 10 years.
5. Your decision scorecard. Bring all your signals together, check your gut, and see clearly which way the evidence points, with guidance on what to do if the signals disagree.

It ends with your decision written down: the main reason, what would change your mind, and your next step.

What you get:

• A 3-page fillable PDF with a fictional worked example
• Works on screen in any PDF app, or printed

Created by Akanksha, a career coach with experience in HR and workforce strategy. I’ve seen counteroffers from the employer’s side, so I know the questions worth asking before you say yes or no.

Want to talk your decision through? Book a 1:1 career strategy call with me here on Topmate.