From 2026 onward, never accept a counteroffer—even if it’s a 100% hike. Being in HR, I’ve seen this play out more times than you think. A candidate I was hiring for was earning 100,000. He got a new offer of 170,000, a solid jump. But within 15 minutes of the offer letter hitting his inbox, he backed out. His current company dangled a 190,000 counter-offer and he accepted it immediately. Fast forward 4 months… The same candidate messaged me again. His company had laid him off and replaced him with a cheaper resource. His message started with: Hi sir, I’m really sorry… do you have any openings? This is exactly why I keep saying this: 👉 A counter-offer is not a reward. It’s a strategy to buy time until they find someone cheaper. 👉 Loyalty doesn’t magically increase with money. 👉 If they valued you, they wouldn’t wait until your resignation to pay you fairly. Please don’t fall for counter-offers. It looks like a win… until it isn’t.