The new position brings a higher salary, of course. But not necessarily more money. Many of these benefits increase over time, so the longer you're on a job, the more generous they are. And the result is that contrary to the wisdom popular for the past few years, job hopping often isn't the quick, smooth road to riches that it seems.
People have to do the math.
Mr. Salikof says in particular that midlevel executives with stock options don't always realize what they're leaving when they move. In today's tight job market, employees have leverage to negotiate compensation packages that make a move worthwhile. Before making a move, a manager with stock options should ask the new company to trade new options for those being left behind at the old company, Mr. Salikof says. It isn't unusual for companies, on the second or final interview, to schedule job seekers to meet their benefits coordinator to compare the old and new packages, he says. At those meetings, the best candidates often ask the most questions.