Raise or Job Hop? The 14-Day Salary Uplift Experiment (Stop Guessing, Start Proving)

Most people treat salary growth like a debate.

They *think* about it for months:

• “Should I ask for a raise?”
• “Should I leave?”
• “What if I look disloyal?”
• “What if I regret it?”

Top performers treat salary growth like an experiment.

They run a short, controlled test that produces evidence—then they make the obvious move.

This post is that test.

In 14 days, you’ll know (with receipts) whether:

• you can get a meaningful raise where you are, or
• your fastest path to a big uplift is a job hop.

No guesswork. No endless “maybe.” No burnout.

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The 3 numbers that decide everything

You don’t need more motivation. You need three numbers:

1) Internal Ceiling (IC)

The most your current company can realistically pay you within the next 60–90 days *without* a promotion.

2) Market Delta (MD)

What the market is paying for your current skillset right now, based on real recruiter responses, not vibes.

3) Switching Cost (SC)

The true cost of leaving: risk, ramp time, lost flexibility, benefits, stability, commute, stress.

Your decision is simple:

• If MD − SC is meaningfully higher than IC, you job hop.
• If IC is competitive *and* your company can commit to a timeline, you negotiate internally.
• If neither is true, you build leverage by upgrading your *positioning* (scope + story) and re-run the test.

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Day 1–2: Find your Internal Ceiling (without begging)

Most people ask for a raise like this:

> “I’ve been working hard.”

That’s not a raise request. That’s a compliment request.

What you want is a band-and-timeline conversation.

The 4-sentence script

Use this in your 1:1:

1. “I want to align on my compensation and level.”

2. “What level am I currently mapped to internally, and what’s the pay range for that level?”

3. “What would need to be true for me to move to the next level—and by when could that decision be made?”

4. “If the level change isn’t possible this cycle, what compensation adjustment *is* possible this cycle?”

You’re not demanding. You’re forcing clarity.

Outcome you want by Day 2:

• a range (or at least a constraint),
• a decision-maker path,
• a realistic date.

If you can’t get those, that’s a data point: your Internal Ceiling is probably low.

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Day 3–4: Build a Raise Packet that leadership can approve in 3 minutes

You’re going to create a one-page document your manager can forward without rewriting.

The Raise Packet structure (copy/paste)

Title: Compensation Alignment — [Your Role]

Summary (2 lines): I’m operating at [scope], delivering [outcomes], and I’m requesting alignment to [range/level] by [date].

1) Scope I own (today):

• [Responsibility tied to business outcome]
• [Responsibility tied to risk reduction or revenue]
• [Cross-team scope]

2) Proof of impact (bullet math):

• Reduced [time/cost] by [X%] → saved [$ / hours]
• Increased [throughput/conversion/quality] by [X%]
• Owned [high-risk system/process] with [result]

3) Market reality (non-dramatic):

• Comparable roles are landing at [range] based on current recruiter outreach and interviews.

4) The ask (clean):

• Option A: Adjust to [$X] by [date]
• Option B: Map to [next level] with compensation to match by [date]
• Option C: If neither is possible, agree on a written plan to reach [level] with a decision date

This is not “selling yourself.”

This is making it easy for the company to say yes.

If you want a clean workflow for tailoring your resume and positioning (so your scope reads like a higher level), start here: https://hyperapply.app/learn

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Day 5–10: Run the Market Proof Loop (the part most people avoid)

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Your company will often pay you “what you’ll tolerate” until the day the market proves you’re worth more.

So you’re going to generate market proof—fast.

The Market Proof Loop rules

• Apply to 12–20 roles over 5–6 days.
• Only roles you would actually accept.
• Do not spray the same generic CV everywhere.
• Your goal is not “a job.” Your goal is price discovery.

Your success metric

By Day 10 you want at least:

• 3 recruiter screens, or
• 2 hiring manager conversations

That’s enough to estimate Market Delta.

The “no generic” constraint (the real bottleneck)

Most candidates try to scale volume by going generic.

That destroys response rate—especially when the market is noisy.

The trick is fast tailoring with a stable base CV.

If you’re doing this from scratch each time, you will burn out.

If you’re using a workflow where you open the job listing and generate a tailored CV in minutes—while staying fully in control—you can actually run the experiment.

That’s the exact niche HyperApply is built for:

• you’re already viewing the job listing,
• you generate a tailored CV PDF from your base CV + the job requirements,
• you review it, edit if needed, and decide whether to apply.

How it works: https://hyperapply.app/docs

Common questions (including control and privacy): https://hyperapply.app/faq

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Day 11–12: Your decision rule (this is where people finally get honest)

Now you compare the numbers.

If your company can’t give a decision date, treat IC as zero

Not because they’re evil—because the system won’t move.

A raise that isn’t tied to a date is not a raise. It’s a hope.

A clean decision rule

• If your internal path is clear + dated + meaningful, negotiate internally.
• If your market conversations show 15–30%+ uplift and your internal path is vague, hop.
• If your market response is weak, your resume/story is under-positioned—fix that and rerun.

If you’re evaluating alternatives for “tailoring tools” vs “manual workflows,” this comparison hub is useful: https://hyperapply.app/compare

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Day 13–14: Execute the move (without burning bridges)

If you stay: make the raise real

Ask for one of these:

• the approved number, or
• the level mapping + decision date in writing, or
• a specific milestone plan with a review date

If you leave: don’t “win the offer,” win the band

Most people negotiate pennies inside the wrong level.

The real money lives in a higher band.

So your negotiation focuses on:

• leveling (scope match),
• then pay.

Not the other way around.

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The punchline

Average candidates ask:

> “Do you think I should job hop?”

Elite candidates ask:

> “What does the market prove, and what can my company commit to—by date?”

That one mindset shift is the difference between:

• a career that inches forward,
• and a career that compounds.

Run the 14-day experiment once.

You’ll never negotiate from guesswork again.