My Paycheck Isn’t Growing. Should I Fight For More Or Walk Away?

Dear Fairygodmentor®,

I want to make more money, but I don’t know whether to ask for a raise or find a new job. I’ve been with my company for a few years, and while I like my team (for the most part), my salary doesn’t seem to reflect everything I’m contributing. At the same time, the job market feels unpredictable, and leaving feels risky.

How do I know whether I should negotiate for more money where I am or start looking someplace else?

– Should I Stay or Should I Go

Dear Should I Stay or Should I Go,

When my coaching clients tell me that they want more money, they tend to assume that there are only two options: ask for a raise or quit.

Before you choose either path, I’d like you to answer a more important question:

Has your value outgrown your paycheck, or has your workplace outgrown its willingness to pay for it?

The answer will determine your next move.

A raise conversation and a job search campaign are both negotiations. The difference is that one happens with your current employer, and the other happens in the marketplace.

Before you make any decision, I’d like to ask that you do these three things.

Action Step #1: Conduct a Value Audit

Most people walk into salary conversations guarded and all in their feelings.

What you need to walk into that room with is evidence. Or as folks say, “receipts.”

Ask yourself:

• Have my responsibilities increased? If so, how? 
• Am I performing work above my current level?
• Have I led projects, improved processes, increased revenue, reduced costs, or trained others? (In other words, have you improved the bottom line in some way?”
• When was my last significant pay increase?

I’ve shared before that updating your receipts in a DIG folder on a regular basis (DIG = Damn, I’m Good) will help you keep your evidence recorded, relevant, and up to date. You want to refer to your list of measurable contributions from the last 12-18 months.

It’s one thing to know your value; it’s another thing to show it. If you can’t clearly articulate your value, your employer won’t be able to either.

Your salary should reflect the value you create today, not the value of the person they hired several years ago.

Action Step #2: Research Your Market Value

Before asking for a raise, do your homework and find out what the market says your worth.

Research:

• Roles comparable to yours 
• Salary ranges
• Industry benchmarks 
• Compensation at competing companies 

Many professionals discover they’re underpaid only after seeing what other employers are offering.

The goal isn’t to threaten your employer with another offer. The goal is to understand whether your compensation gap is:

• Small enough to negotiate internally, or
• Large enough that changing employers may be the fastest path to higher earnings. 

It’s admirable to be loyal. But blind loyalty can be expensive. 

Action Step #3: Pay Attention to the Response, Not Just the Answer

If you decide to ask for a raise, listen very carefully to how your leadership responds. 

A “not right now” isn’t always a “no.”

You’ll want to ask some probing questions:

• What would need to happen for a raise to be approved?
• What timeline should I expect? (Make sure you follow up if that timeline has been exceeded!)
• What measurable goals would justify an increase in compensation?

A healthy employer will explain a path forward. An unhealthy employer will change the subject, move the goalposts, or expect you to keep doing MORE for the same pay, indefinitely.  

The conversation itself will often tell you whether it’s time to stay, or time to get the heck out of there!

Sometimes the raise isn’t necessarily the answer you’ll receive. It’s the information you gather during that conversation.

You don’t have to choose between asking for a raise and exploring new opportunities.

In fact, the smartest professionals often do both.

Gather your data/evidence. Understand your market value. And then, have the conversation. Listen carefully to the response. Let that response guide your decision.

Because the goal isn’t simply to make more money; the goal is to build a career in which your compensation is a true reflection of your contributions.

You’ve earned the right to know your worth and be paid accordingly!

The question isn’t whether you’re worth more money. The question is whether your current employer agrees.

You got this! 

Yours truly,

Your Fairygodmentor®

About Joyel Crawford:

Joyel Crawford is an award-winning career and leadership development professional and founder of Crawford Leadership Strategies, a consultancy that empowers results-driven leaders through coaching, training, and facilitation. She’s the best-selling author of Show Your Ask: Using Your Voice to Advocate for Yourself and Your Career.

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