I Got a 300% Pay Bump in Just 6 Months — Here’s How I Did It
Written by
Laura Beck
Edited by
Amen Oyiboke
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Getting a truly big raise at work might seem impossible. Many employees feel stuck at their current pay with small incremental increases each year. You might assume the only way to significantly increase your salary is to switch jobs. However, it is possible to get a 200% or more pay bump without changing companies if you take the right approach under the right circumstances.
We talked to Daniel Craemer, founder of Underpants Money. Craemer shared his story of working in Hollywood as a visual effects artist.
“During that time I more than tripled my salary within six months,” he said. Here’s how he did it.
Work Hard
Early in his visual effects career, Craemer found himself starting over at a new company in a junior position. After losing his previous job, he took an hourly night shift gig doing visual effects grunt work for $18 per hour. The work was far below his experience level, but he needed the job to pay rent.
“So I worked hard,” said Craemer. “Very hard. I output as much work as I could and focused on the quality to ensure nothing came back to me. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was doing more than double the amount of work than anyone else on the team. It got noticed.”
It was grueling but he was motivated to impress and secure a better role.
“Over a few months working I got to know my supervisor by continually impressing her,” Craemer added. “She pulled me aside one day and told me to keep it up and I might get hired on the day shift in a better position. I was super hopeful.”
Know Your Worth and Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For It
Unfortunately, even after his impressive hard work on the night shift, Craemer found that the company still underestimated his value.
“At the end of the project the work finished up and the company let me go,” said Craemer. “A few days later I got a call asking me to come back in and work on the day shift in a 3D compositing role. They wanted to bring me back in on the same salary. I still really needed the job. But I also knew what I was worth, and it wasn’t what they wanted to pay me.”
Craemer knew that he deserved much more based on his skills and experience. So although he needed the job badly, he turned down their initial offer and countered with a much higher rate.
“I turned down the offer and said I wanted $35 per hour,” he said. “The HR manager declined my counteroffer and hung up. ‘I thought….I screwed myself over bad now. Time to look for more work.'”
It was a nerve-racking move on his part. He was certain that he had overplayed his hand and lost the opportunity altogether.
“The next day I got another phone call from [the HR manager] who told me he could offer me $31 per hour,” said Craemer. “I took it and went back to work.”
Craemer happily accepted this compromise that better reflected his worth. He had learned an important lesson–know what you deserve based on your proven talents. Even if you lack leverage, don’t be afraid to advocate for fair pay.
Be Indispensable
After negotiating a fair hourly rate, Craemer kept working hard to prove he was worth the investment. His goal was to make himself indispensable through the quality and efficiency of his work.
“Over the course of the next few months I continued to work extra hard,” he said. “I wanted to prove I was worth the money they were paying for me and I didn’t want to lose my job again.”
Several months later, a management opportunity arose overseas. His boss asked him to take on a bigger role training a large team in Mumbai, India, at his same pay rate.
“It was a step up for me and I always wanted to travel,” said Craemer. “I told Brad I was interested. He came to me a few days later and made an offer for me. He wanted me to go train and manage a team of 18 people in a foreign country for the same pay I was getting now. “
Though he wanted the overseas experience, Craemer boldly countered with a higher salary.
“While sitting in his office I said, ‘You’ve got to be f—– kidding me. I’m already underpaid. I know two people on the team who do less work than I do and make more money. I won’t go for anything less than $55 an hour,’ ” Craemer said. “He said no. So I walked out of the office. I was actually very sad because I really wanted to go to India. It was a lifelong dream to travel.”
Disappointed but resolute, Craemer walked away from the lowball offer. But his hard work and hardball tactics had paid off.
“A few hours later I got an email offering me $65 per hour,” he said. “I accepted.”
It was a risk to negotiate like this, but it paid off. Craemer’s direct supervisor recognized his critical contributions and went to bat for him.
“He went into Brad’s office and told him, ‘We need him over there,'” said Craemer. “‘Give him whatever he wants. Get him over there.'”
Become so valuable that the company cannot operate without you. Bring skill, dedication, and results that elevate you to indispensable status. When you reach that level, you gain real negotiating power and the freedom to advocate boldly for what you’re truly worth.
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