Salary increase strategy for '2x hike': 5 career mistakes to avoid that quietly keeps your income lower than your market value

A higher salary does not always come simply from staying longer at a job. For many professionals, how they build their career, the skills they add and the opportunities they are willing to explore can also affect how much they earn. Corporate employee Kshitiz Kumar, who says he has more than 15 years of work experience, recently shared five career mistakes that he believes can keep a person's income stuck.

In a video shared on Instagram, Kumar discussed the decisions professionals should reconsider if they want to improve their earning potential. He also highlighted the importance of understanding one's value in the job market instead of relying only on years of service.

1. Staying too long without growth

The first mistake Kumar pointed to was spending too many years in one company without meaningful growth. He argued that loyalty to an employer does not necessarily result in the highest possible salary.


His point was that professionals should keep track of what similar roles are paying in the market and whether their current company is offering enough growth in terms of salary, responsibilities and skills.

In the caption of his Instagram post, Kumar wrote, "Most people don’t have a salary problem. They have a career strategy problem."

He listed "Staying too long without growth" as the first mistake that can quietly keep income stuck.

2. Ignoring skills that can increase earnings

Kumar's second point was about learning skills that can improve a professional's value. According to him, having a degree is not enough to determine what someone can earn throughout their career.

In the video, he said, "Bro, your degree doesn't decide. Your skill decides your new salary."

The idea is that professionals need to keep updating their skills as their industry changes. Simply depending on an old qualification while doing the same work for years can limit opportunities for higher-paying roles.

3. Being afraid to switch jobs

Kumar also spoke about professionals who hesitate to change jobs even when they have stopped seeing meaningful growth in their current role.

He said, "If you don't switch in your job, you won't get a fat salary."

According to him, moving to another company can require professionals to leave a familiar environment and take some risks instead of remaining in the same position simply because it feels comfortable.

4. Not building a professional network

The fourth mistake was not making enough professional connections. Kumar said networking can help people discover job opportunities that they may not come across through regular job searches.

"Bro, you get a new job through references. You don't get it through job boards or just LinkedIn nowadays. So, make your connections," he said.

His advice was to build relationships within the professional community instead of relying only on job portals when looking for the next opportunity.

5. Getting too comfortable

Kumar's fifth point was about becoming too comfortable in a job or career routine. He said a comfort zone can feel safe, but staying there for too long can make people less willing to try something new.

"Bro, it'll make you feel safe. But it'll keep you poor. If you want to increase your salary, you'll have to jump out of your comfort zone."

Kumar concluded by saying professionals need to move outside their comfort zone if they want to increase their salary, adding that this could potentially help them reach 2x hike or even 3x hike their current salary.

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A post shared by Kshitiz Kumar | FRAMEWORKS (@by.kshitiz)

What people said in the comments

The Instagram post received a mixed set of reactions, with several users agreeing with Kumar while others pointed out the practical difficulties involved in switching jobs and building a career.

One user wrote, "It is very important to get out of the comfort zone", while another commented, "It's true". Several others responded with messages such as "Absolutely right", along with supportive emojis.


Some commenters, however, questioned whether the advice works equally well in the current job market. One user said, "agreed with all your points ... but these days there are rarely calbacks".

Another commenter said, "What should Govt job employees do", while another asked, "How to get references". A separate user said that points one, three and five were essentially the same.

There were also comments about the realities of changing jobs. One user wrote, "but depends on which stage of life and career you are at present, chasing high salary comes with lot of sacrifices", while another said they were still in the same company.

One commenter shared a personal experience, writing, "I switched after 22 years and that to with 50% growth".