Promotion vs Job Hop Tool
Compare 10-year earnings from staying for promotions versus switching jobs, including signing bonuses, equity cliffs,...
What Promotion vs Job Hop Tool does
The Promotion vs Job Hop Tool on Financial Toolset lets professionals model a decade of earnings by comparing the financial impact of internal promotions versus external job changes. Users input their current salary, expected raise percentages, promotion frequency, signing bonuses, equity value, and layoff probability to see a side-by-side projection of total compensation over ten years. The calculator accounts for complex variables like equity cliffs, unvested 401k matches, and the unpaid gap between jobs, outputting a clear financial comparison to help weigh the trade-offs of staying versus switching.
How to use the Financial Toolset Promotion vs Job Hop Tool
- 1
Enter your current annual salary into the designated field
- 2
Set the annual raise percentage and promotion frequency for staying put
- 3
Input signing bonus amount and job-switch raise percentage if modeling a move
- 4
Adjust layoff probability and unpaid gap between jobs to reflect real-world risk
- 5
Review the ten-year earnings projection displayed once calculations complete
Best for
Professionals evaluating whether internal advancement or external moves will maximize their long-term compensation, especially those weighing salary bumps against lost equity, benefits, and job-search downtime.
Limitations
- Results are estimates based on user-entered values and average market data
- No unit switching or currency conversion built into the calculator
- Layoff probability and signing bonus inputs require personal judgment or external research
Promotion vs Job Hop Tool FAQ
- Can I include equity and 401k matching in the comparison?
- Yes, the tool has fields for equity refresh value and retirement match, allowing you to model how unvested stock or lost 401k contributions affect the ten-year total when switching jobs.
- How does the calculator handle the gap between jobs?
- You can specify an unpaid gap in months between leaving one role and starting the next, which the calculator subtracts from your cumulative earnings projection.
- What raise percentages should I use for promotions versus job switches?
- The tool suggests internal promotions typically yield 5-10% raises, while external job changes often provide 10-20%, with higher jumps of 30-50% possible in high-demand markets.
- Is there a limit to how many job switches I can model?
- The ten-year horizon inherently limits the number of switches you can compare, but you can adjust the switch frequency years to reflect your desired job-change cadence within that decade.