TL;DR:
A while ago, I was looking for a new job to get a change of pace and try a new work environment. I was underpaid when I started, got some raises, but I was making more than enough for my modest lifestyle and a nice investment in the future.
When management found out (from me), they asked how much money I wanted to stay. I explained that I wasn't leaving because of my salary or any problems with the company. We agreed I would stay for another year and my salary was raised from $65,000 to $125,000.
Now, one year on, I started looking for a new job.
How can I show off this large raise on my resume?
I'm not looking to get the highest salary, but the best work environment, and I don't want to scare off potential employers. At the same time, it is a very real indicator of the value that I can provide from an cost/benefit point of view.
Full story:
A while ago, I was planning on looking for a new job to get a change of pace and try a new work environment. I was underpaid (compared to standard industry salaries) when I started at an entry level at my current job, and even though I got raises, my duties and responsibilities increased at a much faster pace. After a couple of years the tech department had grown from 3 people to 7. I was responsible for managing the team, as well as being the lead architect and working in several other areas that are usually done by highly paid specialists.
Money is not a large motivator for me - even at the low early salary I was making more than enough for my modest lifestyle and a nice investment in the future, so I had never asked for a raise. Being underpaid was not a factor of my desire to try something new.
When management found out about my plans to leave (from me), they asked me in to a meeting room and asked how much money I wanted to stay. I explained that I wasn't leaving because of my salary or any problems with the company, but that I wanted to work in different fields and try new things. They again asked me how much money I wanted to stay. I explained that it would be stupid of me to turn down a huge amount of money, but I didn't want to get complacent; if they really wanted to pay me a ton of money, I would stay, but only for another year. They again asked me how much. It was obviously a high pressure setting, so I quickly estimated how much I could be making somewhere else, and added $10,000 as the incentive to stay, to come up with a final figure of $120,000. They responded with "How about 125?". This ended up being just short of a 100% raise (from $65,000).
I am now coming up on the end of that year, and have started looking for a new job. How can I show off this large raise on my resume?
Should I list it in the employment history, along with all the technical achievements and projects I worked on? Should I mention it in a more casual way in my cover letter (I have a "Hey, I'm really awesome because of all these reasons" informal type of cover letter)? Should I wait to talk about it in the interview? Should I not mention it at all?
I'm not looking to get the highest salary I can, but the best work environment, so I don't want to scare off potential employers who might think I would require a salary out of their range, or that I overvalue my worth or am full of myself. At the same time, it is a very real indicator of the value that I can provide from an analytical cost/benefit point of view (and they knew I was planning on staying long enough to hire a replacement and get them up and running, so it wasn't a case of them having to pay me whatever I said or being screwed). It also shows the fact that I don't just do the job I'm paid to do and no more, I do the best job I can.
Senior Underwater Basketweaver
,Lead Bunny Wrangler
,Hambone Operations Manager
.