In a thought-provoking LinkedIn post that’s making waves across India’s corporate circles, Anupam Mittal, Founder and CEO of People Group and Shark Tank India investor, has questioned the country’s fixation with the so-called “standard” 30-35% salary hike during job switches.
The 35% hike ritual under scrutiny
Mittal began his post with a candid question: “What’s with this 35% hike obsession?” He pointed out how professionals in India often expect this number automatically when switching jobs.
“Every time someone switches jobs in India, there’s this magic number – a 30-35% hike! No logic. No context. Just ritual,” he wrote.
He added humorously, “When asked why, the response is that it is ‘standard’. WTF? Who set this standard? I sure didn’t get the memo 😅”
“A lot of motion, no progress”
While Mittal acknowledged that professionals should always earn their worth, he warned that blindly chasing a percentage hike every year could be counter-productive.
“Chasing a percentage hike every year is like running on a treadmill – a lot of motion, no progress,” he wrote, highlighting how frequent job switches for marginal pay increases often prevent people from gaining meaningful experience or specialisation.
According to him, professionals who switch roles every 12 months for a salary bump end up with “no depth, no edge, and no real compounding.”
The number that actually matters
Mittal suggested a different metric for career growth, one that focuses on skill and thinking rather than money.
“If there’s one number worth chasing, it’s not a 35% raise. It’s a 35% growth in your judgement – in critical thinking, first-principles thinking & creative problem-solving,” he advised.
He further noted that with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, professionals must focus on developing uniquely human capabilities. “Because everything else? It’ll be automated by AI,” he cautioned.
Outcomes over outputs
Mittal concluded his post with a reminder that in uncertain markets, it’s not the highest-paid employees who survive, but those who can truly deliver impact.
“When the market turns (and it always does), it won’t be the highest-paid who survives. It’ll be the ones who can produce, not output, but outcomes 💪🏽,” he wrote.
Why it resonates
Mittal’s post has struck a chord with thousands of professionals and leaders who echoed his thoughts in the comments. Many agreed that the obsession with arbitrary salary hikes has led to short-term thinking, inflated expectations, and declining depth in expertise.
At a time when India’s job market is evolving rapidly, his message serves as a reminder to value long-term growth, judgement, and adaptability over chasing standardised pay bumps.
Muskaan Kapoor
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