I'm a 31-year-old Black woman in HR who makes over $200,000 a year. Job-hopping has a stigma, but it's always helped me make what I'm worth.

• Welcome to "Salary Journeys," a series that reveals how much people have made over their careers.
• In this journey, a 31-year-old HR exec shares how job-hopping helped her win big pay bumps.

Job-hopping often gets a bad rap, but as any human-resources manager worth their salt will tell you, it's the most reliable way to make more money and get ahead in your career.

I should know: I'm a Black woman in HR, and at the age of 31, I'm working at my fifth employer, and I earn about $212,000 a year.

Growing up in the South in a low-income family, I wasn't aware that careers like mine even existed. I was the first person in my family to go to college, and I attended on a full scholarship. I got into HR almost by accident, but it's a field I'm passionate about, and I'm good at my job.

Some of my more traditional colleagues look down on job-hoppers and see them as less committed to their organizations, but I take a more progressive approach to tenure. Just as organizations have goals to meet, individuals have goals, too. So I don't look at how long candidates stayed in jobs. Instead, I ask: What did they accomplish?

On a personal level, I view job-hopping as a way to ensure I get paid what I'm worth. I'm a mother, and I owe it to my daughter to make as much money as I can to provide for her. Being in HR gives me a lot of visibility into salary dynamics and how pay works.

Even as a great employee, you're likely to get an annual raise of only 3% or 5% because companies are limited in what they can reward employees internally. Data backs this up: According to estimates by LaborIQ, which provides compensation data, salaries for new hires are on average 7% higher than the median pay for people already employed in similar positions. In other words: The only way to get a significant salary increase is to quit your job and take a new one. I'm not afraid to do that.

Here's my salary journey over seven jobs and five employers.

Editor's note: Insider has verified the source's pay and identity with documents for their current or most recent job.

Entry-level HR manager, $52,000

After I graduated from college, I entered an executive training program at a major retailer outside of Washington, DC. The starting salary was more money than I'd ever seen in my life, so I didn't even try to negotiate.

The program, which included coursework and job rotations in various business units, was designed to give me a diverse set of professional experiences. I'm a natural people person, so I gravitated toward HR.

It was an intense job. I had responsibility for a lot of HR functions — recruiting, scheduling, terminations, and so on — and I was also expected to help out wherever I was needed. I ran the cash register, stocked shelves, and opened and closed the store. I regularly worked 65 hours a week.

Once I realized I had learned everything I could in that job, I started looking for something new.

HR manager, $56,000

My next job, also at a retailer, was strictly HR. I did the hiring, firing, and drug screenings; I ran new employee orientations and open enrollment, and I helped with our loss-prevention strategies.

The best part about the job was that the hours were manageable. I was able to fit in an online master's degree in HR management on nights and weekends.

The worst part was that there was no room for upward mobility and growth. My manager had been there for 30 years. She had no plans to leave, and there was no place for me to go.

I stayed for a little over a year.

Senior HR generalist, $75,000 plus 20% bonus

I was ready to take on a bigger remit, so I applied for a new job at a well-known food brand. After seven interviews, I got an offer. I was so grateful to get the job and the big pay increase that I didn't want to make waves by asking for more money.

The job gave me great experience: The workforce was unionized, and I got to learn the ropes of labor relations and collective bargaining.

After a year, my boss wanted to promote me to HR business partner. I was very excited: I was going to be based at a manufacturing plant that had over 500 employees. The promotion also meant that I had to move to a new city.

Initially, the company offered me a 10% raise. But I took my time to benchmark what my peers were making so I could negotiate. I identified competing salaries on Payscale and Glassdoor, and I made the case that even though the company was covering my moving and relocation expenses, I was making a sacrifice to take the job. I ended up with a 26% raise to $95,000 and a 25% target bonus.

It was a tough job. The plant had 30% turnover and a reputation for poor pay. Morale was low, and no one wanted to work there. I stayed for a little less than a year.

Senior manager, HR business partner, $125,000 plus $30,000 signing bonus and 25% target bonus

I was ready for a new city and a new job, so I interviewed at a lot of places. The best offer I got was from a Big Tobacco company, so I made a move. The benefits were life-changing: a 9% 401(k) match, more vacation time, and the company was willing to pay up to 85% of my tuition for my new master's program — this time in employee law.

After five months in that role, I made a lateral move to employee relations, which raised my salary to $131,000.

The job was fine, but since the pandemic, I've reevaluated what I want out of my life and career.

For one thing, I realized I didn't want to work for a company that doesn't align with my values. And for another, I value flexibility. The company was taking a draconian approach to its return to the office after pandemic lockdowns, and I want to work from home. I left the company after two years.

Head of employee relations, $170,775 plus $20,000 signing bonus and 25% target bonus

Now I am a full-time remote employee for a large health-tech company that's based in New England.

The company has about 5,500 employees globally, and I have a lot of responsibility: discrimination cases; Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations; hostile-work-environment issues; diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; and run-of-the-mill HR policies and procedures.

I know I'm paid well living where I live in the South, but when you look at the scope of my responsibilities and what my peers in the industry in similar jobs earn, I could make more.

When it's time to leave this company, I'm betting I'll do just that.

If you are interested in submitting your salary journey, please email salaryjourneys@insider.com. All submissions are kept confidential.

This story was originally published on April 13, 2022.