Survey Methodology
Job matching
Also called: job match, benchmark matching
The process of mapping your internal jobs to a survey's standardized benchmark jobs to pull comparable market data.
Survey vendors publish standardized benchmark jobs with detailed descriptions and leveling guides. Job matching is how you map your internal roles to those benchmarks.
A good match means your internal job description matches the survey's benchmark on:
- Scope (size of organization, span of control)
- Level (individual contributor → manager → director → VP → executive)
- Function (engineering, finance, sales)
- Specialization (e.g., backend engineer vs. data engineer)
A typical job is matched 70–90% accurately to a survey benchmark. The remaining gap is what slot- or hybrid-matching addresses.
Bad matches are the single largest source of compensation-benchmarking error. Most major survey vendors offer matching support as part of the subscription. Use it.