Pay and compensation
Am I being paid fairly?
A salary cannot be assessed against a single figure found online. Start with your role, experience, location and total compensation, then compare several dated references.
This guide helps you prepare a comparison. It does not calculate a personalised salary or predict the outcome of a negotiation. The Apec reference covers France.
Separate base pay, variable pay and benefits
Record annual gross base pay and how many payments it includes. List target variable pay separately from what was actually paid, then record benefits and working hours. Monthly take-home pay and annual gross compensation are different measures.
Keep non-cash conditions separate: remote work, leave, training and travel requirements. Avoid assigning them a cash value without understanding their cost and usefulness to you.
Describe the role beyond its title
List responsibilities, autonomy, management duties and decision-making scope. Add relevant experience, location, industry and company size. Identical job titles can describe very different work.
Use references with a clear scope
Apec's simulator uses pay reported by private-sector professionals with cadre status in France. It considers individual, job and employer characteristics. It does not represent every occupation or country. Access to the simulator requires an Apec account.
Where applicable, compare this reference with recent advertisements for similar roles. Record whether figures cover base pay or total compensation and whether they are advertised or reported salaries. A poorly matched reference raises a question; it does not prove underpayment.
Prepare the salary conversation
Collect two or three achievements with observable effects: extra responsibility, a problem solved or an outcome delivered. Explain your request, its scope and your references. Ask how the decision is made and when you can revisit it.
One possible opening: “My responsibilities have changed in these areas. Here are the comparisons I found. What criteria would support reviewing my compensation?”
A record for each salary reference
Copy these prompts into a document, once for each source and once for your own role. Keep missing information visible.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Source, date and population | Link, publication or access date, roles and people covered. |
| Role and context | Responsibilities, experience, location, industry and company size. |
| Annual gross compensation | Base pay, target variable pay and actual variable pay, separated. |
| Hours and benefits | Working hours, leave, benefits and constraints. |
| Limits | Differences from your situation and questions still to check. |
Build a reasoned range for discussion. An average is neither a guaranteed minimum nor a measure of your personal worth.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked on 9 September 2026. The exercises are proposed by Jobiwan; they are not tests validated by the organisations cited. Linked official sources are in French.
une fourchette haute et une fourchette basse
Original French quotation: the result includes an upper and lower range. The page explains the criteria, private-sector cadre population and pay survey. External tool requiring Apec sign-in.
Connect compensation to your career plans
Clarify what you want from your next role and the arguments to prepare. Discover how Jobiwan career support works.