analysis and comparison of jobs for the purpose of determining the pay structure within an organization. Methods used in job evaluation include (a) ranking jobs on the basis of a subjective estimation of their relative overall value to the company (see ranking method); (b) assigning jobs to certain predefined classifications on the basis of job description (see classification method); (c) comparing jobs to certain identified benchmark jobs in terms of the compensable job factors entailed; (d) assigning point values to jobs according to a series of defined criteria such as education, experience, and the initiative or effort needed (see point method); and (e) ranking jobs according to a statistical analysis of job content, as revealed by employees’ answers to a standard questionnaire (see job-component method).