Compensation
When a higher salary is the weaker offer
Base pay is the loudest line on a German offer letter. It is also frequently incomplete. In job offer comparison consulting we annualize cash, then add employer-paid benefits and subtract structural costs such as unpaid overtime expectations or mandatory commuting.
Build three columns, not one
Column A: contractual cash (base, target bonus, guaranteed one-offs). Column B: employer contributions you would otherwise buy yourself. Column C: friction costs — tools you must self-fund, long commutes, or rigid onsite policies that force childcare changes.
Bonus realism
A 15% target that historically pays at 60% is not a 15% line. Ask for the last two years’ payout ranges for the team, not a promise. If the employer cannot share ranges, score the bonus with a wider uncertainty band rather than deleting it.
Benefits that actually move the needle
Company pension matching, VL contributions, and transit subsidies often decide close races. Company cars can look generous until private-use taxation is estimated. Our Benefits Decoder exercises walk through these without pretending every euro is certain.
Decision discipline
Once the sheet is filled, resist reopening every cell after each HR email. Update only the lines that changed. That habit is what turns employment consultations in Germany into decisions you can defend six months later. Explore the method inside Offer Comparison Desk.