Actually Mandi it is fairly straight forward. The grade will have been set a long time ago - that is what the Comp and Bens part of HR do, probably based on set scales - Hay is one of them and Watson and Wyatt another. it is not based on that particular person. It relates to the role and what is required, ie how many years experience is necessary, what educational level etc.

They almost certainly already have people working there doing the same job so they already know the grade it is pitched at. So, if he has a masters but the job only requires a Bachelors degree, it won't make a difference to the grade but the salary offered could be different but only within the grade set. Also the salary scales are quite wide within each grade - this is what he need to negotiate on, not the grade