Criteria in Picking the Best Jobs In the World

Last week, we’ve heard of the latest buzz in the best job in the world. It got so much attention, REALLY! How did they pick this to be the best? When you see the job description, you’ll be sure to hop on a plane to Australia and line up for this application.

According to Alison Doyle, a job search author in About.Com, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity:

“The six-month contract job of Island Caretaker will be based on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef. For a salary of AUD $150,000 (about US $104,000), the Island Caretaker will enjoy flexible working hours and the opportunity to explore one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.

For six months, the Caretaker will discover and promote what the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef have to offer and report on the experience to Tourism Queensland (the sponsor of the job) headquarters in Brisbane via blogs, a photo diary, video updates, and interviews.”

Although this is one of the rare cases of top ranking jobs, we do see reviews and polls of the top best jobs in the world. Have you ever wondered what are the criteria in coming up with the career list that everyone is dying to land on? Is it the money, working environment, or growth opportunity? Let us take a look at the major factors in crafting the best jobs in the world.

• Salary Range – Of course, who wouldn’t go for a 5 to 6 figures salary offer? When Money Magazine came up with the top 20 jobs in 2007, they team up with Salary.Com in gathering compensation data.

“To find the best jobs in America, MONEY Magazine and Salary.com, a leading provider of employee compensation data and software, began by assembling a list of positions that the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects will grow at an above-average rate over 10 years and that require at least a bachelor’s degree.

Using Salary.com compensation data, we eliminated jobs with average pay below $50,000; total employment of less than 15,000; dangerous work environments; or fewer than 800 annual job openings, including both new and replacement positions.”

• Career Demand – Although job demands will depend on geographical locations, a higher in demand will mean higher salaries to attract the right professionals/specialists in certain fields. CNNMoney.Com lists 5 Careers which meant big pay with big demand.

• Stress Factors – CareerCast.Com has identified 21 Stress Factors in their methodology in coming up with The Top 10 Best Jobs in America Today

“The amount of stress a worker experiences can be predicted, in part, by looking at the typical demands and crises inherent in his or her job. Our ranking system for stress considered 23 different job demands which can reasonably be expected to evoke stress (see list below). Each demand was assigned a range of points. A high score was awarded if a particular demand was a major part of the job, fewer points were awarded if the demand was a small part of the job, and no points were awarded if that demand was not normally required. For example, “deadlines” was one demand measured. Journalists, who often face daily deadlines, received the maximum of 9 points in this category. In contrast, biologists, who seldom face deadlines, received no points.”

• Job Satisfaction – According to Marty Nemko of USNews.Com, Job satisfaction is defined as spending a high percentage of time on activities that many people would consider rewarding or pleasant.

• Amount of Creativity (or Freedom) – In coming up with the Top Jobs for 2009, FastCompany.Com considered the amount of creativity and innovation.

“Finally, a great job needs to give you room to run. How innovative and creative can you be? How open to new ideas are people in your profession? We turned to Dr. Kevin Stolarick to help determine how creative workers can be in a given field. We weighted this 10%.”

So before making that next career change or pursuing a new profession, you can consider these factors in your selection. Whether your motivation is money or job satisfaction, it’s up to you to choose.

Thomas Edison once said: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”