Click the image to see a larger version of this info graphic, courtesy of CNNMoney:

If this info graphic is to be believed – and I do – the four best jobs in America are:

1. Systems Engineer
2. Physician Assistant
3. College Professor
4. Nurse Practitioner

So what makes these America’s best jobs, rather than say, cowboy, rock star or spaceman?

‘Best’ is intrinsically connected to the happiness felt by the worker, which is intrinsically connected to the necessity of the job itself.

Now before the rock star-cowboy-spaceman guild comes after me, let me be clear and state that all jobs fill a necessary role in our society – not just the ones on this list.

But from an HR perspective, when we post job vacancies and recruit for a ‘Systems Engineer,’ it can be incredibly advantageous for us to know that this job employs some of the happiest, most
necessary feeling workers in America. In fact, a Systems Engineer is
typically far happier and feels far more necessary than the 16^th ranked Software Product Manager, despite the fact that a Software PM can make nearly $20,000 more per year.

In regards to refining a recruiting and human resources strategy, the biggest takeaways I see when looking at this info graphic are:

• Understand that what most candidates want from any job is happiness.
  Happiness supersedes fame, power and especially money.
• When recruiting, weigh your job vacancies against the positions on this chart.
  If the position you are recruiting for ranks highly, this list will be a powerful tool.
• Alert qualified candidates to the happiness felt by workers in these positions.
  You’ll be amazed at the interest you see starting to glow in your candidates’ eyes.

Hook your candidates with happiness and the rest will almost certainly fall into place.