A study commissioned by experts at Princeton university has uncovered a list of the country’s most respected jobs. Intriguingly, it also lists the country’s least respected professions too! Have you ever wondered how others perceive you and your job role? It might surprise you to see where your particular career falls in the study. The commission took a large sample survey to unveil this information, asking people to rate warmth and competence.


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Those roles that were rated as both warm and competent are considered the most respected. At the other end of the scale we find jobs that are neither compassionate or skilled! Of course, this is all opinion based, but it goes a long way to showing the wide perception of the public. As for who comes out on top? Well, it’s mostly health care professionals. Doctors, nurses and care workers top the list. At the other end of the scale, we find taxi drivers, food servers and labourers.

Competence

In the study, citizens were asked to rank each profession on a scale of one to ten for competence. It’s a simple test to discover the perceived intelligence and attention to detail in every job. It’s no surprise that doctors and nurses came out on top here. The lengthy and complicated training is well documented, and everyone understands the intelligence involved. A Doctor of Nursing program is a long course, and it shows a significant level of competency. The same is true for any medicine or biology degree. It is well known that doctors take a five year degree program before attending a hospital to complete their training. The process is synonymous with competence.
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Warmth

However, respect doesn’t just come from competency. For example, lawyers were rated as very competent. But, they appear low on the respect rating due to their perceived lack of warmth. In fact, they are rated among the lowest professions in terms of compassion. It’s a reputation that isn’t entirely accurate, but perceptions have a powerful effect on the public! With that in mind, compassion and warmth play a huge part in respect. Competence alone is not enough. To fully command respect, people must trust you.

Again, it’s easy to see why doctors and nurses appeared at the top of this list. The health care profession is intrinsically linked to warmth, compassion and care. To become a doctor or nurse, you must foster a deep need to help and support others. That compassion is plain to see, and many have benefited from the kindness of nurses in a time of need. A key part of their training is learning a comforting ‘bedside manner’. No other job teaches you how to show empathy or respond with compassion.

Respect

These two figures were combined to create an overall rating of respect. The combination of warmth and competence is a strong indication of trust and status. Ask any expert how to command respect and they’ll tell you the same thing. It’s mixture of authenticity, relatability and skill. Being good at your job is simply the default level. It’s your personal attitude and what the job says about you that really commands respect. Becoming a doctor or nurse tells people you care.

The other figures

Among the doctors and nurses, care assistants were also rated very highly. Unsurprisingly, so were teachers. By their very nature, teachers are competent, skilled and educated. They are also warm and caring with an inherent link to children. Engineers, scientists and researchers fared well. After all, they contribute to the world and make planes fly! They are generally perceived as very competent and fairly warm. On the other hand, writers and musicians were considered very warm and fairly competent. Accountants also feature among the most respected professions.

At the bottom, we find a myriad of low paid, labour-intensive jobs. The likes of garbage collectors, taxi drivers and truck drivers make up the bottom end. We also find politicians and bankers in this low end of the table. Both are perceived as incompetent and heartless! Perhaps the biggest shock on this list is the perception of police officers. You might expect them to feature at the most respected end. Instead, they fall somewhere in the middle. It seems people are still reluctant to trust them, finding them neither warm, nor competent. Elsewhere, bus drivers, retail workers and secretaries all fare well. Each are perceived as warm and caring, higher than all except teachers and health care workers. As for the most competent of all? That’s the engineers!

If you’re looking for a well-respected job, opt for a career in healthcare or education. If you want to avoid evil glares on the street, it’s probably best to avoid a job in law or politics!