To win over potential employers, you need to demonstrate your success working alone. Here is how you do it.
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What does ‘the ability to work independently’ mean?
First, let’s define what ‘the ability to work independently’ means.
Most simply, it means you can work by yourself and get the job done with minimal direction and supervision.
This requires several skills, including self-motivation, initiative, resourcefulness, confidence, dependability, organisation, planning, and problem-solving skills.
Working independently does not mean you will never be required to work with others (or that you should never ask for help). Instead, it means you can manage your own time, priorities, and resources to get the work completed.
Essentially, an employer wants to know you can be set a task and get it done without any ‘handholding’.
That is, without requiring excessive additional help, guidance and reassurance. Additionally, an employer wants to know you will take the initiative, see something that needs doing and take action without being told.
How to demonstrate your ability to work independently at an interview
Let’s briefly look at how you will demonstrate this skill at an interview. (This will help you with your resume)
At the interview, you will be asked an interview question to evaluate your ability to work independently. This will allow you to share an example from your experience that highlights your success working alone.
Here are some sample questions:
Tell me about a task or project that you achieved on your own?
Describe a situation where you maintained your motivation while experiencing a challenge?
Tell me about a time you took on additional responsibilities, not part of your regular workload?
Describe a time when you identified a solution to a problem you encountered in your work?
To answer these questions, you would provide a success story from your past work experience. The best way to structure your story is to provide your answer in the STAR format.
How to demonstrate your ability to work independently on your resume
To prove your ability to work autonomously on your resume, you can apply the same approach as at an interview.
You give evidence by providing an achievement story that showcases your success working independently.
The hardest part of writing your resume is often thinking of these examples and then translating them into compelling achievement stories.
Review the interview questions above to prompt some ideas.
Also, review the skills and critical traits listed earlier; self-motivation, initiative, resourcefulness, confidence, dependability, organisation, planning and problem-solving skills. When have you shown these strengths?
Once you have your example, you can write an achievement story for your resume. The most straightforward formula for writing an achievement story is: Accomplished (X) by doing (Z)
Describe the result or outcome you achieved (X) and then explain how (Z). Where possible, you should quantify.
Here are some examples:
Organised the 2019 Leadership Conference, a two-day event for 50 leaders, and without assistance oversaw all aspects of event organisation and delivery to achieve a 100% participate satisfaction rating
Prepared monthly creditor reconciliations with 100% accuracy, working independently to identify and resolve account errors and consistently achieved the monthly deadline
For more guidance on demonstrating your skills on your resume see:
