The Most Important Dependability Skills (With Examples)

A reliable employee is an incredible asset to a company. Dependability is one of the most important skills an employer looks for in new applicants and current employees.

Because managers are not able to oversee every single task in their department, they have to place a degree of trust in their team to operate on their own without being micromanaged every second of the day.

This freedom allows managers to focus their attention on higher-level initiatives such as the growth and development of the company. But managers aren’t the only ones who benefit from having a well-rounded team of dependable workers.

Employees who feel like they are an important part of a well-oiled machine tend to be more engaged with their work and their coworkers. Those who are dependable are more likely to be respected among their colleagues, receive praise from superiors, and have more opportunities for growth and promotion.

A pattern of reliability means things get done, and they’ve done the right way. Having this critical trait can translate to success both in and out of the workplace, and knowing how to illustrate your dependability on a resume can give you a serious advantage over the competition.

Examples of Dependability in the Workplace

Dependability is a direct reflection of work ethic. Instead of simply slipping “dependable employee” on a bullet point in your resume in between your list of certifications and clerical skills, provide specific soft skills and examples that demonstrate your proven track record of reliability, such as:

• Punctuality. Being on time is more than just common courtesy. It’s one of the clearest measurable examples of dependability, and it’s a sign of respect for your employer’s time and the time of your coworkers.

  But in addition to clocking in on time, dependable employees arrive ready to work immediately. They don’t saunter around the office for half an hour making breakfast and stopping by every person’s desk to chat about the movie they watched last night.

• Communication. Among many other personal skills, dependable employees can communicate with their team, whether that means stepping up into a leadership role and delegating tasks, voicing a concern to management, training a coworker, or any number of examples.

  Good verbal communication comes from a state of confidence and authority, which are prominent traits in dependable employees. Their ability to provide honest assessments and easy-to-follow instructions to their teammates helps to reduce miscommunication and confusion in the workplace.

  Written communication is also important to ensure instructions, resolutions, and guidelines aren’t lost in translation when emailed to customers and colleagues. A dependable employee understands the importance of being clearly understood regardless of the form of communication.

• Meeting deadlines. Getting your work done on time is a careful balance of time management, proper planning, focus, and commitment, all of which are reflective of dependability. This may include extra hours of work or additional resources.

  Managers are much more likely to delegate time-sensitive tasks to reliable employees because they know the job will not only be finished on time but will also be thorough and complete.

  By taking on more responsibilities and successfully meeting deadlines consistently, employees are likely to gain the respect and attention of their superiors. This may result in more important projects, which often leads to pay raises and advancements.

• Taking initiative. Dependable employees don’t waste time waiting to be micromanaged.

  They know what they need to do, formulate a plan, and get to work. If something goes wrong, they diagnose the issue and do everything in their power to fix it as quickly as possible without wasting resources or time. They are honest and efficient problem solvers.

  Taking initiative may also include a diagnosis of the company’s inefficient practices.

  A reliable employee who genuinely cares about the wellbeing and operation of the company might take the time to determine why the customer retention rate is low or how the production line can be sped up, proactively benefiting the company in both the short term and the long term by working to make it better.

• Being detail-oriented. Dependable employees understand that every piece of a project needs to be done correctly. They’re eagle-eyed and quick to catch errors no matter how small, then resolve any issues immediately. They don’t turn in projects that haven’t been carefully checked and double-checked for accuracy.

• Following company policies. While dependable employees are often innovators looking for ways to improve efficiency, they’re also respectful of the rules that the company has put in place. They understand that those policies aren’t there just as a suggestion; a lot of time and planning went into the employee handbook.

  That being said, a dependable employee may notice that a frivolous policy could be negatively impacting the business and reach out to a manager with an idea to reform it.

• Teamwork. An employer needs to count on employees to not only help customers but also to help each other. Dependable employees are tremendous assets when it comes to training new employees the right way. They also catch and correct mistakes among their coworkers and don’t hesitate to offer a helping hand.

  At the end of the day, reliable employees recognize that they are part of a bigger team, and when the team succeeds, the individual employees succeed as well.

How Dependable Employees Can Benefit a Company

Remember in school when the teacher would make the dreaded announcement that it was time for a group project? Smooth sailing and a good grade were then dealt out in the cards of fate.

You could either be saddled with the class slacker who blew off the team’s check-in deadlines and procrastinated until the last minute to submit his contribution of two grammatically atrocious paragraphs.

Or you could have an enthusiastic team of honor students who fairly divvied up the work, provided regular updates to ensure everyone was on the same page, and put together a thorough, fully researched, edited report.

Which teammates would you rather have? Which teammates do you think an employer would prefer to have to work at his or her company and having a direct impact on the bottom line?

Successful employers aren’t going to waste their time with the slackers of the class. They want the go-getters, the dependable ones with strong interpersonal skills ready to go to work and find ways to increase the value of the business.

Reliable employees can have a dramatic impact on the company’s efficiency and revenue by:

• Training new employees quickly and efficiently and teaching them the proper way to do a task without cutting corners.

• Consistently taking on bigger and more important projects and meeting the deadline every time.

• Arriving to work early enough to ensure everything is ready for the workday, whether that includes putting paper in the printer, washing out the coffee maker, setting up displays, whatever is necessary.

• Proactively seeking out new projects and different ways to help the company.

• Double and triple-checking reports and projects to catch any errors.

• Taking responsibility for any mistakes and working hard to diagnose and resolve any issues.

• Receiving both praise and criticism with a humble, open mind and making adjustments as necessary without complaining.

• Respecting all company policies and guidelines at all times.

• Noticing lapses inefficiency and brainstorming ideas for improvement.

• Maintaining a positive attitude and encouraging other employees to have one as well.

• Staying true to promises and commitments that have been made.

• Quickly adapting to changes with an innovative, optimistic, and ready-to-learn demeanor.

• Setting personal performance goals and holding oneself accountable by measuring progress.

It’s easy to see the direct correlations between dependable employees and the overall efficiency and profitability of a company. While most of these tendencies come naturally, employers can invest in training and incentive programs to encourage more reliability in workers who just don’t seem to have the drive or desire to go above and beyond the call of duty.

Even if an employer isn’t taking the lead, individuals who are tired of being in a stagnant position watching others around them work hard and get promoted can study what dependable employees do and set personal goals to improve those habits.

Final Thoughts

Dependability is, without a doubt, one of the most important leadership qualities you can list on your resume. Noting specific examples with proveable metrics of what makes you dependable is going to have a big impact.

When providing references, make sure you carefully consider who may be talking about you and what they might say. If you’re dependable, you’ll want to choose professional references who will attest to that along with your other core competencies instead of listing your old college roommate who would describe you simply as “awesome.”

Choose a colleague or supervisor with whom you are on good terms and are likely to talk about your professional strengths. You’ll want to list a reference who has seen you in action and can not only cite specific examples, but also discuss the impact your actions and attitude had on the company, team, customers, profits, efficiency, or all of the above.

Demonstrating your dependability to a potential new employer isn’t as straightforward as taking a typing test to prove your skill. It develops as part of your track record and reputation. When creating your resume and cover letter, think carefully about what specific traits or achievements make you reliable and how you can demonstrate your dependability in just a few talking points.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.