The degree to which someone is dependable and organized and perseveres in tasks.

A dependable employee is an incredible asset to a company, as they make great coworkers, can be trusted to do their jobs without micromanagement, and empower others to do their jobs well. As a result, being known as a dependable employee will go a long way in making you a desirable candidate.

In this article, we’ll talk through examples of dependability in the workplace, the benefits of being dependable, and how to become more dependable.

Key Takeaways

• Dependable employees are punctual, communicative, and detail-oriented. They also follow company policies, are good team players, and take the initiative.

• Dependable employees make teams and companies run more smoothly and efficiently.

• You can become more dependable by improving your organization and time management skills, becoming more tenacious, and looking for ways to take the initiative.

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.

How to Improve Your Dependability Skills

Everyone has room for improvement as far as dependability goes. Here are a few ways you can become more dependable at work:

• Be on time. Set alarms, tell yourself you need to be there five minutes earlier than you actually do — whatever it takes to show up to work, meetings, and appointments on time. It takes work and organization, but it is possible to get in the habit of being timely.

• Don’t take on too much. A significant part of being dependable is doing what you say you’re going to do, and you can’t do that if you say yes to too much. Keep a calendar and to-do list, and consult them before you take on a project. People will be less disappointed when you say no upfront than when you say yes and don’t do it.

• Organize your tasks. Find a system for keeping a calendar of deadlines and to-dos so that nothing falls through the cracks. This looks different for everyone and may take some trial and error, but it’s worth the effort.

• Write down everything. Carry around a notepad and pen so you can write down to-dos, details for projects, and other information that you don’t want to forget. This will help you ensure you do everything you need to do the way you need to do it.

• Don’t give up. Dependable people don’t throw in the towel when they encounter obstacles: They push through and figure out a way to get it done anyway. Get in the habit of not giving up by practicing this at work and in your personal life.

• Look for things to do. If you have a light workload or a slow day, don’t just sit and scroll social media or distract your coworkers. Organize your files or the supply closet, research new project ideas, or ask your coworkers if you can help them with anything.

Final Thoughts

Dependability is, without a doubt, one of the most important leadership qualities you can list on your resume. Noting specific examples with provable 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.

Which of the big five personality factors is captured by the degree to which someone is dependable organized and perseveres in tasks?

Which of the following is the degree to which interviews tests and selection procedures yield to comparable data over a period of time?

Is the degree to which someone is intellectual philosophical insightful creative and curious?

Which term refers to the degree to which selection procedures yield comparable data over a period of time?