How do you handle working with little to no supervision?

Question

Rachelle Enns · Accepted Answer

"I am a reliable employee who works hard, no matter who is watching. You can rest assured that I deliver great work at all times. Would you say that this role is loosely, or more closely, supervised?"

Rachelle Enns · Answer

Some roles offer very little supervision, especially when it's a work-from-home or remote opportunity. The interviewer asks if you are an individual who can be productive even when not directly supervised. The goal of your response is to show that you have a history of well-established trust with your past employers. Express that, even without direct supervision, you've remained a top performer in your field.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

Talk about a time when you were very successful in your work, even when you lacked close supervision from your employer or someone in a position of authority. Then, finish your reply by asking the interviewer to describe the level of supervision in this particular role. It is your responsibility to ensure that the amount of support offered in this position aligns with your own needs. At the end of your response, make a connection between your ability to work independently and how it will benefit the hiring company when they choose to hire you.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

Since this question begins with 'How do you...' it is acceptable to use a hypothetical story example, giving a general overview of how you would react in this situation. However, if you want to use a real-life example, try forming a response using the STAR method. STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Organizing your response using this framework will ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a compelling answer.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

Avoid agreeing to any work environment - close supervision or little supervision. Be sure to ask the interviewer about the level of management and support provided in this particular role. Make sure it's a good fit for you and that you get the support required to succeed.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"In my current role, I work under little supervision. I have been with my current employer for five years, and we have developed much trust. I certainly would not expect all the flexibility in the world right away. Would you mind elaborating on the workplace culture, namely the supervision levels, in this role?"

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"I am accustomed to very little supervision as a manager. I offer a good amount of supervision for my team, but I also give them the flexibility to do what they do best without unnecessary interference. Do you believe in close supervision, or do you prefer a more hands-off approach with your employees?"

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"I enjoy close supervision on particular areas of a project, and then I need room to work during other more independent project stages. I believe that a talented marketing director knows when to step in and when to give room to work. Would you agree?"

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"In retail, there is a lot of close supervision, especially when I work the same floor shifts as my manager. With that said, I am a hard worker and would have no issues when it comes to working more independently. I will deliver more than my base expectations, regardless of the supervision level. How would you describe the level of supervision in this role?"

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"The sales roles that I have worked have always offered a great deal of autonomy. I prefer working in an environment that offers an environment where I can freely deploy my methods to close sales and exceed my targets. I do understand that it takes some time to establish that level of trust, however. Would you say that this company offers a great deal of flexibility when it comes to supervision levels?"

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"As a teacher, most of what I do is in an unsupervised environment. This fact is not to suggest that I have free reign in everything that I do. Little day-to-day supervision is simply a typical classroom environment. I am a responsible and independent person who can succeed in any role, regardless of high or low supervision levels."

Anonymous User · Answer

"In my current role, I work for myself. Being self-employed goes hand in hand with no supervision as it is my own company. This forces me to stay highly motivated and focused on improving my business. I would say that I am highly motivated and reliable in situations with little to no supervision."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I'm used to it and I enjoy it, in my current job, I work most of the time with little supervision on a daily basis. However, I do update my boss on the milestones of an ongoing project."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I worked in my current role with close supervision, and now I'm working from home with the same efforts and responsibilities with very low supervision. I will do my best with or without supervision."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am accustomed to very little supervision as a senior researcher in my group. I am aware of all my responsibilities and see to it that I fulfill them. I supervise my junior team members in their research but in a flexible manner to let them do what they do best without unnecessary interference."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I strongly believe that I owe it to my team and organization to put all my efforts into delivering the highest quality of work. I did this at a previous technology internship where I spent countless hours testing the software without supervision."

Anonymous User · Answer

"At my level, all I need is clear communication of intent and the motivation behind the intent, I can independently seek out the actions that will take us closer to the intent from leadership--->Tell me the Why I will structure the What and I will motivate the Team to tell the best way How that can be done (e.g. need demo by December 2020, get a team together to evaluate options and come with a recommendation for part simulated demo, and execute it successfully to put RMN on Map)."

Anonymous User · Answer

"When I worked as a server in college, I routinely worked without supervision. My goal was to handle customer interactions independently as they arose. Sometimes there were situations that warranted reaching out to a manager, but I did my best to minimize this by exhausting all other resources first."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I've enjoyed great autonomy as both an educator and administrator. While I will always respond well to supervision and clear objectives/outcomes, I'm independent and able to complete what I need to do. I also trust my team to do the jobs they were hired to do with guidance and autonomy."

Anonymous User · Answer

"My manager is physically located in the USA, I am in Korea. So mostly all my recent 3 years I work with little supervision.I think getting direction is important,but with extreme supervision, I do not need it. Especially when I know the product."

Anonymous User · Answer

"As you can see from my previous job I worked in Vietnam where my manager and colleagues are mainly based in Australia. At the moment with the pandemic, we just returned to the office 2 days a week now. I can say that I am a reliable employee who works hard, no matter who is watching. You can rest assured that I deliver great work at all times."

Anonymous User · Answer

"(Situation) As an experienced researcher, I am accustomed to very little supervision. (Task) I am a very organized, responsible, and independent person. (Action) In my daily work, I identify interesting research directions, search and collect the data necessary to answer these questions, apply for funding if necessary, and finally implement a high-quality empirical analysis. As a mentor and coauthor for Ph.D. Students, I offer a good amount of feedback especially at the beginning to guide them through the process of finding relevant research questions and identifying a credible estimation strategy. At the same time, I give them space and flexibility to learn and apply new methods according to their methodological interests. (Result) This combination of guidance and flexibility helps to establish a level of trust and a work environment in which innovative ideas are welcome.""

Anonymous User · Answer

"My current job allows me to work independently with little to no supervision. I am expected to work on 40 applications, document processing, and approval/denials transactions daily. I stay focused by coordinating the work by deadline and importance priority. My bosses know I can be trusted to complete my tasks and get the most important and urgent needs completed first."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I'm a self-motivated, committed, and target-oriented person. Since it's been a long time to work in this company, my high up trust me. I am reliable and do my best, no matter who is around."

Anonymous User · Answer

"When I first joined the office leasing arena, it was good to have supervision to get comfortable in the role and my responsibilities as well as to learn any pitfalls with the business. After a few transactions and learning the ropes, I was able to leave and work outside of the office with my own clientele and to build my own client base. I very much thrive managing my own time and take an ownership mentality to my personal approach with customers and people. This autonomy builds confidence in my own abilities and gives me the ability to sit down and focus without distractions."

Anonymous User · Answer

"My previous professional roles have always offered a great deal of freedom. Once trained, I can happily work in an environment where I can work with little to no supervision. However, I do understand that it takes some time to establish that level of trust and I expect to be able to ask for guidance to be sure that I understand what is being asked of me."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I do very well, with no supervision. I live my life with integrity and honesty, this means if I am supposed to be doing a job it needs to get done. It has been my observation, that the truth comes to the surface and it is easier to just do the right thing initially."

Anonymous User · Answer

"In my current role as an intern, I mostly work by myself. I accept challenging project tasks, research on them, find appropriate logic and finish them before the deadline. Still, sometimes I prefer to get feedback on certain tasks from my mentor while I am working on them. So, I can say that I enjoy close supervision on particular tasks of the project, then I need room to work during other independent project stages. However, I strongly believe that I will do my best with or without supervision."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am a very independent person. I am able to make decisions on my own."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am a reliable person, I work to deliver the best results I can provide. I also lead a team and offer them a good amount of supervision but with flexibility."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I formulated my own master thesis topic at the university. When I proposed the idea to my manager at the company and professor at the university, they both agreed. Hence I knew that my proposal was right. This also required me to work on my own since there was little guidance both parties could offer. I knew about this in advance. However, I planned my activities efficiently, knew the right platforms/open-source communities where I could ask for help in case I got stuck. I am reliable and well-structured and could successfully accomplish the task with very little supervision."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Having been in a manager role, I am accustomed to very little supervision. I take direction well and fulfill my responsibilities independently. As a supervisor, I don't micromanage and am flexible with my team to let them work as they like, with little interference from me."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I work the same way with little or close supervision. I earned the level of trust from my manager that I get my job done on time and escalate any issue when necessary."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am a reliable officer who works hard, no matter who is watching. You can be sure that I deliver great work at all times. I am used to very little supervision as a manager. I work well without supervision, but it is always nice to see a boss around and know he will be there when needed. In addition, I like to offer a good amount of supervision for my team, but I also give them the flexibility to do what they do best without unnecessary interference."

Anonymous User · Answer

"As a manager and current supervisor, I am accustomed to working with little to no supervision. I always planned my day allocate the time for every task and check the progress as we go without depending if I had been monitored or not. So achieving my little milestones set in the morning motivates me and encourages me to stay on track. I also provide enough flexibility/room to my team so that they can make their own decisions and feel confident about them."

Anonymous User · Answer

"What I do now really fits this situation ideally. I have a lot of autonomy when it comes to my job, I can make my own schedule and visits. We have group conference calls at the end of every month to go over potential issues we encounter during the month. I am very comfortable working in this type of environment."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I work the same way with or without a supervisor. I am very reliable and will do the best that I can do, no matter who is around."

Anonymous User · Answer

"My most recent positions have required me to be self-motivated. Supervision or lack thereof would not make a difference in my performance."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I can be quite independent in my work. It depends on the task at hand. Some work requires more collaboration, bouncing ideas off a manager. Once I'm comfortable in what I'm doing, I get stuck in and work hard. I like to 'check-in' once in a while to be sure I'm on the right track to avoid going down any rabbit holes and wasting time. What's the style of management for this role?"

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am self-motivated enough to work with little to no supervision."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am accustomed to that. In regards to a direct Legal report, I do not have any. I have successfully managed the department, and the company has duly recognized my excellent work by doubling my pay during the last two years I have worked."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Little or no supervision usually comes with job proficiency. In the boatyard example, after I had proven my worth to the owner, he let me have card-blanch in the assembling of boat trailers. I always met my deadlines, and the trailer constructions were of high quality."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am a self-starter, and I am motivated to get my job done, whether anyone is watching or not. I currently do not have any close supervision, and very few of my managers have felt the need to watch me closely."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I consider myself to be a very reliable employee that can produce the same amount of work with or without supervision. Once the charter is established and the project is initiated, I only need to rely on my technical resources."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am a self-motivated individual who requires little supervision. I need to know what the expectations are for my team and me so that I can develop a business plan."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I work as a conference organizer for an international organization, which has very clear frameworks and procedures. Moreover, I am independent and a self-starter; I am aware of my responsibilities, and I will complete my tasks (e.g., When a committee is in session, I know exactly what needs to be done). Nonetheless, when dealing with more critical conferences or meetings, I make sure that my manager is aware of the steps I take and check if she agrees with my decisions (e.g., I send her an advanced draft of official communication and await for her approval before sending them out). Would you mind telling me more about the level of supervision that this position will entail?"

Anonymous User · Answer

"I work well without supervision, but it is always nice to see a boss and know she will be there when needed."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I have acquired extensive experience in many areas at workplaces. I have also demonstrated my various clerical and interpersonal skills. I would describe myself as a worker who needs minimal supervision and who doesn't need consistent reassurance from the management. I have learned to be independent since I was young; making rational decisions is my second nature. I am a self-motivator, and I take my responsibilities seriously. I like to fulfill my duties to the standard promptly."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am accustomed to very little supervision as a manager. I am aware of all my responsibilities and see to it that I fulfill them. I supervise my team but in a flexible manner to let them do what they do best without unnecessary interference."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I also enjoy working with little to no supervision. I am naturally a self-starter and go-getter. At my current position, I am the only rep in the northeast, and my closest manager is in South Carolina. I do not have anyone to tell me to go out on sales calls or cold calls, but my desire to build the business in the northeast motivates me always to wake up every day and work as hard as I can. I have seen much success in this role with almost no supervision."

Anonymous User · Answer

"In my current role, my immediate boss is based out of state and comes in only at the end of the month for a few days. I am a self-starter and don't require too much supervision. When needed, I provide her with updates on the status of my projects. Keeping my boss updated and finishing my tasks on time have allowed me to work with minimal supervision."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I do very well under little to no supervision. My current job trusts me to work with little supervision at times as I have proven that I work well, consistently, accurately, and honestly. Even when we are not busy, I find something to do to stay busy, whether that be trying to get ahead for later in the day or cleaning."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I am very accustomed to working with no or little supervision as a manager. I am fully aware of my responsibilities and see that I fulfill the same manner if I had had a supervisor."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I work under minimum supervision in my current role, and I believe my manager has developed trust in me. I can handle certain tasks, and the ones I am not sure about, I will go to my boss for direction on how to proceed."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Our supervisor is in another state, so I am accustomed to very little supervision as a team leader. I offer a good amount of supervision to my team, but I also give them the flexibility to do what they do best, without unnecessary interference."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I'm a self-starter, able to keep myself on progress with or without supervision. I make sure to document my progress with Asana, using agile practices to keep myself on track and letting other team members know where my progress is."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I enjoy working in an environment that gives me the freedom to sell to my clients based on strategies I have implemented in the past. Having freedom is great, but I also like to work with senior managers who have an open door policy so that we're always making changes and moving forward in our goals."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I excel. I have always been equipped for my role and one to show initiative. I have always also been the one to lead the group, no matter what situation."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I have found that I am a self-motivated worker who is very reliable no matter what. I have no issues getting all of my work done for the day that is high-quality work, and I usually have time left over at the end of the day to assist other technicians with their work."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I know little supervision comes with trust, but with my current company, we are all set quotas for the year, and every month we are sent progress reports. As long as you are on track to meet your yearly budget, they let you continue to operate how you please.If something is working, they let you keep rolling."

How do you handle working with little to no supervision?

How to Answer: How do you handle working with little to no supervision?

28. How do you handle working with little to no supervision?

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