Are you able to work independently with little oversight?
"As I enter my first job in the field out of college, I am ready to hit the ground running on my own as a Health Educator. While my manager will always appreciate the direction, you'll quickly find that I am a motivated employee who can work and create new ideas on my own. During my college years, I worked evening shifts in our campus book store, where I progressed to a shift leader within six months. In this position, I was not working directly with my manager, and I could make critical decisions on my own while being trusted to do so. This experience will benefit me greatly coming into this position."
"During my career, I've worked in healthcare and for a public university, and in both roles, I was able to have full autonomy in my work. In my current role with the college, I love the fact that I have the creative freedom to work with the overall health of the campus and create new initiatives and programs each year. I work under one of the Assistant Deans on the campus, and we have a very open relationship where we can bounce ideas off of each other, make a quick plan, and then run with it from there. I have been very successful to this point in my career because of my ability to work independently."
A career as a Health Educator requires the ability to work independently and make critical decisions on your own. On an organizational chart, health education departments are more often than not just one person who reports to a manager/director/administrator that doesn't have a detailed background in health education. Because of this, your interviewer will be looking for you to give examples of your ability to work freely on your own with no one watching over your shoulder. Talk about decisions you've made on your own and how you thrive in this type of environment while still being able to seek support when needed.
"In my current position with a large urban health system, I am the lone person in my department, and I report directly to an administrator that oversees many departments. Besides our weekly bi-weekly meetings to connect, I have a lot of freedom in my work and the direction that I take our health education. I love the autonomy in my role, and I really am a self-starting individual. My colleagues that I work closely with know that I have an open door and open mind for thoughts, ideas, and suggestions on new directions that I can take with my work."
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