Problem-solving and resourcefulness skills at workplace

Just as with the rest of life, the best-laid plans don’t always go smoothly at work either. Shipments don’t come through, customers have last-minute orders, and coworkers get sick and can’t finish a project. When this happens, resourceful employees become an organization’s most valuable asset.

In this article, you’ll learn what it is to be resourceful, how to highlight those skills on your resume and in an interview, and how to strengthen those abilities.

Key Takeaways

• Resourceful employees can find solutions with a minimal number of resources, which is beneficial for every company in any industry.

• Resourceful employees are patient, creative, and confident, and they build strong professional networks, take initiative, and are always learning.

• Highlight your resourcefulness on your resume and in job interviews by giving specific examples of times you’ve been resourceful.

What Is Resourcefulness?

There are multiple ways that resourcefulness can be expressed, but it’s always with the goal of fixing issues and finding solutions, even when the resources for doing so aren’t immediately apparent.

Have you ever met someone that never gets sidetracked by the difficulties that bring most people to a screeching halt? No matter what chaos the world throws at them in their career or personal life they adapt accordingly and build a solution with the pieces they’re left.

This ability is called resourcefulness, and it’s helpful in many facets of life.

While many people look at their resourceful co-workers and friends in awe of their problem-solving skills, it’s an ability that can be enhanced with practice.

Why Employers Want Resourceful Employees

While companies dream of a universe in which their business runs problem-free, there are always challenges in the workplace. Whether you work as a customer service representative or an archeologist, conflict happens and resourcefulness helps to resolve it.

Being resourceful means taking whatever tools are available and using them to create a more positive outcome, which works well to solve problems.

Another reason that corporations want resourceful employees is that they often demonstrate other useful soft skills in their problem-solving technique. Resourcefulness requires a bounty of other positive and employable characteristics that companies seek in applicants.

Enlightening a hiring manager to your background as a resourceful employee could end up getting you an interview, or even a job offer.

6 Characteristics of Resourceful People

The overall definition of resourcefulness describes a process of problem-solving, but there are a lot of characteristics that go into this mindset. Below are six traits and habits that resourceful people often display:

1. They’re patient. Your resourcefulness comes in handy the most amid a tough situation. While many people get bogged down by the stress of an unexpected circumstance or arising issue, a resourceful person approaches it with patience and clarity.

   Patience allows a resourceful person to stop, analyze the situation at hand, and figure out a strategic solution. This patience stems from the knowledge that every problem has an investable solution. It’s just a matter of finding it.

2. They build a strong network. One of the reasons that resourceful people are so adept at finding solutions is that they have a strong network of professionals in their field to lean on.

   They make a conscious effort to grow and nurture their network to build lasting professional relationships. A resourceful person’s network is crucial to their problem-solving, considering other people are often the greatest resource of all.

3. They’re creative. Discovering solutions to complex issues usually depends on creative thinking. When a roadblock gets in the way, a creative mind deciphers an efficient and outside-the-box method for getting around it.

   In a professional and procedural environment, many employees neglect their creativity to focus on a more logical mindset. A resourceful person demonstrates an analytical mindset but also employs creativity to help them work better.

4. They take initiative. A huge part of resourcefulness in an employee is their willingness to take initiative at work. Solving a problem or simply doing a job better involves stepping up with suggestions without being asked to do so. It’s going the extra mile to evaluate resources and how to proceed.

   Taking initiative is an attractive quality in job applicants because it indicates an individual who is dependable and has strong leadership qualities.

5. They’re confident. Venturing off into being a resourceful problem-solver takes confidence. It means taking initiative, which isn’t easy for an employee who’s insecure in their abilities.

   Resourcefulness is all about diving headfirst into a situation and believing that you’ll succeed in your efforts.

6. They’re always learning more. Knowledge is a tool that all successful professionals implement, regardless of their field. Resourceful people understand that learning more information deepens their pool of resources to pull from when needed.

   They’re often found improving upon their skills, attending lectures in their industry, and learning more in general to widen their potential resourcefulness.

Questions Employers Ask About Resourcefulness in an Interview

Since being resourceful is such a crucial skill for employees to have, hiring managers often ask questions during an interview to evaluate a candidate’s abilities in this area.

If they don’t directly ask about an interviewee’s resourcefulness, there will be questions about other characteristics that resourceful people often have. Below are a few common questions that interviewers use to examine a candidate’s resourcefulness and any related skills:

1. When was the last time you tried a method to improve your work performance? An interviewer might ask this question about a candidate’s resourcefulness skills to see how often they consider different ways of doing things to enhance efficiency.

   Their answer displays their initiative to become a better employee without being asked. Additionally, their methods of how they improve their work performance show their creativity and drive.

2. Tell me about a time you used your resources to their fullest potential at work. This inquiry encourages an interviewee to talk about their resourcefulness skills in a straightforward way.

   The hiring manager is interested in knowing how they’ve used their resources in the past to get their work done and more. Using the STAR method of answering this type of example-based question is the best strategy.

3. Tell me about a time you solved a problem at work. An employee’s resourcefulness is most useful when there’s a problem that needs solving. Instead of asking directly about resourcefulness, an interviewer may ask about a time that the candidate solved a problem.

   Pull a strategic example from your work history. Explain the issue and how you solved it in equal parts.

Demonstrating Resourcefulness on a Resume Skills Section

Presenting yourself as a resourceful individual on a resume improves your chances of hearing back and receiving an interview. You can speak broadly about responsibilities that required resourcefulness in the experience portion of a resume.

However, highlighting your abilities that contribute to resourcefulness in a skills section is also helpful.

Below is some advice for demonstrating resourcefulness in the resume skills section.

• List soft skills related to resourcefulness. While there’s always the option of simply listing ‘resourcefulness’ as a specific skill on a resume, you might be better served by listing soft skills that add up to being a resourceful person.

  Including skills such as problem-solving, time management, and conflict resolution instead allows a hiring manager to conclude that the candidate is resourceful.

• Keep it concise. It’s tempting to go into full detail about examples of times your resourcefulness has helped you professionally.

  However, a resume skills section is not the place to do that. It takes up too much space on the document. Instead, keep it short and sweet. Save these examples and longer explanations for an interview.

• Don’t exaggerate your resourcefulness skills. You want your resume skills section to stand out among the competition by portraying yourself as an impressive candidate, but not at the cost of truth.

  Don’t exaggerate your resourcefulness abilities if they’re lacking because getting caught in a lie will destroy your chances of landing the job. Instead, be honest about your skills and work towards improving your resourcefulness.

Example of a Resume Displaying Resourcefulness

84 King Dr.

Tampa, FL, 28590

(130)-364-3873

Steven Smith

---

SKILLS

• Search Engine Optimization

• Email Marketing

• Data Analysis

• Content Creation

• Flexibility

• Creative Problem-Solving

• Communication Skills

• Conflict Management

EXPERIENCE

Best Marketing Solutions, Tampa, FL — Marketing Coordinator

January 2017 – PRESENT

• Using analysis tools and company resources to pull together social media marketing campaigns for a variety of clients

• Created interesting blog content to raise website traffic

• Monitored the success of ongoing marketing campaigns and made changes when necessary

• Helping with the marketing training process and team evaluations

• Received a promotion to Marketing Coordinator after one year with the company

Green Dragon Advertisement, Daytona, FL — Junior Marketer

March 2014 – January 2017

• Worked collaboratively on a team of ten junior marketers to pitch campaigns ideas, work through planning, and analyzing success over time

• Revamped the company website to comply with best SEO practices

• Instituted a system of campaign progress reporting that was adopted by the company and is still used today

• Improved client exposure by an average of 3%

EDUCATION

The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL — Bachelor’s in Marketing

August 2010 – May 2014

AWARDS

• 2012: The University of Tampa Excellence Award

• 2018: Most Innovative Employee of the Year

Tips for Improving Your Resourcefulness Skills

Some people are born with the gift of using their resources to their fullest potential, but for most of us, honing in on the skill requires some conscious effort and practice. Check out the following tips for improving your resourcefulness skills:

• Analyze your professional performance honestly. It’s impossible to be resourceful without conducting an honest and accurate analysis of your professional performance. This needs to be done periodically to assess whether your work and habits could use some improvement.

  An analysis is a process that shows you where your resourcefulness is needed. It lays out all your professional resources and highlights improvement areas.

  Don’t let your ego get in the way of evaluating your resources and performance. There are always behaviors and work processes that could be improved upon.

• Give in to your innovative side. Resourcefulness depends on a varied set of skills, but one of the key characteristics is innovation.

  Many employees make the mistake of completing work upon the demand for it, avoiding their innovative side. Do the exact opposite to become more resourceful at work.

  Innovative ideas and resourcefulness go hand-in-hand. If you can develop your original thinking, your resourcefulness will also improve.

• Have an open mind. One way to boost your resourcefulness at work is by keeping an open mind to any potential solutions, improvements, or ideas.

  You never know what incredible opportunities you’re missing out on by deciding to close yourself off. While it might be scary at first, start welcoming any resources.

• Take courses to develop skills in your spare time. Strengthening any professional skill in your spare time will improve your resourcefulness as well.

  Whether you’re taking a full-blown course in the ability or simply doing some light reading on the subject, any effort towards improving yourself can be seen in your work performance and resourcefulness.

• Take strategic risks. Most people hear the word ‘risk’ like nails on a chalkboard because they’re taught that it’s negative and impulsive.

  However, strategic risks can do wonders for your career and resourcefulness. They push you. Never commit to action without the proper forethought, but don’t cower away from risk if it is likely to have a positive outcome.

• Learn from your coworkers. If you notice that one of your more experienced coworkers keeps their cool in stressful situations, watch them closely to see what they do the next time one arises. This can teach you a lot about how to be resourceful.

  Even better, however, is to ask them for advice on how to become more resourceful and for feedback on your strengths and weaknesses in this area.

Resourcefulness Skills FAQs

1. How do you demonstrate resourcefulness?

   You demonstrate resourcefulness by solving problems or overcoming challenges in creative ways. Resourceful people don’t fall apart when something goes wrong: They instead try to find an outside-the-box solution to whatever the problem is.

   This may be contacting someone in their professional network who can help, finding a creative workaround, or simply taking the initiative to get something done before it becomes a bigger problem.

2. Why is resourcefulness important in the workplace?

   Resourcefulness is important in the workplace because things rarely go fully according to plan and employees need to be able to handle that well. Resourceful employees are able to respond gracefully and quickly to unexpected challenges and can get things done even when things don’t go smoothly.

   Having employees who can do this is necessary for the health of any organization, making these individuals attractive job candidates.

3. What qualities does a resourceful person have?

   A resourceful person is creative and patient in addition to these other qualities:

   • They build strong professional networks.

   • They take initiative.

   • They’re confident.

   • They’re constantly learning.

• • Logical Skills
  • Promotional Skills
  • Bookkeeping Skills
  • Typing Skills
  • Sales Skills
  • Science And Math Skills
  • Physical Strength And Dexterity Skills
  • Customer Service Skills
  • Instructional Skills
  • Logical-Thinking Skills
  • Mechanical Skills
  • Memorization Skills
  • Motivational Skills
  • Artistic Talent
• • Adventurousness
  • Artistic Ability
  • Attentiveness
  • Cultural Sensitivity
  • Compassion Skills
  • Teaching Skills
  • Spatial-Orientation Skills
  • Self-Discipline Skills
  • Resourcefulness Skills
  • Reliability Skills
  • Perseverance Skills
  • Perceptiveness Skills
  • Patience Skills
  • Curiosity Skills
  • Dedication Skills
  • Dependability Skills
  • Determination Skills
  • Discipline Skills
  • Empathy Skills
  • Flexibility Skills
  • Observation Skills
  • What Are Character Traits?
• • Alertness Skills
  • Technology Skills
  • What Is Work Life Balance
  • Reading Comprehension Skills
  • Persistence Skills
  • Business Skills
  • Concentration Skills
  • Coordination Skills
  • Writing Skills
  • Visual Skills
  • Time-Management Skills
• • Most Common Skills
  • Resume Skill Sets
  • Skills For An Entry-Level Resume

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