Team work makes the dream work! Which is why one of the most popular interview questions is: “Tell me about a time you worked in a team.” Here are a few good examples of how to answer this question. But first, let’s explore why it’s being asked.
What is the purpose of this interview question?
The interviewer wants to get a sense of your interpersonal skills and how well you work with others. They want to know if you can be part of a team, but they may also want to see if you can step up and take on leadership roles.
You may be asked this question in an interview because the job requires working with other people or managing them. This question is designed to see how well you get along with others, but also how much initiative you take when solving problems as part of a group or team.
How should you answer the question?
When answering this question, it’s best to talk about something you did recently or an event that stands out in your mind as a good example of how well you work with others. Tell the story, but don’t tell too much detail. Give just enough context so that your listener understands what happened, but don’t go into so much detail that it sounds like a novel.
Ideally, you want to show that you are someone who gets along well with others, who is able to manage conflicts, and resolve conflicts quickly.
Be sure to talk about how the project went, what happened and why it was successful or unsuccessful. You may also want to mention what roles other people played in helping the situation turn out well.
You could describe how your team competed against another team for the same prize at work and how everyone came together as a unit to win their competition against the other team. Remember that there is no right or wrong way of answering this interview question so long as your answer shows that you are willing to take responsibility for your actions when working on projects with others, regardless of the outcome.
Things to avoid.
Bragging – This question is not about what you’ve done; it’s about how well you work with others. Give an example where you were part of a team, but don’t make it all about yourself. Instead, focus on how your actions helped the team succeed and made it easier for everyone involved.
Making excuses – If someone was upset or frustrated with what happened in your example, don’t try to defend yourself or point out why things went wrong. Focus on what happened and why it didn’t affect your ability to work together as a team afterward (if appropriate).
Being vague – When giving examples from your personal life or past jobs, make sure they’re relevant to the position for which you’re applying. For instance, if you’re applying for an accounting position, don’t use an example from working at McDonald’s
Listing every team experience ever — Focus on one or two experiences that really stood out in terms of how well you worked with others toward a common goal.
Being negative — If there was an incident where someone on your team didn’t cooperate or there was conflict among members of the group, don’t mention it unless it reflects positively on your abilities as a leader or problem solver to resolve conflicts between people who didn’t get along before they were forced to work together by their supervisor or manager.
Takeaway
Whether it’s a company meeting, a project management presentation, or a simple brainstorming session, the way you work as part of a team is important. How do you contribute to group projects? What happens when someone doesn’t pull their weight in a group assignment? These are just some of the topics that companies will likely want to discuss during your interview. While answering, it’s important to make yourself stand out from the other candidates and leave your interviewer with a memorable story about how you excelled in a team. Hopefully, these tips will make answering this question a little easier on your next interview!
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