How to Answer “give me an example of teamwork”
The teamwork interview question is important as we all, in one form or another, work within a team.
This includes contractors, self-employed or outreach staff. We may complete the duties alone but we are always part of a bigger project.
It’s surprising how many job applicants struggle with this job interview question. The way to answer it is to give a teamwork example – wrong! Well, yes you are correct but to impress an interviewer you need to give more than an account of a previous teamwork experience
How to Blow Away The Interviewer
Remember the job interviewer isn’t just wanting to hear the team task, they want to know what your part within the team dynamics was; leader, creator, mentor, doer, communicator, problem-solver?
As well as identifying your role, you need to set out the scene. So many interviewees simply jump into the task without explaining the reason for doing the task – by stating this problem you can create intrigue; with intrigue, you have an engaged audience
How to Answer the Interview Question
Step 1 – explain the problem. Make this sound exciting! The opening credits to a film do this really well; the beginning is mysterious, you don’t know what will happen but you want to find out
State something like “the company was just about to go bankrupt” “customers were all complaining” “no-one knew what to do”
These opening lines are so ambiguous, that your audience – the interviewer, will want to listen to what you have to say
Step 2 – give more detail about the problem, explain in enough detail (but don’t get carried away as there is nothing more boring the listening to all the details of a problem) what the actual problem was
Step 3 – explain what you did to achieve the solution or objective; what was your role; what action did you take; how did your idea make a difference?
Step 4 – finally end with a positive outcome. Did you make a profit, create a new piece of technology, decrease overhead cost?
This storytelling technique is not only interesting but shows the employer what you can offer to their team. The key here is making it clear what you did – the skill set you are offering the new employer
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