Job Interview Question and Answer: Describe A Time When You Have Worked As Part of A Successful Team. What Do You Think Contributed to Your Team’s Overall Success?

This behavioural-based interview question is quite commonly asked in the application for graduate, vacation or internship programs. The ability for a team to work together effectively is a critical factor in the smooth running of a business, whether you like it or not. Recruiters want to know that you have experience working in cohesive and successful team environments – outside of work as well as at work.

Give an example of a time you have worked in a team and your reflection of the experience. You may choose to discuss a work assignment or an extra-curricular activity. Paint the interviewer a picture by describing the scenario and the details of your team.

When you discuss your team, talk about the role that you played and the contribution you made to the team’s success. You will need to find the balance between portraying yourself as doing too much and doing too little, in order to avoid the unwanted labels of slacker or control freak. Be sure to mention the qualities and strengths that you drew on to accomplish the task. Don’t be afraid to mention any weaknesses you faced and how you worked through them.

It is essential that you discuss the methods that your team put in place in order to work together effectively and achieve success. Did you allocate one person as the leader? Or perhaps you were each in charge of a different task. Feel free to mention any challenges or obstacles that you had along the way and how you worked together to overcome them.

Sum up your answer by saying what you learnt form the experience. This is more important than the quantifiable success of your team. Showing the interviewer that you have reflected and learnt from this experience shows that you are a mature and adaptable worker and hopefully just the applicant they are looking for.