Team Player Interview Questions
Use the below-given team players interview questions to find prospective employees who collaborate nicely with colleagues and show a good team spirit.
Why assess teamwork in interviews?
Good team players:
- Take feedback positively and try to improve their work
- Understand each team member’s unique strengths
- Nurture healthy work relations
- Resolve problems before they become serious
According to the company and the position, teamwork may have different meanings. Teamwork is when:
- HR professionals organize company events to build team spirit.
- Remote employees prioritize good written and verbal communication to work with their teams.
- Junior level employees work with experienced team members to learn their roles.
- Senior professionals resolve differences and motivate their team members.
Team player interview questions
- Tell me about a group project you worked on. What were your responsibilities?
- Share your experience when you had to work with other departments in your company. How did you approach them and how was your experience?
- Tell me about a time you had to work with a coworker who didn’t get along well with you.
- Have you ever failed to reach a goal? If yes, what went wrong and what did you learn from that mistake?
- How do you react when your team refuses to implement your idea?
- How do you like to work on a group project: each member works independently on the assigned task or the complete team sits and works together? Why?
- How do you onboard a new team member?
- How do you appreciate an employee’s great work?
- How do you promote team spirit? (Like team bonding activities, cross-departmental projects, regular meetings etc.)
- How do you approach a poor performer in your team?
- How do you ensure a remote team communicates well?
- Name the group collaboration tools you use.
How to find team players in interviews?
- When recruiting fresher candidates, check if candidates were involved in extracurricular activities or worked in a group for their college projects.
- Employees with strong communication skills are more efficient in team environments. They can express their ideas more clearly.
- Look for candidates who take responsibility for their accomplishments as well as acknowledge the contribution of their coworkers.
- Candidates’ previous experiences will help you know how they behave with their team members. How do they react during conflicts? How effectively they share their ideas? What is their role in group projects?
Red Flags
- Trust issues: People who want to cross check everyone’s work impact the team’s efficiency, as they slow down all processes. Senior professionals, especially, who don’t trust their team members and don’t allow them to take any initiative, risk damaging their confidence.
- Not taking responsibility for anything: Candidates who say negative things about previous colleagues or employers are less likely to build a healthy work relationship. For good collaboration mutual respect and compromise are important.
- Arrogance: Arrogant attitude is a red flag. Bossy employees don’t respect opinions of other people and generally don’t take criticism well.
- General answers: During the interview most candidates claim to be great team players. But, if they can’t give real examples to support their point, they might be saying that just to impress you.
- Using only “I”: If your candidates begin every sentence with “I”, even when they are explaining a team project they have worked on, this might be a sign that they prefer working alone, rather than in a team.