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How to Answer Teamwork Interview Questions (Tips and Examples)

Teamwork is an integral part of many jobs, so a few teamwork interview questions are more than likely to come up in your next job interview. This article is here to help you ace them.
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How to Answer Teamwork Interview Questions (Tips and Examples)

Teamwork interview questions are a common type of behavioral interview questions. This means that to give a strong answer, you’ll need to refer to real-life examples of how you worked on a team to make an impact.

Interviewers ask questions about teamwork to assess your skills, like:

  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Inter and intrapersonal relationships
  • Giving and receiving feedback
  • Dealing with difficult situations or people

In your answers, you want to show that you’ll fit in with the team, solve conflicts easily, and deal with day-to-day challenges with resilience.

In this article, you’ll learn:

  • Common teamwork interview questions and sample answers.
  • How to come up with relevant examples of how you applied teamwork skills.
  • How to stay positive in case of negative or uncomfortable questions.
  • How to use the STAR method to answer teamwork interview questions.
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The Most Common Teamwork Interview Questions

If you’ve just come here for a list of questions you should prepare for, here it is:

Below, you’ll see good sample answers to these questions. Pay attention to how these candidates incorporate concrete examples into their narrative. (And use the answers as a reference point to prepare your own.)

Teamwork Interview Questions and Sample Answers

Tell me about a team project that you worked on. What was your role in it?

Sample answer (Marketing):

Last year, we had to organize a community fundraiser to raise money for a local animal shelter. I was in charge of marketing and event promotion. This involved creating social media content with different people, and then editing and sharing it: distributing flyers to the community, and working with the sponsorships team. I also had to work with the logistics team to ensure the event details on the promo materials were accurate. We created this interdependent network of communication and regular check-ins through the tools we already used company-wide. We used a separate Slack channel for real-time updates, which made sharing progress and milestones easier. Automated Slack reminders were a lifesaver. We also created a shared Google Drive folder for all promo materials, so everyone had quick access to everyone’s content. Finally, we developed a detailed visibility and engagement report, which I regularly updated and shared with the sponsorships team. The system was quite simple, and we were all familiar with the technology used, so everyone could keep up easily. We did meet our fundraising goal and the entire project was incredibly rewarding. The entire team worked like one towards our shared goal, and I was glad to be a part of that energy.

Describe a project that required input from people at different levels in the organization.

Sample answer (HR):

In my previous HR role, I noticed our half-year company reviews weren’t insightful. Little was done in terms of objective assessment and properly tracking company progress. To try and fix this, my idea was to introduce a SWOT analysis framework flexible enough to cater to the needs and KPIs of individual departments, but also to ensure alignment across the entire company. The first step was to get approval from the top management. They were aware of the problem, so this was not hard — I did it simply by explaining the concept of SWOT analysis, providing great examples, and an example of how we could integrate it into our current processes. Once it was official, I organized workshops with team leaders from each department to tailor the SWOT framework for their specific team’s needs. We brainstormed how to measure and evaluate the company and how to create action plans for separate teams and positions based on that. I also organized a training session for all employees where we went through the benefits of the SWOT analysis and how it can fit with their career development. When we completed the first SWOT analysis, there was a lot of insights about our weaknesses and blind spots, but also new market opportunities. Based on it, we started updating internal processes and saw that our efficiency increased. All in all, introducing the SWOT analysis was a huge project and even though it was initially my idea, I would have never completed it without my HR team who was there to support me all along with research and meeting preparation. It was a real example of teamwork and the power of structured, clear communication.

Share a rewarding team experience. Why do you think it succeeded?

Sample answer (Civil engineering):

Last year I was a part of a civil engineering team at a city municipality. Our task was to fix the outdated water management system and fix the water quality across the city. I was involved in the design phase, with a special focus on sustainable materials and technologies. The entire team took the project very seriously, so the communication was transparent and structured throughout the process. We had daily briefings about the main operational tasks and weekly recaps and planning sessions to assess the results and plan for the week ahead. During one of these meetings, I suggested using a new biodegradable material, and the team liked it. So we researched the material and its feasibility, got in touch with the suppliers, and did a collaborative analysis. We ended up using that material and successfully completing the project on time. Over time, more and more teams switched to the same material, so it’s safe to say we set a new standard for sustainable infrastructure in the city. I think this project was so successful because every team member had the feeling we were doing something unusual, big, and meaningful. With these new sustainable materials, we not only decreased pollution and preserved natural resources, but we also saved a lot of energy and money in the long run. It was one of those rare projects where we felt like it was a win-win, no matter how you look at it.

Tell me about a time when you worked with a difficult team member.

Sample answer (Sales):

A while ago, we had a challenging situation in our team when one of the team members consistently dismissed other people’s ideas and created tension. It hindered our progress towards the quarterly sales target. I initiated a conversation with that coworker and it turned out they felt their contribution was undervalued. I could see where he was coming from because it was a busy quarter and we were focused solely on meeting our goals. So during the next team meeting I suggested a more structured approach that would clearly outline what we did the previous week, and then have a part for sharing and discussing everyone’s ideas. The others were sold, and that type of meeting immediately worked for us. Our work got more clear and structured, we became more productive, and most importantly, we connected with each other and celebrated our contributions. That coworker did not complain anymore and the atmosphere in the team became friendly and positive.

Give me an example of a team project that failed. What did you learn from it?

Sample answer (Marketing):

In my previous role at a marketing agency, we had a challenging project that ultimately failed. One of our clients had a unique brand positioning but because we were going through a turbulent period internally, we decided to implement a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy. For a particular project, we were supposed to coordinate the graphic design and social media teams for a live Instagram Q&A event that was supposed to boost engagement. But the visual assets did not align with the brand identity, and there was a lot of back-and-forth with the client on fixing that. Additionally, the timing between email blasts and the social media event was off, which led to an inconsistent customer experience. Despite our efforts to adjust and improve the coordination, we failed. The metrics did not meet our projections, and ultimately we lost the client. This was a stressful, high-pressure experience, but we learned our lesson. We learned that in order to provide our best work, we have to be aligned on our internal processes. And as a remote agency, we also learned how important it is to overcommunicate every single detail and not rely on others. Based on this, we established a few internal procedures that have since helped us be more transparent and more efficient during certain projects.

Can you give an example of how you’ve handled a conflict within a team?

Sample answer (Project Management):

In my first company, I noticed weird things started happening when another graphic designer, let’s call him Jim, joined our team. I was a fairly young but experienced designer who had been with the company for a few years. Jim was a few years older but not as experienced. While none of us cared because we thought he’d easily gain experience through hands-on work, he became really self-conscious. This resulted in snide remarks about my work — and I guess he picked on me because we were the only designers in the team. But I decided to ignore the problem, hoping it would go away. Well, it didn’t, and it became apparent to others from our team. It was when another coworker brought this up to me that I realized others noticed Jim’s behavior too, and it affected the team spirit. I then decided to speak to our manager and explained what was going on from my perspective. My manager thanked me for being open about this, and promised to talk to Jim. I’m not sure what they spoke about, but Jim and I were soon invited to a meeting with our manager where we discussed the situation. I half-expected Jim to deny everything but he was actually really open and cool about it. He explained that he let his insecurities take a hold of him, especially because he was older, but less experienced. He apologized and said he’ll be more careful when communicating with me. These kinds of things stain relationships, so I can’t say we became best buddies at work. But our relationship did improve significantly, and we didn’t have similar problems throughout my time there. Although it sucked, this situation taught me to react early on, as soon as I spot concerning behavior in myself or others. And it helped me be a more transparent communicator and a better teammate.

How do you keep a team motivated during challenging times or when facing project setbacks?

Sample answer (Retail):

I insist on staying connected. For example, during a really hectic holiday season at a large retail chain I supervise, we had a severe staffing shortage because more than half of the workers got the flu. Fewer workers and more customers than ever meant an impending doom. So I had to come up with a way to hit our sales target and not destroy my team’s morale. So first I hired seasonal workers to alleviate the workload. I then reorganized the schedule to make sure peak hours are covered, and I jumped right in to help with operational work. To boost my team’s morale, we had daily huddles where we made sure everyone felt supported and valued, but I also organized small debriefing parties after the busiest shifts. We’d just go out to eat and have a drink and talk about what went well that day and how to fix what didn’t. All the while we had an open door policy and anyone could come to me to share concerns and suggestions for improvement. We survived that tricky season without major setbacks and met our revenue goals without anyone burning out. Needless to say, we had an awesome party to celebrate and everyone got a nice bonus.

Can you discuss a time when you received constructive criticism from a team member?

Sample answer (Marketing):

Two years ago, I joined a new company as a mid-level content writer. I was excited because the industry was new and felt like the right fit for me. At the same time, I already had some experience, so I wasn’t too worried about my performance. After onboarding and going through all the processes and documentation, I got my first task. I had to write a long-form article about a complex topic. I dived right into it, did my research, and even had two interviews with subject-matter experts for actionable insights and a unique angle on a topic. I was thrilled by my work and I asked my coworker to take a look before I hand it in to our editor and manager. Well, I received a not-so-great feedback from the coworker. While the content of my article was deemed insightful, the formatting — starting from basics like capitalization to bigger issues like heading organization — was chaotic and not in line with the editorial style guide. Initially, I got defensive. But my coworker kindly explained where exactly I made the mistakes. She referred to the style guide, and I realized I haven’t double-checked it to make sure I followed the rules. And when I compared some of the standard work to my article, it was clear they were different, and not in a good way. So that settled it. I realized my mistake and that I was perhaps a bit too confident and eager to prove myself. That experience taught me to take my time and keep my cool, but it also proved to me that getting negative feedback is not the end of the world. It’s just one of those things that seem unbearable in theory. But in practice, with great teammates, it’s easy to get over.

Tell us about a time when you had to adapt quickly to changes within a team or project. How did you manage?

Sample answer (Customer Service):

Last summer, I worked as a customer service representative for a big online retailer. In the middle of the season, the company launched a new software for streamlining and processing orders and customer interactions. I was in charge of testing in out and introducing it to our team in case we end up going with it. So I had to go through several hours of training on top of my workload, and then master this new system as quickly as possible, without losing any critical data or creating delays with customers. I took a proactive approach by dedicating some extra hours after work to training and practicing. The new system turned out to be way more fun and useful than the old one, and I mastered it in no time. Even my team leader asked me to hold a training session for the rest of my team and help them familiarize themselves with it. Naturally, the team was a bit frustrated at first — not because of the new tool as such, but I think because people generally refuse any kind of change. But we split into super small groups, practiced the new tool, and gathered questions. Once everyone felt confident, we switched to the new system and as a team created a library rich with materials and tool guides for new people joining the team. This experience showed me that a solid team can overcome just about any challenge, as long as they’re open and willing to help each others, like we did.

How to Answer Teamwork Interview Questions

Our Chief career coach Pamela helped thousands of job-seekers answer common interview questions and land the jobs of their dreams. Below, we’ll share some of her top tips for answering teamwork interview questions.

The first step to giving a strong answer is understanding what your interviewers really want to learn.

Questions related to teamwork are aimed at gauging your:

When answering, your goal is to talk about instances where you used those skills to achieve desired results. Using concrete examples from your past is crucial because questions about teamwork are behavioral interview questions.

The assumption is that your past performance is the best indicator of how you’ll behave in the future. A surefire way to come up with good answers is using the STAR framework (Situation–Task–Action–Result) and always picking a real-life situation to illustrate your point.

Here’s how to come up with the perfect answer that will provide all the relevant details and position you as a great team player.

Choose a recent experience

Most skills relevant for successful teamwork are soft skills. Soft skills can be developed and worked on over a period of time.

This is why it’s important to choose a situation that happened recently in order to show the current level of your skills.

If you pick a situation that happened years ago, could you guarantee that you’d react the exact same way today?

Ideally, pick a situation from the last year — but it’s ok to go a bit further back for a particularly interesting or relevant story. And if you’d do something differently today, make sure to bring it up.

Keep it relevant

Pick an appropriate story that will best illustrate the type of collaboration skill needed for a position.

For this, you’ll need to study the job description.

Review it to get a better understanding of the type of collaboration mode required in this job.

For example, teamwork in marketing will be centered around creative brainstorming or collaborating on campaigns or strategic roadmaps; in customer service, it’s going to be focused on collaborative problem-solving and efficiency. In software development, it might be about mentoring others.

Then pick the most relevant example you have. It’s a good idea to prepare a few examples that represent different types of team projects, so you’re covered for several scenarios.

Pro tip: Showcase your teamwork skills but don’t make it all about yourself; give credit where credit is due. If you present yourself as the only person who managed to achieve or solve something, you’ll come across as self-centered. Which is the opposite of a team player.

Stay positive

Interviewers can put a specific spin on a teamwork interview question and make it focused on an unpleasant situation:

  • Tell me about a failed team project
  • Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult coworker
  • Can you recall a situation where you had to push back on an idea or a suggestion
  • Tell me about a time you had to say no to a coworker
  • Tell me about a time when you had to give negative feedback

The key to answering such questions is to put a positive spin on your reply: no badmouthing, no dwelling on the negatives, no complaining or playing victim.

Instead, focus on how you solved the problem and the positive lessons you learned from it. Icing on the cake is describing how exactly this negative experience made you a better team player.

In addition to teamwork, aim to showcase other positive skills here, like de-escalation, compassion, transparent communication, resilience, and the capacity for self-reflection.

More info about how to answer questions about conflict here:

Use the STAR method

As mentioned, use the STAR (Situation–Task–Action–Result) framework to answer teamwork interview questions.

This framework will let you be detailed on the one hand, and structured and concise on the other. Plus, it will be engaging and interesting for the listener.

  • Situation = Set the context of a situation
  • Task = Describe what you had to do in order to achieve or solve something
  • Action = Describe how you did it, step-by-step (this is supposed to be the longest and most detailed part of the answer)
  • Result = State the results and lessons learned.

For a detailed guide on the STAR framework, read: The STAR Interview Method: How to Answer + Examples

And for more information and a sample answer, check out this video:

To nail your answers down 100%, use an Interview Simulator to practice them and get instant feedback on the quality of your answers, from your pace of speech to use of filler words and eye contact.

Describe your current job responsibilities

Summary of the Main Points

Here’s a recap of the most important things to know about teamwork interview questions:

  • Teamwork interview questions are a type of behavioral questions. The best way to answer those questions is to refer to specific situations that illustrate your teamwork skills.
  • Key skills interviewers want to assess by asking teamwork questions are: communication, collaboration, active listening, conflict resolution, resilience, giving and receiving feedback.
  • Use the STAR method to answer interview questions about teamwork.
  • When coming up with an answer, pick a recent story that best illustrates the type of teamwork most likely to be relevant to position (consult the job ad to figure out what that means in your case).
  • When asked about a “negative” situation, that is, how you handled a high-stress situation, negative feedback, or a difficult coworker, stay positive, don’t badmouth, and focus on what that experience taught you.

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FAQ

Why do recruiters ask questions about teamwork?

To see if you’re easy to work with, to gauge your inter and intrapersonal skills and communication, how you resolve conflict, how easily you can fit in with the team, and similar.

What to pay attention to when answering questions about teamwork?

Make sure you’re using the STAR method to answer these questions; when choosing a story or example, make sure it’s recent and relevant, that is, it represents the type of teamwork needed for a position you’re applying for.

What if they ask me about a difficult coworker or a tricky situation?

If a question is about a negative situation or a difficult coworker, be sure to stay positive, don’t badmouth other people or play the victim, and focus on what you learned from the experience and how it made you a better team player.

How to decide which story to use to answer a teamwork interview question?

Study the job description to discover the details of the role and what kind of teamwork it encompasses. Then, go through the last year of your professional experience and pick the most relevant story. Don’t pick a story that happened several years ago — people change and there’s no way to guarantee that you would react the same way today.

How to respond to interview questions about teamwork?

Pick a recent, relevant story and use the STAR framework to tell it. Aim to display your teamwork skills like great communication, compassion, resilience, and conflict resolution. Give credit for successes with your team and don’t be self-centered, as that’s the opposite of a team player. Stay positive and list what you learned from each experience and how it made you a better team player.

I work a job where team collaboration is minimal. How do I answer questions about teamwork?

Even if your work doesn’t involve heavy teamwork, there must be instances where you had to coordinate or share information with others. You can discuss that, or how you contributed to a larger team goal. You can even talk about collaboration with people from other departments. Finally, if your job doesn’t offer many teamwork opportunities, you can find an example from a previous job, or from a situation outside work, like volunteering, club memberships, sports, or group hobbies.

I feel like I work better as an individual contributor than a member of a team. Should I be honest about it?

Honesty is important in job interviews, so you can address this, but it’s also important to frame your strengths in a positive light. So if you feel like you perform better as an individual, you can share it, and share the reasons behind it, like better focus or efficient time management. But then, you’ll need to demonstrate that you understand the importance of teamwork and that you’re able to support team goals and teammates too, with examples of when you did it. Finally, use every opportunity to demonstrate key teamwork skills, like your communication skills, flexibility, and adaptability, so that they’re aware you can be a team player even though it’s not your personal preference.

How can I improve my teamwork skills in the workplace?

By fostering clear communication, sharing your ideas, listening to others, and making sure there’s mutual understanding on tasks and objectives. Practice empathy and understanding, and show respect for other people’s ideas and opinions, even if they differ from your own. Be open to feedback, and be careful about how you give it in return: be objective but kind. Finally, be focused on the solutions, not the problems.

Maja Stojanovic
A writer specialized in interview preparation and resume building. Spent 5+ years tirelessly seeking a meaningful, rewarding job. Which is exactly what I’ll help you find.
Edited By:
Michael Tomaszewski
Michael Tomaszewski
Fact Checked By:
Briana Dilworth
Briana Dilworth

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