Job Interview & Career Guide

Personality Interview Questions and Answers

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:14:18 +0000

Often the most dreaded questions in a job interview are those that relate to personality. Even if you feel you have a wonderful and well-suited personality for the job, you might feel you’re being put on-the-spot or falling into a trap because you don’t know what kind of answer the interviewer would like to hear.

You never know when you’ll be faced with such questions related to personality traits. Some interviewers use them and some don’t. Industry-wise they are used across the board – so it doesn’t matter if you’re on a healthcare job search or interviewing for a sales position, these questions can come up and they can be downright tricky.

How to Answer Personality Questions for Job Interviews

Here are a few example personality questions that could come up on an interview. Of course, the number of questions that could be asked is unlimited so there is no way to anticipate every one:
• Tell me about your weaknesses

This one is tricky as no one wants to focus on the negative when they are interviewing for a job. Talking about your flaws can only show the employer why not to hire you. So what do you do? The best thing to do in this situation is to turn your weakness into strength. A possible answer could focus on an area where you have more to learn about a particular skill. As long as it isn’t an essential qualification for the job (one where you need a high level of proficiency) you can say: “I haven’t had enough experience with electronic health records and desire to learn more about them. I believe this position will offer me an excellent opportunity to enhance my skills in this area.”

• Tell me about a time you tried an innovative approach. What was the result?

• “What books have you read lately?”

This is truly a question of a personal nature. It may seem unrelated to the job, but the good news is you can make it relate to the job. When conducting your job search, it is important to keep up with your industry. What publications should you be reading as a career-driven person of your industry? Are there manuals, magazines, books, online sites, and blogs? If you’re prepared, you have the perfect opportunity to show you’ve been keeping your skills and industry-knowledge up-to-date. This is also a great way to save yourself if you aren’t a pleasure reader. If you do enjoy reading, you should discuss these books, as long as they seem appropriate. Discussing titles that show your appreciation of literature (even popular fiction) or your desire to learn (non-fiction) are fine. For instance, if you truly are reading a biography about Benjamin Franklin, then be sure to say so. If you aren’t, don’t ever lie to “look good” because you never know what the interviewer may know about the topic. Maybe he or she is a Ben Franklin enthusiast! Always be honest. Preparation is the key to having something to say and being honest about it.

• Other personality questions that can be asked:

Surviving Personality Based Interview Questions – It Can Be Done!

As we’ve discussed, a personality interview doesn’t have to be frightening if you prepare well by reviewing your own history and researching your industry, the company, and available position.
Don’t get too nervous about potential questions. Not every interviewer will use them. With those who do, just be calm, confident, and stay on the positive side. Employers know that personality questions and personality tests are difficult for those in the interview seat. Often they want to see if you can keep your composure.
They also use them to weed out anyone who would reveal something bizarre or extremely negative about their history, attitude, or methods. Don’t worry about things you can’t control. Always be ready to bring any topic around to how you can make a positive contribution to the company.
Personality job interview questions give you the opportunity to show how you are the perfect fit for the position!

Lynn Mattoon is a Content Editor & Career Writer for HealthCareJobSite.com, SalesHeads.com and other Beyond.com career communities. You can follow her on Twitter at BeyondCareers.

Interviewers often ask behavioral interview questions in order to assess the personality traits of a candidate.
More Interview questions for evaluating personality can be found reading the following articles:
Sample Behavioral Interview Questions and Examples of Competency Based Questions.

Covering Letter for Job Application- Samples

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:32:04 +0000

What is job application cover letter?
The cover letter is attached to the first page of the resume in order to introduce yourself and your interest in the said job.
No resume is completed if no cover letter accompanies it.

Why it is important to write a good covering letter when applying for a job?

Be the hiring manager for a moment, and think about you scanning lots of job applications. Which resumes would you read? Would you read the ones with cover letters or resumes with no cover letters?
Most likely, you read resumes which their cover letters ‘convince’ you to go on and read the resume.
This is why having a well written cover letter is so important.

But first, be sure that your resume is 100% completed before you start writing the covering letter for any job application. Needless to say, that your resume should present how you match the jobs you’re applying for.
For the resume writing task, refer to the index page – Resume Writing Examples| Resume Writing Tips.

Covering Letters for Job Applications – Where to start?

While you are looking for a job, you probably will find some interesting job openings. Write down the following details:
1. Job position.
2. Job description and main job requirements.
3. Company name, location and some detail about the hiring department etc.
4. Your main/key competencies for that specific position – why are you a good match?

Then, make a short research to verify some basic info about the company and the job. You should be ready to apply for the job after having the above four details in hands.

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Job Application that works?

The covering letter may include (some or all) of the following details and actually ‘speaks to’ the recruiter. Here is the stracture/template:
Introduction -
• Your details
• The job details – Job title and number + where you saw the job opening.

Body -
• Who you are and why you want the job - What type of professional you are. How do you match the job requirement?
• Tell about your work status – What are you doing now etc.
• You may include information about – Why you want to change your job and apply for the said job. You can also mention your key skills.
• Be yourself – As opposed to the resume, in the covering letter you can add your personal touch. It is the best piece of paper where your personality can be expressed. Therefore, tell why you are interested in this particular job and why you like the company in question.

Ending-
• Final statement – A statement that will attract the reader to read the resume.

Remember that, your objective when writing the covering letter is that your resume will be read by the employer, getting him selects YOU for the job interviewing stage.
Further reading – how to write a cover letter for a resume.
The article discusses in details the approach you may take for different types of job application & cover letters.

Writing a cover letter for job application – Samples

For selecting the proper template when writing your covering letter, refer to:
1. Resume cover letter samples – The article provides sample cover letters for job application. It gives you 3 templates you can customize to write your own cover letters when submitting job applications.

2. Cover letter for job application submitted by email – Email Cover Letter Examples for Job Applications.

3. Cover letter for career changers who apply for a new job – Career Change Cover Letter Examples.

4. Some recruiters require/instruct you to include your salary requirements in the cover letter. Obviously, unless it is required by the employer, you shouldn’t provide these details so early. Read more on how to tactfully handle this issue – Cover letter with Salary Expectations.

Reference Checking: References Questions – Reference Check Form

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:55:48 +0000

As an employer, you would want to check the prospective employee reference in order to have a better insight on his past performance.

Some references will give detailed information about the employee, while others won’t share all the information they have.
Those who are willing to discuss in details are most likely references that had good experience with the employee.
They can tell you their experience on the candidate’s job performance, attitude and other important aspects that may be the ‘make or break’ for taking a decision about the candidate.

The article deals with checking references. It provides questions for reference check form and discusses about some reference checking points to consider.

This article is part of the articles’ series called – reference check for employers.
Refer also to:
1. Job Reference example: job reference format for applicants.
2. Employee Reference Check: Questions for Reference Checks (this article is for candidates).

Reference Check Form: Questions for Reference Checks

Employment Reference Check Questions: The first reference check questions are aimed to verify the basic employment info about the candidate such as: employment dates, positions and responsibilities.
If the basic employment information doesn’t match what you’ve heard from the candidate during the interview process, you’d get the first warning sign to have doubts about the candidate ethics.

The other questions may give you a better insight on the candidate’s performance and other personality aspects.
Here is a reference check questionnaire as a reference check template/form:
1. Tell Me about [Candidate Name]. How many year he work for [the company name]? When did s/he leave?

2. What was his/her Work Experience? Position, job title and responsibilities.

3. Was he promoted while working with your company?

4. Did you evaluate his performance on a regular basis? How did s/he react and cope with feedback?

5. Did he lead a team? How effective he was? How would his teammates describe him?

6. Can you describe the main traits of [Candidate name] for us?
• Some leading questions could be: Is he/she a problem solver? A good communicator? An initiator? An organizer? Is he a team player?

7. Why Did [Candidate Name] Leave his Job? If he/she was fired – What were the reasons that he/she was fired?

8. Can you tell us about any issues that impacted his job performance?

9. What interest him about the job?

10. Why do you think he chose this career?

11. How did he handle/cope with challenges?

12. How did he handle conflicts or pressure and stressed situations?

13. What are his/her Strengths and Weaknesses?

14. What did [candidate name] like/dislike about the job?

15. What was his/her relationship with supervisors and co workers?

16. What motivates him?

17. What was his/her Greatest Achievement in the [company name]?

18. If it’s possible to tell – What was is salary?

19. Can s/he be a manager or a team leader?

20. Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

The last question – Would you hire this candidate back?

How to Check References – Checking Employee References

You can establish a reference check policy before the hiring process based on the following factors:
• Ask for references: Tell the candidates that you’re going to perform due-diligence (reference check) before taking the hiring decision.

• Who is the reference: Ask each candidate to tell you the type of working relationship he has with the reference.

• Questions to ask the reference: Ask those questions that are important for the job requirement and those that you would want extra information based on what you learned from the applicant during the interview process.

• Reference Answers: Listen carefully to the answers. Are these answers made up or prepared before? Are the answers too similar to the candidate’s answers?

• Positive or Negative reference: If the reference has only positive comments about the candidate, you would be wise to give less weight to this particular reference.

Leading a Team Effectively

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:12:05 +0000

Teams can be a very effective in producing innovative solutions in the workplace. In jobs throughout every industry, employers always emphasize the need for “good team players.” Teams can generate enthusiasm and increase communication between workers from different departments. “Teamwork” should be the mantra of every organization. Yet, we all know that creating a team can be a bit like creating a monster.

People working together can harness the talents and strengths of individuals to create quality results, yet they can also choose to spread negativity and destroy communication as well as enthusiasm in the workplace.

To Lead or Not to Lead, that is the Question!

As you can see, creating and leading a team can be a risk. Yet, risk-takers often succeed above all others. If you’re willing to rise above the challenges to lead a team, you should first prepare to lead your team effectively. Here’s how you can watch out for the pitfalls and maximize the advantages of this valuable method of working.

Evaluate Yourself – Do You Have the Qualities of a Team Lead?

The first step you should take in leading a team is to take a good look at yourself and the qualities you lend to this role. Do you know how to lead a team? If you can answer yes to these questions, you’re already ready to get started:

Do you have a positive attitude? Can you convey enthusiasm for a project and rouse it in others? Do you have the ability to set a productive and energetic tone for a group? If the leader isn’t passionate about achieving the goal, the team members won’t be either.
Are you organized? Starting a team takes strong organizational skills and you must be able to communicate precisely the results you are looking for. A team needs strong direction. Kicking off your first team meeting with necessary details and clear goals allows others to feel confident about their roles as well as the team’s purpose. Staying organized throughout will help you to guide your team to success.
Are you a good communicator? Many people think they are effective communicators but aren’t fully aware of what communication is all about. While providing direction is one important communication skill, listening is equally important. Be open to listening to your team. It not only makes your team members feel confident, appreciated, and supported, but it allows you to follow progress and steer the team toward its goals.
Are you confident enough to lead? As a leader you must often step back and allow your team to progress without interfering. If you are unable to let go of tasks and details and feel the need to be “in the trenches” so to speak, you are not fulfilling the role of a leader. If you have properly communicated the goals and set a productive atmosphere for your team, you should be able to delegate the work with confidence. Check on progress from time to time and keep your door open, but don’t micro-manage your team. It will only stunt creativity and cause frustration.

What is a Team Lead?

An effective team leader is someone who has confidence, enthusiasm, as well as organizational and communication skills. With these skills you can lead a team to meet or even exceed its goals.
Through the team process you’ll be offering all those involved a fulfilling work experience. You’re providing both career growth and promoting good relationships within the workplace. Companies may believe in team building, but it is teams that build companies.

Lynn Mattoon is a Content Editor & Career Writer for Phillyjobs.com, a Beyond.com career community. You can follow her on Twitter at BeyondCareers.

Targeted Selection Interview Questions and Answers

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:01:12 +0000

The targeted selection interviewing is a method used to evaluate candidates competencies based on their past behavior in order to hire the right people for a given job.

The target selection process is favorable by many employers who opt for the concept that past performance (& behavior) predicts future performance – the targeted selection model of interviewing is well known method these days and used by many recruiters.

Of course, the target selection questions should be asked to each and every candidate in order to allow equal comparison of the quality of the answers.
These series of the target selection questions are designed well before the job interview and are chosed per a given job requirement.

Examples of Targeted Selection Interview Questions and Answers

You can find many behavioral interview questions with answers reading articles located in the category –
• Competency Interview Q & A.

For example, types of the TS interview questions to choose (the articles are located in the above categories):
1. Conflict Resolution
2. Problem Solving Interview Questions
3. Teamwork Interview Questions and Answers
4. Motivational Interviewing Questions
5. Situational Interview Questions
6. Customer Service Skills Interview Questions
7. Communication Skills
8. Decision Making
9. Strategic Thinking Interview Questions.

Most of these interview questions are from Examples of Competency Based Interview Questions article.

Candidates, who want to learn how to answer the targeted selection interview questions, refer to the articles:
• Competency Interview Questions and Answers.
• Behavioral interviewing question and answers.

Motivational Interviewing Questions and Answers

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:48:23 +0000

Employers would want to observe a very important aspect of a prospective employee – how self motivated is he/she?

During the job interview process, the interviewer will not only check whether the person has the required skills and work culture to fit in well with the company, they will also try to observe whether the person has the self motivation to sustain in a job and to ensure that the person delivers his/her best in the job.

To find this out, the interviewer normally asks some kind of motivational questions – these types of interview questions are called motivational or motivation job interview questions.

Examples of Motivational Interviewing Questions and Answers

Here are some of the questions about self motivation that are normally asked:
• Tell us one of the most exciting aspects of your previous job?
• What do you like about your previous job?
It is a known fact that if a person likes the job that they are in, they will always perform and deliver better than their counterparts. This is the entire reason why children are nowadays put through various tests, and there are various professional options for a person to pursue if they are not happy with the mainstream jobs. Therefore, you should not even for a moment make the interviewer feel that you have taken up this career and job because you were out of options, or that you had some other aspirations but did not take them up for any kind of reasons.

Therefore, when you are asked this question, make sure that your answer reflects your true interest and enthusiasm for the job. Of course the correct answer to this question would depend on the profession to profession and profile to profile.
* If you are a programmer, you can say that the most exciting aspect of the job is to take on new challenges pertaining to the world of computers and digital technology.
* If you are in the world of graphics designing, you can say that you are excited about using the aspects of form and colors to communicate the points that the client wishes to make clear with their consumers.
* If you are in the manufacturing process, you could say that the most exciting prospect of your job is the responsibility of creation that has been given to you.

Simply put, when asked this question, you should quickly consider some of the key areas of your profile and express them as your exciting aspects of the previous job.
Further reading – What do you like about your job? Interview question and answers.

• Have you set a personal goal for yourself? Were you successful? Why?
• How would you define success at work or in your career?
A job is a personal as well as professional ambition for the person. In fact, a person would be able to excel in their jobs only if they have the ambition and dream to achieve something in their jobs.
Such people generally have a set of personal goals and ambitions and basically work towards the ambition in their professional life. Having a personal or professional goal is not a fad or a fashion, but it is actually something that tells the interviewer that you have a perfect game plan for your professional life and career, and that you are working on a path that you have chalked out for yourself.

To answer this question, you would have to be prepared for it before you even are at the interviewer’s desk. Make sure that your answer does not seem a fake or made up. The best way to ensure this is to jot down your ambitions before the interview.
Refer also – Interview Questions – What motivates you, Define success at work.

• Are you a self starter? What motivates you?
Companies love self starters – those who are strongly motivated and show initiative.
In fact, with the changing pace of business and the corporate world, there are many entrepreneurs who would hire an enthusiastic person with less experience than a veteran who does not seem as much of a self starter as anyone else who is giving an interview.
Simply put, a small business requires talented people who are enthusiastic enough to bring about a progressive change in the business that they are working for.
Read further: How to get promoted? And Responsibilities to Take for Getting Promoted.

• Which has been the most exciting project that you have been involved in till date? Tell us about this project.
A job comprises of a number of assignments and projects. Some of these projects are simple money makers while some of these projects are actually something that satisfy you on a professional level and play an important role in forwarding your professional career.
These projects can be anything, something that has changed the industry standards, or some small project that you took on as a means to enhance and fine-tune your secondary skills.
Therefore, when the interviewer asks you about the most exciting project that you have been involved in, make sure that you give the right answer.

Actually, the answer to such questions is not something that you can come up with in the immediate moment. The best thing that you can do to be ready for these questions is to do some of your homework before you actually attend the interview. Read up on some of the basic questions that are asked and you will be able to make up a list of the exciting projects that you have been working on, or have worked on.

• Give an example of a situation/project/time when you went above and beyond your responsibility to get the job done.
Think of a recent incident when you went above and beyond the call of your duty. What was the motivational intensive to act this way – it is surely not your normal behavior?
If you had such a project or a situation, you can answer the questions and explain the reasons for this initiative and why did you decide to perform your best.

These are just some of the questions that can be asked during an interview to gauge your motivation skills.

Final Interview Questions and Answers: Final Round Interview Tips

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:29:20 +0000

Applying for a job is a process.
With the change of perspectives in the corporate and professional world, there are few jobs that would hire an employee based just on a single job interview.
Nowadays, there are so many applicants for so few positions that it would be completely unfair if people are hired without giving them a second chance.

This has given rise to the entire aspect of interviewing and hiring to become a process, which comprises of a number of interviews and the interviewer finally selects one candidate out of many.

This article discusses some final job interview questions, with ideas and tips on how to answer these questions.
As the name suggests, the final interview is the final round interview, in which the interviewer asks all that he or she may want, and is the last step before the person is hired by the company.

Final round Interview Questions and answers: final interview tips

Here are some tips:
Would you like to ask any questions?
The final round interview is basically the final interaction that the interviewer and the interviewee undergo. Therefore, the final interview will actually be a scenario where the interviewee has to ask questions about the job, the company and the way that the company conducts the business. Therefore, whenever you are asked this question, make sure that you ask anything that you have doubts about.

To begin with, you could ask questions about how the company works, what is the vision and mission of the company, as well as questions about the job that you would be handling. Basically, every company has different core responsibilities for every job position, and it would be a good idea to ask what would be your responsibilities on the job.
Of course, once you are hired by the company, the company would hold a meeting with you and inform you about the key responsibility areas that you would be handling.
Further reading – Do You Have Any Questions for Me?

What are your financial aspirations?
Once you have reached the final interview stage, the financial matters come into play.
Of course, the financial aspect always play an important role in your decisions whether you should take the job, and whether the company hires you or not, but once you have reached this stage, you would have to ask about the financial aspects, and what is the salary that the company is thinking about paying you.

Needless to say, that these questions should be asked very subtly, and it should not seem that you are only interested in the financial aspect of the job. In fact, if you play your cards right, the company and the interviewer will ask you about what your financial queries are.
Refer to – What Are Your Salary Expectations?

Would you like to add anything about yourself?
While the final interview is the final interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee, this does not mean that the interviewer would not be testing the interviewee till the last moment. One another question that the interviewer might as is whether the interviewee would like to add something to the conversation, or even ask the interviewee about what they liked about the way the interview that took place and what they did not, if the interviewee is experienced and knows what the corporate world and the world of hiring is all about.

If asked to add any information about yourself, you should make sure that you once again point out all the positive aspects that make you a good option for the profile. Remember that if you are at the final interview, you have already beaten many people to the position and there are many chances that the final interview is only a formality, as you are already hired and they have only called the final interview for taking the documents and other papers regarding your professional life.
You may be interested in reading – Closing an Interview: How to Close a Job Interview?
, the 2nd interview or tell us about Yourself Interview Question.

These are just some of the questions that are asked during the final interview.
Make sure that you answer the questions in an artful, tactful and positive manner, so that you wouldn’t affect your chances to be hired by the company.

Teamwork Interview Questions and Answers

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:49:03 +0000

Working in a company has several aspects other than the abilities and experience of the person. One important aspect is teamwork.
In most companies, it is necessary that the employee is able to work in a team, and maybe even handle a team work during the lean times.

In fact, the best employee is one who can handle a team when it comes to it (i.e. team lead skills), as well as be able to work on a team when the situation arises.
There are several questions that the interviewer may ask the prospective employee during the teamwork interview, in a bid to understand whether the prospective employee is a team member, a team leader or both.

After reading this article, you may be interested in reading the articles:
•  Team Lead Interview Questions and Answers.
•  Are you a team player?
•  Working on a team.

Team work Interview Questions with Answers

Being honest and humble is one of the most important traits that you would require in your professional life, right from while you are handling the interview to even further in your professional life.
To evaluate this, you will be asked several questions that are related to your previous teamwork experience:

Give us example when you were part of a team. What was your role in the teamwork? How did you contribute to this task group? How often did you interact with other team members?
Choose a team (or a task group) that you had been assigned to or a teamwork that you had participated in your previous job and describe a leading project. Make sure that your answer is a crisp and quick run through of your task group participation and gives the interviewer a broad idea of your value addition and job execution as a team worker.
You may include: the way the team monitor tasks and duties for achieving the project goals and how you’ve effectively interacted with other team members on a constant basis to achieve these goals.

Have you ever had an experience where there were issues or strong disagreement among the team members? What did you do?
It goes without saying that there is no team, either personal or professional, that has not faced some problems and disagreement among teammates.
However, when working on team in the workplace, each team member is not only responsible for his tasks but also responsible for the progress of the team goals as a whole. The employer would want to find out these qualities in a team player.

Therefore, you can answer this question:
“I have had some instances where there has been some kind of strong disagreement among my team members. Usually, I do not pay attention to the issue for the first few days, because I have faith in the professionalism of my team partners.
However, if the problem is not solved over a period of time, I make sure that I speak to any and all the team members who are involved in the issue, and try to iron out an amicable solution with dialogue between them.”
Further reading: Are you a Team Player interview question.

Have you ever been a project leader in a team? How did you handle/face issues?
Being a project leader in a team is a position full of responsibility as it that gives the employee a chance to achieve his professional ambitions.
Therefore, the candidate should be sure that a sense of responsibility is sent across in the reply:
“As a project leader, I have had a varied experience of dealing with project issues. Whenever I have faced a problem that requires a solution, I collected the data related to the issue, figured out the causes, consulted with team members for solutions and when having a neutral view of the issue, I have tried to resolve it in such a manner that I will continue keeping a keen eye on the problem solution and the betterment of the product.”
Refer to: Problem Solving Interview for more information.

Tell us about your experience working with pees. How did it go? Have you ever faced difficulties and disagreements?
While team players are supposed to be work in harmony, it is a fact that they can have issues with other team members, who are basically their colleagues.
If you have had issues with other teammate, it is best to tell the truth to the employer and to explain the situation honestly.
The best way to answer is:
“I have had an issue with a peer [give an example], like it is common in a professional workforce. However, I have always endeavored to solve the problems, without the repercussions coming up, or even other team members. I always believe that conversation is the best way to solve any issues, and I have always had dialogues with any peer who has had an issue with me. I consider his point of view and the project goals before I take the conversation ahead.”
Continue reading – Relationship with co-workers interview questions.

Have you been a team leader? Describe your role as a team leader. Tell us about the challenges you faced in trying to resolve issues among team members. What could you have done to be more effective?
A team leader is basically the leader whom everyone looks up to, so as to be the one who would lead effectively the team projects and ensure that the team moves smoothly and progresses, taking the company that they work for from strength to strength.
Therefore, describe an effective team leadership work. Refer to the article – How to Be an Effective Team Leader?

Moreover, a team leader has several responsibilities other than just their core abilities to churn out work. One of the most important responsibilities is to keep the team together and help them weather even the greatest of problems. If you are a team leader, it is your responsibility to handle the team and solve the issue without any repercussions or bad blood between the team members.
If asked such a question, here is the answer that you can provide:
“As a team leader, my responsibility is to achieve the highest productivity for the company within the given resources. Therefore, I have to ensure that all the resources that I am provided are always at their optimum performance. So, I have to ensure that any issues that my team members face are resolved without any losses to either the company, the product that is being currently worked on.
Most of the times, I speak to the team members who have a problem with each other individually as well as a team, so that all the issues are ironed out immediately. “
Further reading – Conflict Resolution Interview Questions.

Of course, the most important aspect of an interview question answer should be that the answer is realistic and factual. If you have been a team leader or project leader, it is well and good and you should reply whatever the fact is. If you have not been a team/project leader, you should simply tell the interviewer that you have not had the chance to lead a team as yet.

Working in a Team: Advantages and Disadvantages

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:49:30 +0000

At one time or another most of us are required to work with others on a project.
Everyone from children in elementary school to professionals in IT jobs know how rewarding it can be to work with others, but also how challenging, and even frustrating, it can be at times.

Advantages of Working in a Team

There are many advantages of teamwork. We’ve all heard the phrase “two heads are better than one.” Of course with more minds set on a specific goal, you have access more ideas. Looking at things from the perspective of others can increase the likelihood of quality innovation.
Teams create an environment of support and propel people toward implementation. A team environment can boost the confidence of individuals, allowing them to do their best work.
Good teams make the most of individual talents. Where one member may be weak, another might be strong and working together they provide the perfect resource for an organization. The more people work together, the more they learn and step away to become better workers in their own jobs. Teams can create better communication and respectful relationships among employees.

Disadvantages of Working in a Team

For every advantage of working in a team, there is the flipside. Just as “two heads are better than one,” we’ve all heard, “too many chefs spoil the soup.”
Basically, there are just too many people, too many ideas, and too many “experts” to come to an agreement and achieve a good result. It is simply why we have to constantly be reminded that there is “no ‘I’ in team.”

When people can’t leave their egos behind, conflict and resentment arises. People become unwilling to open their minds to other perspectives and are intent on either forcing their point of view or not cooperating with others. The more conflict, the less innovation, the farther the team gets from implementation and meeting goals.
While a team has the potential to boost up the individual members, if it is not functioning properly it can make some members feel inferior and unimportant. They contribute less and are discouraged from accessing their strong qualities. How much each person is contributing or not contributing becomes the focus of the individuals – some feeling they are carrying the team, others resenting those who are taking charge.
Relationships and communication worsens. The team is unsuccessful and the individuals walk away worse off than when they started.

What Can You Do to Ensure a Successful Team Environment?

Most of us can say we’ve experienced being on both types of teams. Here are some tips for maximizing the advantages of teamwork.

For the Manager:

If you are a manager who is forming a team you should set clear, specific expectations and have a dialogue with your employees to be certain they understand these expectations. It is important that they not only understand the goals, but also the reason the team has been created. A good manager will allow a team to function without hovering over it, but will be fully involved by eliciting information on a consistent basis, rather than waiting for the deadline to evaluate the results.
Communicate with your team, evaluate performance and commitment, and step in to assist when necessary. The team may very well need additional resources or input from you.

For the Team Member:

If you have just been assigned to a team, take the time to listen to others in the group. Be involved in the process, as there will be a process that sorts out responsibilities and leadership roles (whether official or not), but open your mind and realize teamwork takes patience, understanding, and mutual respect and support.
Yes, you want to be supported by the team, but this can only happen if you support others. The first step in being a successful team member understands your mission.

If you are given or volunteer for a particular role, understand your role and own it! Make the decision to be a problem solver. Do not look to place blame and do not focus on the negative. Stand up and make things better, rather than sitting back and complaining.
You will feel good about yourself and help the team by making it better for everyone. A negative attitude can be contagious….but so can a positive one! Constantly practice tolerance and keep communication open with all members of the team and management.

It is often a team victory we rejoice in and remember above all others. The team environment can be very rewarding and a team’s success does depend on you, the individual. Your commitment to your team, despite obstacles, is vital to its success.

Lynn Mattoon is a Content Editor and Career Writer for TechCareers.com, a Beyond.com career community. You can follow her on Twitter at BeyondCareers.