Working together is synergy. Getting inspired from the concept of “unity is strength”, collaboration, linkage, and partnerships have proved to be monumental in achieving productivity as well as precise execution of tasks maintaining quality and efficiency. It is no wonder that business organizations across the world were quick to realize this and they soon started adopting a teamwork culture to perform their tasks and duties. Considering its relevance and treating it as an ingredient to ensure success, most of the interview sessions, comprise several interview questions which are solely influenced and inspired by this concept of teamwork. This article aims to compile all those questions and presents you best questions with answers.
21 Best Interview Questions Based On Teamwork
“Statement and Comment” Interview Questions
In these types of questions, you will be given some positive or negative statements which will be related to the teamwork. Post this, you are required to comment upon those statements and give an explanation, by expressing your own views and opinions in that regard. While answering, always remember that you are supposed to favor teamwork and always take its side. Below is the series of some of the best statement and comment questions:
1. Teamwork Leads To Conflicts. Comment.
Sample Answer: Sir, working in a team leads to resolutions and working out amicable solutions to all the conflicts and issues. Thus, teamwork in no way promotes conflicts, rather promotes a friendly atmosphere, which promotes camaraderie and support culture.
2. When You Work In A Team, You Tend To Lose Your Privacy. Comment.
Sample Answer: Sir, privacy in work is needed to concentrate and focus effectively upon the work, without which the quality of the task would deteriorate to a great extent. In my opinion, it entirely depends upon the team members, if they are supportive and serious, not an issue like this can arise.
3. You Tend To Gossip More In A Team. Comment.
Sample Answer: Sir, when four to five people, or even more, gather and sit together, it is natural to have some conversations and interactions. However, it is not necessary that those interactions are related to the gossips and blarneys only. Those could be conversations about the tasks to be performed or some better methods to discharge a duty.
4. In A Teamwork You Tend To Evolve Your Skills. Comment
Sample Answer: Sir, in my opinion, this statement is absolutely correct. When you work in a commune, with people, belonging to different religions, castes, and creeds, it is natural to develop overall and form some better skills and attributes, which will ultimately help you in achieving your goals and objectives in a time-bound manner.
5. In Teamwork, You Play Blame Games and No One Takes Responsibility. Comment
Sample Answer: Sir, this might be an issue with teams that are either ineffective or not properly organized. I am working for the past 3 years in a team setup and what I found is quite different. All the employees belonging to a team tend to develop a professional relationship with each other and support everyone through thick and thin.
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“Team Motivation” Related Interview Questions
It is an established fact that in order to eke out the best response of a team, you will be required to motivate them. This could be done using several non-monetary or monetary measures. The members of a team love to get incentivized and their desire for some additional rewards keeps them ever vigilant at the workplace. This is a series that represents possible questions that could be framed on this aspect.
6. How Do You Motivate Your Team Members?
Sample Answer: Sir, motivation is a vital aspect and promotes responsible working, with even more heart and passion. In order to motivate team members, some monetary incentives must be attached along with giving adequate recognition to the best performing teams.
7. State Some Monetary Incentives Which Work Best For Motivating Teams.
Sample Answer: Sure sir, these are:
- Incentives based on target completion, which could be monthly, quarterly or even weekly.
- Cash vouchers, which can be redeemed at shopping malls and e-commerce sites.
- Discount coupons not only for the employees but also for his or her dependents
8. Incentivization Leads To Additional Costs. How Do You Percieve This?
Sample Answer: Sir, it is true that giving extra rewards to the employees will lead to an additional cash outgo. However, this must not be the sole factor, rather, a proper cost-benefit analysis should be done to arrive at a conclusion. If the reward points are carefully and judiciously set, with only the deserving getting the reward, I am sure, there will be a greater benefit attached with it.
9. Can You Motivate Team Members Using Non-Monetary Incentives? Explain.
Sample Answer: In order to motivate employees to work together in a team, using only monetary incentives to motivate them is not necessary. There are several non-monetary incentives as well, such as:
- TImely promotions
- Group or Team vacation, preferably an all-expense paid trip
- Team parties in prominent or luxurious places, giving satisfaction and pleasure.
10. How Will You Work In A Demotivated Team?
Sample Answer: Team members tend to share everything from work-related queries to emotions and end up developing some exceptional bonds with each other. However, a demotivated team can ruin all the advances and benefits. If I ever get such a team, I will assume that I am on my own, and whatever tasks are allocated to me, I am just trying to achieve them. Further, if someone demotivates me too, I would give him or her good counseling.
“Eligibility” Related Interview Questions
These questions are asked to judge whether or not a candidate possesses accurate qualities and skills, which are necessary to fit in a team culture and work efficiently. You must answer these questions positively and show that you truly deserve to be a part of the team. This is a series of questions based on the eligibility of a candidate in a team.
11. How Can You Better The Prospects Of A Depleted Team?
Sample Answer: Sir, a team that has experienced frequent failures and criticisms tends to deplete and shows low confidence levels and enthusiasm. If I ever get posted in such a team, I would just lift their morale by stating that we must not stop or refrain from doing exceptional work. It is necessary to identify and then analyze mistakes. Only we can improve our performances, and if we do not, we will be bound to face eviction.
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12. What Are Some Qualities That You Bring For A Team?
Sample Answer: Sir, I am an exceptional communicator and have excellent drafting and noting skills. In addition to his, I am a veteran executive and working in this industry for the past 5 years. Being a perfect leader and an unmatched ability to take initiative, given a chance, I can prove to be an asset for this team.
13. How Can You Fit In An Existing Team, With Already Established Bonds Among Them?
Sample Answer: Sir, team members develop some strong professional relationships among them, and it is undoubtedly tough to break in or fit in the existing culture, which might differ from my expectations. However, I am pretty sure that owing to my superior flexibility and adaptability, I will be able to squeeze in, in a matter of few days and contribute positively.
14. What Is Your Understanding Of Teamwork?
Sample Answer: Sir, it is common for business organizations nowadays, to group people in accordance with their performance, educational qualifications, and the nature of the tasks to be performed. This promotes productivity and efficiency in operations, as all the team members are working towards achieving a common goal.
15. State Any Two Benefits Of Working In A Team.
Sample Answer: Sure sir, These are:
- Instant solving of work-related queries and issues.
- Good guidance and motivation, especially when an employee is feeling down or exhausted
“Failure” Related Interview Questions
Teamwork is not the key to success, and there will be situations when things would just not fall in line, and a team would be red-faced. It is not necessary to achieve success every time, and a team will surely face failure too, at some point in their career. However, it is necessary to handle that failure and let it not seep into the head. This is a series of questions based on team failures.
16. As A Team Member, How Would You Handle Project Failure?
Sample Answer: Sir, first of all, failures are completely negative and when you are obsessed with success, it even hurts more. As a team member, I would not let the failures have any sort of devastating impact on my mind. I will use the techniques of positive motivational talk and would repeat at the back of my mind, that a single instance can not define me.
17. Success and Failure Goes Into Head. How Can You Prevent It?
Sample Answer: Sir, we employees are normal humans and it is common for us to experience human emotions. However, we are professional too, and must not let any of the emotions affect our normal working and execution of tasks. I am a headstrong individual and by practicing constant meditation, I have achieved stability of mind. Further, If I ever feel this, I would just have a break or a long sleep, and the day I resume work again, I would not even think of it.
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18. Share A Story When While Working In A Team You Failed To Deliver A Good Perfomance.
Sample Answer: Sir, it was during my previous tenure, when I was working as a sales executive. Our team was given a target to identify 100 leads a day, which got distributed among us as 20 leads per team member. However, at the last moment, two of our team members got sick and the target was divided again to the members left. Finding 33 leads in a day was quite tough and I was not able to do so.
19. Personal Conflicts Lead To Team Failure. Share Your Opinion.
Sample Answer: Sir, while working in a team, the targets are assigned to the whole team and not any specific individual. Thus, in order to ensure success, it is necessary to maintain a sense of camaraderie and belongingness. If there are conflicts, the team would not be able to work together to achieve a common goal, and there will be an increased chance of failure.
“Feedback” Based Interview Questions
It is common for the team leaders to give feedback upon the performance of the teams and thus this is an important aspect too. The way team members handle feedbacks is critical in ensuring the success of the entire team. Thus, below is the series of some best feedback related interview questions:
20. Explain The Importance Of Team Feedbacks?
Sample Answer: Feedbacks are important while working in a team and forms the basis of constant improvement and realization of mistakes. Feedbacks help the members of a team to plug the loopholes and improvise them together.
21. As A Team Member, How Do You Handle Criticism ?
Sample Answer: Sir, first of all, I believe, feedbacks or criticisms are the only ways to move forward in one’s career, without which, one will simply be not able to learn from his or her mistakes. In order to handle criticism, I always identify my weaknesses in it, and if there is any personal element in it, I just ignore it.
References
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.655.x
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jep.13573
Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
I am a full-time professional blogger, a digital marketer, and a trainer. I love anything related to the Web, and I try to learn new technologies every day.
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