How will you assess whether you're interviewing the right team player or not? If you’re hiring for a position requiring teamwork, it’s crucial to ask interview questions to assess/test teamwork in an interview.

Assessing teamwork skills will help you gain insights into a candidate’s personality, experience, priorities, and interests. Working with a team is essential in every job position, from entry-level to senior level. Teamwork can help a business to achieve its desired business goals and outrank the competitors.

You should hire a candidate who is a team player and can help create a positive work environment. A candidate can be good at technical skills, but they can easily turn into a bad hire if they lack soft skills. One bad hire can affect the business’s overall productivity and can even cost a lot.

Asking interview questions to assess/test teamwork in an interview will help you understand the candidate’s working style, preferred workspace, and other priorities.

Assessing teamwork skills will give you a clear insight into how a candidate:

• Address and resolve issues
• Motivate employees to excel in their job role
• Accept feedback
• Understands each employee’s unique strengths

Depending on the job role you’re hiring for, interview questions may vary. If you’re hiring for an entry-level role, you must focus on the communication and writing skills of a candidate. On the other hand, if you’re hiring for senior-level candidates, you must consider conflict-management, time-management, and problem-solving skills.

With that in mind, let’s discuss the top interview questions to assess teamwork in an interview.

Do You Prefer To Work Independently Or In Collaboration?

This should be your first question to ask a candidate to get a real sense of the candidate’s working style and preferences. If a candidate chooses to work independently, the candidate is not fit for the position you’re hiring for. They may be the right fit for any other vacant position which requires a candidate to work independently.

Why Are You The Right Fit For This Job Role?

This question allows a candidate to describe their skills and ability and how they are different from others. Also, you will get a real sense of what a candidate can bring into the organization.

You can expect a candidate to share their previous experience about how they helped the organization to achieve its desired business goals.

How Do You Motivate Your Team Members?

Teamwork means collaboration, but it also requires leadership skills. The way a candidate answers this question will demonstrate whether the candidate possesses the leadership skills that you’re looking for.

Suppose a candidate has experience in leading a team. In that case, you expect them to share a situation where they have helped a team member improve their performance by providing feedback, resources, training, etc.

How Do You Handle Conflicts At The Workspace?

This is one of the essential interview questions to assess/test teamwork in an interview. It will also help you gain a deep insight into the candidate’s behavioral skills.

You can expect a candidate to briefly describe the conflict, their role in the situation, how they approached the problem and took action, and the outcome. This is the best way to observe a candidate’s problem-solving, decision-making, conflict management, and communication skills.

How Would You Make Sure A Remote Team Communicates Well?

Today, most companies are hiring internationally or remotely. If you’re looking for a remote employee, you must ask how they will communicate with the team members effectively.

You can expect a candidate to share the details of the tools such as Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, etc., to conduct team meetings to encourage collaboration.

Describe A Team Project That Failed.

You want someone who can learn from their mistakes and produce positive outcomes. This question allows candidates to share their stories about a failed project and what they learn from it. This question will give you a clear idea of the candidate’s problem-solving and decision-making skills, and the candidate must ensure the success of their team and the organization.

According To You, What Makes A Team Successful?

This question will give you deep insight into whether the candidate is the right fit for your work culture. A candidate should be positive when talking about their previous organization and co-workers.

So, now you have a glimpse of interview questions to assess/test teamwork in an interview, let’s get down to the teamwork skills to look for in a candidate:

Communication Skills

Communication skills are essential to look for in a candidate, no matter the position you’re hiring for. A candidate must have the ability to communicate the strategies or ideas which others can truly understand. A great communicator nurtures a culture of openness and mutual trust.

Conflict Management

Conflicts occur in every organization. A candidate with the right conflict-resolution skills can easily adapt to new changes and know how to resolve issues at the workplace.

Problem-Solving Skills

The idea behind hiring a team player is to solve a problem and create a positive work environment. That’s why problem-solving skills are crucial for every employee. A candidate must have the ability to use creative and cost-effective ways to resolve a problem.

Listening Skills

A candidate may be a good communicator, but they are not the right fit for any organization if they lack listening skills. A candidate must have the ability to listen to their team members carefully and give them the best advice so that they can put their best foot forward and excel in their particular job role.

Decision-Making Skills

An ideal team player can address the issues from all angles, put their ego aside, and work towards a common goal.

When interviewing candidates, it’s imperative to delve into their experience to get a deep insight into their personality, experience, skills, and qualifications.

Also, the above-mentioned interview questions to assess/test teamwork in an interview will help you hire the right team player for your organization to boost the business’s overall productivity and create a positive work culture.