How To Answer “Do You Work Well With Others?”

No matter what job you have, you’re going to have to work as a part of a team at some point. Hiring managers want to make sure you’re going to be able to work with others well, so they’ll likely ask you a question to this effect in your interview.

In this article, you’ll find tips on how to answer this question effectively.

Key Takeaways

• Give an example of a time you worked well in a group as a part of your answer.

• Make sure you don’t speak poorly of others when you share anecdotes in your answer.

• Highlight specific skills that show that you’re a good team player.

• Tell the truth about your abilities — don’t downplay or exaggerate, as both will cause more problems for you than they’ll solve.

What Interviewers Are Looking for When They Ask, “Do You Work Well with Others?”

Often interviewers use this question as a way to open a discussion about your people skills, communication style, and conflict resolution abilities.

They’ll likely follow this question with more in-depth follow-up questions, but they ask this one because they want to hear examples of how you’ve used these skills in the workplace to get a general idea of whether you’ll be enjoyable to work with or not.

So, keep this in mind when you answer, and before your interview, think of some examples you can share of how you’ve worked well with others in the past.

How to Answer Questions About Working with Others

Even if your job doesn’t require a lot of communication, it’s still important to be able to engage with your coworkers in a friendly and professional manner. Employers don’t want to hire people who are hard to get along with. Unless you happen to be a Wrestlemania champion, no one likes conflict in the workplace.

• What do you do that shows you’re a good people person? The interviewer wants to know what people skills you have and how you’ve used them in the past.

  Think about what you’ve done to contribute to a team. Mention the skills, abilities, and personality traits you possess that make you a good team player.

• Make a list. Write down a list of soft skills you have experience with, and how you’ve used these skills in the past.

  Can you motivate people to improve their work performance? Are you able to mediate conflicts between coworkers or clients?

  Can you lead group discussions in a way that makes everyone feel involved?

• Tell the interviewer a story. Give an example of an experience that shows off your ability to work in a team.

  Mention other skills that will show that the interviewer that you’re qualified and make sure that your story is relevant to the job you’re applying for.

• Show off your credentials.When you tell the interviewer a story that shows off how well you work with others, try to include details that show off your specific credentials for the position.

  Maybe your academic experiences were helpful in leading a team for a project in which you had expertise, or maybe you have certifications or work experience that were helpful in dealing with customer service.

  Your goal when you answer this question is to help the interviewer see your value as an employee.

This isn’t a trick question, so there’s no need to sweat it, just be honest and give real examples.

Even if you have solid qualifications, employers could still screen you out for lacking people skills.

Sample Answers About Working Well With Others

The key to answering these kinds of questions successfully is to tell the interview a short story of a time when you used the skills they’re looking for.

Be prepared to give detailed examples of how you’ve used your skills working with a team to complete a project. And, as always — remember to stay on topic.

A Bad Answer

There are a lot of things that are wrong with this response. First of all, this answer has nothing to do with the job this person is interviewing for.

Even though they did demonstrate how they were a team player, their example has nothing to do with job-related strengths. But they did get one thing right — teamwork does, in fact, make the dream work.

A Good Answer

This is a good answer because this person has provided a detailed story about how they’ve previously worked with others in a professional environment, while also describing how they were able to use their strengths to improve productivity as a team.

We can clearly understand that the dream was definitely working for this team.

Mistakes to Avoid When Answering

Employers want to hire people who are friendly and can maintain a professional attitude in any type of social situation, but there are several ways your answer could go wrong.

Here are some steps you can take to avoid looking stupid:

• Don’t say things that could come off as judgemental or critical. You can easily avoid this by staying away from using negative words, like “lazy” or “difficult” to describe people.

  Instead, use words that describe the tone of the situation, like “challenge” or “problem” when describing a troublesome situation at work.

• Don’t say you avoid conflict. Saying you avoid conflict will make the interviewer think that you can’t function in negative situations. If you’ve dealt with conflicts while working with other people, it’s okay to let the interviewer know.

  Tell your story in a positive way that shows that you’re a team player and like working with other people. Make sure the story has a happy ending and that both sides came out on top.

• Try not to exaggerate. Even though being a team player is great, be careful not to exaggerate your abilities to work in a group.

  You don’t want your interviewer to think that you depend on working with others to get a project done.

  The ideal employee is flexible and adaptable — try to show the interviewer that you’re comfortable working both individually and in a group.

FAQs

1. How do you say you work well with others?

   You say you work well with others by giving an example of how you’ve done this in the past. When you’re explaining this in a job interview, you should find a work-related example to give, whether that’s something as complicated as a product launch or as simple as a group project in college.

   Talk about the challenge you faced and how you put your communication, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills to work to help solve it. If you have it, give examples of feedback you’ve received on your ability to be a team player in the past as well.

2. How do you say you work well in a team and alone?

   You can say you work well in a team and alone by explaining the benefits of each. For example, you may say that you enjoy working with others because you’ve found that creativity flows best with multiple people bouncing ideas off of each other, but that you also like having time alone to crank through your individual tasks.

   Giving examples of times you’ve succeeded in both settings is also a good way to communicate that you work well both on a team and alone.

3. How do you demonstrate teamwork in an interview?

   You demonstrate teamwork in an interview by giving an example of a time you’ve exhibited good teamwork. Don’t just say something like, “One time I was on a team and we got our project done on time,” though. Give examples of how you actively contributed to the team.

   For example, you could say something like, “One of my coworkers was in charge of covering the office phone, which made it difficult for him to take breaks to use the restroom or eat a snack. I offered to cover the phone for him for a few minutes every hour so that he could stretch his legs, which he gladly took me up on.

Final Thoughts

End your answer on an enthusiastic note. You want them to see that you’re someone who gets along well with others and that you won’t cause conflict within their team. If the interviewer sees you as friendly and approachable, it will help them better understand that you work well alongside your coworkers.

Your answer to this question helps employers determine how you’ll fit into their company culture. Remember to use positive examples with details that showcase your other job-related skills.

Now that you’re ready, get out there and find your new team and show your interviewers you could be their next MVP — Most likely to work Very well with other People!

Author

Maddie Lloyd

Maddie Lloyd was a writer for the Zippia Advice blog focused on researching tips for interview, resume, and cover letter preparation. She's currently a graduate student at North Carolina State University's department of English concentrating in Film and Media Studies.