The workplace is getting more collaborative and focusing more on teamwork rather than individual duties. When you bring in a new hire, it’s important make sure they are a team player. Take the time to update your recruitment strategies to make sure you bring in the right people who can contribute to the team.
6 Essential Teamwork Traits to Look For
When you are hiring a new candidate, look for someone who is:
Dependable
While hiring a team player, look for someone dependable and accountable. The new hire must adhere to deadlines without making any excuses. Ask questions that will help you gauge if you can count on them or not. For instance, ask how their colleagues can rely on them and what do their peers reach out to them for.
Use behavioral-based interview questions. Look for answers that indicate they have taken the lead in the past and take their responsibilities seriously.
Can Adapt Easily
Some business situations and decisions may affect the workforce. For example, when a manager suddenly leaves or departments get reorganized.
You need to find employees who can quickly adapt to the changes without it affecting their work. If the candidates cannot deal with change, then they might not be the best fit for the team. Ask them if they faced any major change in their previous job and how they adapted to it.
Shares Knowledge
A good team player in the workplace is the one who shares his skills and knowledge with everyone. Instead of having a ‘to each his own’ attitude, a good hire will cultivate an environment of sharing to make the team stronger. They don’t guard their experience or be super competitive.
Tackles Challenges with Enthusiasm
Look for someone who embraces challenges and goes beyond their role and responsibilities to get the job done. Ask them for instances when they started a project on their own or put in extra hours to finish an important task.
The candidate must be willing to contribute to the team. Look for traits that separate them as go-getters from those who just follow the lead.
Creative Problem Solver
Don’t just hire people who are hard workers, but also look for candidates who are creative and innovative. When you interview potential candidates, try to spot those who will lend a helping hand in improving the organizational processes. Such candidates can help their team and the organization as a whole.
Look for candidates who are solution-oriented. Ask them to talk about examples where they tackled a challenge by identifying it and putting innovative solutions in place.
Motivates Others
It is important to hire someone who isn’t just motivated but also motivates others to do their best job. They are the ones who can keep the morale of the team up and celebrate small victories instead of just the big ones.
Such candidates are naturally more outgoing, inspiring, and upbeat. They can boost the performance of the entire team by just being a cheerleader.
4 Interview Red Flags to Watch For
Look out for the following red flags during the interview.
Generic Answers
Almost every candidate will claim to be a team player, but they should be able to back that statement with examples. If they give well-rehearsed, generic answers, make sure you ask for examples that can support their claims.
Arrogance
Does the candidate seem bossy or arrogant? Employees who think they know it all will be a bad fit. They resist other people’s opinions and have an issue with taking constructive criticism.
Blames Others
Someone who badmouths their peers or employees or puts the blame on them is not an ideal team player.
Such employees can never collaborate or respect other people’s work. Bringing in such candidates will affect the whole team.
Likes Working Solo
A good team player will not put personal achievements and victories above others. If they use a lot of ‘I’ or ‘me’ in their answers, it means they don’t generally work well in a team. It is acceptable to work independently, but if your work requires everyone to work in a group setting, such candidates won’t be a good fit.
When you bring in the right candidate, you can effectively enhance the performance of the team. It will improve the overall performance of the organization and help recruit a diversified workforce as well. Look for a team player as it will make a huge difference.
Guest Author Kelly Barcelos is a progressive digital marketing manager for Jobsoid – Applicant Tracking System. She is responsible for leading the content and social media teams at work. Her expertise and experience in the field of HR enable her to create value-driven content for her readers – both on Jobsoid’s blog and other guest blogs where she publishes content regularly.
