Best Skills for Being a Team Player at Work with Examples

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Teamwork is necessary for any department or business to succeed in their goals. People who are looking for a job that involves working with others should highlight their teamwork skills on their resume and through their actions. This article explores the qualities of a team player and shares examples of team players in the workplace.

What is a team player?

In the workplace, team players are people who work well with others to complete projects and goals. Team players are necessary to ensure that work gets accomplished on time and that every person who worked on a project contributes. Some people who work well independently may not excel as part of a team, so certain positions may be better suited to team players than others.

Why employers want to hire team players

Employers want to hire team players because they can help an organization succeed and support the workplace culture. Many positions require people to not only work well with others but to also encourage harmony in the office and help mediate any conflict. Team players have strong collaboration and communication skills that can benefit a company in multiple ways while still supporting their individual career goals.

When applying for a job, you will have multiple opportunities to display your teamwork skills in your resume or cover letter. You can reference job duties that demonstrate teamwork in the experience section of your resume. Additionally, you can include a skills section in your resume where you can list various qualities that are related to being a team player. 

Best skills of a team player to list on a resume

You can list the following skills on a resume to show that you are a team player:

Collaboration

Collaboration is the ability to work with others to create a project or solve a problem. Collaboration requires people to have a shared goal that they can use to motivate their teamwork. Whether you are collaborating with one other person or with a large team of people, you can be a team player by being open to the ideas of others and combining them with yours.

Example of collaboration in the workplace: ‘While working as an administrative assistant, I collaborated with every department in order to release a weekly event schedule that everyone could easily understand. I also worked with an events coordinator to develop a system for sharing updates to the company calendar with the entire staff.’

Commitment

Showing commitment to your team is an important part of being a team player. Team players are not discouraged by obstacles and instead commit to solving any problems they encounter. They should have a genuine interest in their team members’ motivations and goals and regularly ask how they can support others.

Example of commitment in the workplace: ‘When working as part of a team of interns at a museum, my commitment grew by getting to know the goals and values of my coworkers. Our shared interests and passions helped me stay invested in each project that we completed together.’

Accountability

Accountability refers to a person’s willingness to be responsible for their actions. In order to be a team player, you must be willing to take accountability for your mistakes. Being accountable can help build trust with your coworkers and earn their respect. Acknowledging your shortcomings can be an opening for growth and valuable feedback from your team.

Example of accountability in the workplace: ‘While working as a lab assistant, I had to take risks when developing research questions and planning experiments. Although some of my ideas failed, I always asked my team for feedback and implemented their advice when working on other projects.’

Optimism

A positive, optimistic attitude can help encourage others and keep a team focused on achieving their goals. Employers value optimism in employees because it helps create a positive company culture. Optimism can also motivate a team to work past issues and focus on their successes.

Example of optimism in the workplace: ‘As an admissions counselor, I kept a positive attitude when working with both prospective students and my fellow counselors. In order to help motivate my coworkers, I regularly praised them at company meetings for their successes and work ethic.’

Flexibility

Team players must be flexible in order to accommodate the needs and schedules of their coworkers. Flexibility is an important quality because it allows different people working on a project to communicate regularly and share responsibilities.

Example of flexibility in the workplace: ‘As a retail manager, I regularly showed flexibility through my willingness to cover shifts for my coworkers whenever needed in order to keep operations running successfully. I was always prepared to alter my management strategy in order to best support my team.’

Goal-setting

The ability to set goals is key for a team player because it shows both leadership skills and an understanding of the team’s needs. Setting realistic goals that you can record and evaluate will create a productive environment and a shared motivation among coworkers.

Example of goal-setting in the workplace: ‘While working as a project manager, I regularly consulted my team on what they valued most in order to set the most productive goals. I always broke large goals down into smaller benchmarks so that we could evaluate our success and priorities.’

Active listening

Listening to others can be the foundation of becoming a team player. Active listening involves concentrating on what someone is saying and confirming that you understand them correctly. People who have strong active listening skills can encourage communication within their team and build strong relationships with their coworkers.

Example of active listening in the workplace: ‘As a nursing assistant, I developed my active listening skills in order to help patients communicate with their care team. By listening carefully to my coworkers and to our patients, I was able to provide a high quality of care and streamline communication for my team.’