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How to Answer Teamwork Questions for Client Facing Interviews

Posted On: October 11, 2015

Many interviewers will ask questions related to how well you work as part of a team. Sometimes this can be a trick question. Do study the position you are applying for in advance. Does the position require you to work on a team, be an individual contributor or both?

 

Let’s look at some strategies in how to answer teamwork questions for client-facing interviews

If it requires working on a team, the following aspects of your answer could be weighed as important:

• How do you keep others on your immediate team updated?
• How do you manage working with a diverse set of individuals (temperments, work styles, strengths, challenges, etc.)?
• Do you tend to volunteer yourself or nominate others when extra tasks are assigned?
• How do you take initiative and/or speak up in a team environment?

 

If the position is for individual contributors:

• How comfortable are you reporting directly to the client onshore?
• What is your experience being client-facing?
• How often would you keep the onshore team updated?

 

 

If the position requires both teamwork and individual contributions:

• How do you balance being a team player with getting your own work done in a timely way?
• Do you step in and help your colleagues when required? (Share an example.)
• What are the differences between being a part of a team as compared to being an individual contributor?

 

For any type of position:

• Employers want to be confident that you can work successfully in either teams or by yourself.
• Employers, especially Western clients who are interviewing for outsourced and offshored positions, want to know you can work with minimal supervision, take initiative and report updates, problems and other news in a timely way.
• Factor in how time differences play an role in communicating information in a timely way, especially over time zones.

 

Consider studying the job description and understanding it’s reporting structure to create your ideal answer to this question.

Below are a few video tutorials on how to answer teamwork questions during an interview.

• Do you prefer to work by yourself or with others?  
• What is your ability to work alone, with others, in a team environment with or without supervision? 

Jennifer Kumar builds the skills of your India-based teams to interview confidently and more effectively with offshore clients. Contact her today for your training needs.  

Related Posts:
How to talk about strengths and weaknesses in an interview   
Tips on answering “Tell me about yourself” 

 

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