Top 10 Teamwork Skills Employers Seek in Candidates

Teamwork skills are critical in the workplace, regardless of profession or industry. Knowing how to be a team player and work as part of a group with shared goals is crucial for nearly all jobs. But unfortunately, this essential skill is often taken for granted, and entire teams suffer because of it.

Effective teamwork doesn’t develop overnight, as it’s the result of using a combination of team-building soft skills, collaboration skills, interpersonal skills, careful leadership of team leaders, and positive attitudes of great team players.

This article will cover the top teamwork skills for the workplace, why they are so important, and how to best highlight them on your CV. In addition, our practical guidelines will help you develop strong teamwork skills to improve yourself in team dynamics and group work.

Recruiters seek candidates with strong teamwork and people skills because they effectively demonstrate strong leadership, good collaboration, and good communication, all of which are essential in the workplace because they foster a positive and productive work environment that cultivates a team mentality.

When properly utilised, good teamwork skills bring people together to work towards a common goal, building rapport among team members and making them feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. When team members work hand in hand toward a common goal, this leads to greater job satisfaction and self-awareness.

Regardless of your profession, you need to be a good team player and showcase your teamwork skills to recruiters and future employers. Below is a list of the top ten teamwork skills that employers seek in candidates, regardless of their profession:

1. Effective communication

In order to be a good team member, you need to possess good communication skills so you can clearly communicate your message and ideas with team members. You need to be able to effectively convey your message across various media, such as via email, phone or in person. This also includes excellent presentation skills when sharing ideas to the group to make an effective group decision. Additionally, you need to be attentive to nonverbal cues from team members to collaborate with others effectively. Written, verbal and non-verbal communication are all examples of skills that contribute to teamwork in a group setting.

2. Conflict management

Resolving conflicts between team members is another critical teamwork skill that relies on providing constructive feedback and negotiation to resolve differences in a positive manner. This skill also includes the ability to keep team members happy and accept group decisions when disputes are settled.

3. Active listening

To be a good team player, you need to listen to and understand others’ concerns, ideas, and points of view.

4. Reliability

Demonstrating to other team members that they can count on you to get time-sensitive tasks completed, stick to deadlines and complete your tasks successfully helps you gain the trust of your colleagues.

5. Respectfulness

Being respectful and polite to your team members is crucial if you want to gain their trust and make them feel like they can openly communicate their ideas or concerns with you. Maintaining a professional and helpful demeanor, maintaining eye contact, and actively listening while communicating are all ways to help make team members feel respected.

6. Accountability

Effective project management involves the distribution of tasks to different team members, and each member being relied upon to complete their task successfully.

7. Decision-making

Good decision-making skills can make a huge impact on a team, since the ability to come to the right conclusions and carry out the best solution to a problem that benefits all. Teams don’t always come to a unanimous decision about what the best solution to a problem is, which can be problematic. That’s why it’s important to know when it’s best to stick to your own decision-making process or when it’s best to follow the group’s decision.

8. Organisation

Organisational skills are a crucial aspect of teamwork skills because they ensure that tasks are efficiently carried out. Keeping the workplace as well as projects and tasks orderly allows teams to utilize resources to get projects done on schedule.

9. Time management

Effective time management allows teams to work smarter and more efficiently, ensuring tasks are completed on schedule. Time management involves the utilization of strategies that help manage tasks and available time, allowing teams to prioritize tasks by importance and avoid distractions.

10. Supportiveness

Being supportive of others is essential for effective teamwork. Team members need to show support for one another and view each other as collaborators instead of competitors.

The goal of your CV is to showcase all of your skills relevant to the job you’re applying for, which includes teamwork skills. Follow these five steps effectively highlight your teamwork skills on your CV:

1. Include some of the teamwork skills in the above list in your summary (e.g., “Reliable customer service representative with solid active listening skills”). This allows hiring managers to notice you’re a team player immediately.
2. Elaborate on specific roles within a team when describing prior work experience.
3. Use specific examples of accomplishments you’ve achieved as a team member when describing your previous job duties, including how you contributed to a team dynamic or helped a team succeed.
4. Mention your teamwork skills in your skills section.
5. Incorporate team player phrases throughout your CV, such as “leader who embraces teamwork.”