How to Show Teamwork Skills on Your Resume

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Teamwork is a vital skill that employers consistently seek in candidates. Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” emphasizing the power of collaboration. In many job settings, you’re expected to communicate, support, and empathize with your co-workers. 

In fact, teamwork often ranks high on lists of top skills employers desire. Recognizing this, companies are increasingly adopting group interviews to gauge a candidate’s collaborative abilities. 

But before you even step into an interview, it’s crucial to highlight your teamwork skills on your resume. This post will guide you on how to effectively list and exemplify your teamwork skills. 

We’ll provide resume examples to demonstrate how you can showcase these skills in the different resume sections. Dive in to learn how to make your resume stand out with teamwork skills and leverage our free online resume builder and skills generator for the best results.

What are Teamwork Skills?

So, if you list “Teamwork Skills” on your resume you’re all set, right?

Well, it’s not that simple. Teamwork skills are essentially a collection of individual skills that, taken together, reflect your ability to work well with others.

Can you easily resolve conflict? Are you friendly and easy to get along with? Do you have the ability to clearly and effectively convey your ideas orally and through the written word? Are you respectful and reliable? Have you solved problems in your past positions?

All of these would be indicative of good teamwork skills in the workplace.

Essential Teamwork Skills in the Workplace

While many skills come together to form one’s ability to work in teams, there are a few that stand out as absolutely essential.

Some of the most important skills for teamwork include:

• Communication: you must be able to converse with others, both orally and via email, text, and other written communication forms.

• Collaboration: while you might think this one is a given, it’s imperative that you can truly demonstrate collaborative skills to be a top team player. This means sharing ideas, understanding others’ perspectives, possessing a willingness to accept others’ contributions, and even choosing other ideas over your own.

• Listening: it’s not simply acknowledging what someone else is saying. Strong listening skills allow you to not only hear but see and consider other sides of an issue.

• Time management: for effective time management skills, you must not only have strong organizational skills but the ability to multitask, delegate work, prioritize, plan, and set goals not only for yourself but for others.  

• Problem solving: it often takes different perspectives to arrive at a solution, so true problem-solving skills involve using those around you to closely look at an issue and arrive at the best possible answer.

Our resume templates and online resume builder can show you how to best incorporate your skills for teamwork on your resume!

Examples of How to Include Teamwork Skills on Your Resume

Some good teamwork skills examples that you might list on your resume include:

Each of these skills reflects your ability and even expertise in working in teams. For example, if you list “listening” among your skills, you are telling potential employers that you are open-minded, attentive, and patient.

Decision-making? This skill can identify you as one who works with others to achieve a common goal. Organizational and planning skills are often displayed by those who employ the use of time management, delegation, and task organization.

Project management is a set of skills that would support your ability to build and work with teams. Planning, scheduling, cost evaluation, work delegation, reporting, and implementation are all aspects of project management that require you to work with others.

Take a look at the following examples of how to include teamwork skills in different parts of your resume:

The above candidate effectively highlights their capacity for leadership and their adaptability to the complexities of team collaboration in remote settings.

In this example, the candidate outlines teamwork skills that resulted in financial success for their employer, as well as their ability to lead.

Teamwork skills are not just gained through workplace experience.  This resume sample shows how the candidate used their academic experiences to showcase their collaborative skills and proficiency with teamwork tools.

How to Improve Teamwork Skills

Since teamwork skills are imperative in nearly all workplaces, you will need to strengthen these if you wish to stand out among the other job candidates.

While you might find college or career development classes to help improve teamwork skills, there are other ways you can improve in this area. For example:

1. Embrace Digital Collaboration Tools

Mastering online tools is indispensable for effective teamwork in many work environments these days. Familiarize yourself with platforms like:

• Slack: An instant messaging tool that facilitates quick communication among team members.
• Jira: A project management tool often used in software development for tracking bugs, tasks, and stories.
• Project Management Systems: Tools like Trello, Asana, or Monday.com help in organizing tasks, setting deadlines, and monitoring project progress.

Regularly using these platforms for discussions, meetings, or even casual chats with colleagues can significantly enhance your collaborative abilities.

2. Volunteer

Research has shown that volunteering can help professionals not only advance in their careers but also develop skills that many companies look for in candidates. Among teamwork skills listed as those that one can build through volunteering are: problem-solving, communication, planning, organization, and task management.

Volunteering will provide you with the opportunity to work with others in perhaps a less stressful environment, so you’ll be able to build the teamwork skills that will carry over into your professional life.

3. Manage Your Time

In a group setting, individuals might rely on each other to accomplish a given task within a specific time. Thus, time management skills are crucial to effective teamwork. You can strengthen this skill by setting and reaching personal goals and deadlines. Through this, you can develop accountability, reliability, and organizational skills.

4. Strengthen Your Communication and Listening Skills

With communication being one of the keys to teamwork, it would be helpful to ensure that your spoken and written communication skills are top-notch.

• Take a public speaking course.
• Rely on words rather than visual aids during presentations.
• Encourage a question-and-answer session whenever you speak before an audience.

To improve your active listening skills, practice making eye contact, not interrupting a speaker, and providing feedback. Body language plays a key role, so do not look overly relaxed, distracted, or disengaged. Encourage the speaker to continue with small nods or comments, such as “yes”, to remain engaged and to get further details about the topic being discussed.

5. Learn How to Collaborate Well When Working Remotely

The shift to remote work has redefined the dynamics of teamwork. Collaborating from home presents unique challenges but also offers opportunities to hone and develop new teamwork skills.

• Regular check-ins: Schedule daily or weekly virtual check-ins with your team. Tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams can facilitate these meetings. Regular interactions maintain team cohesion and ensure everyone is aligned with project goals.
• Stay updated: In a remote environment, it’s easy to miss out on updates or changes. Make it a habit to regularly check team channels, emails, or any other communication platforms your team uses.
• Cultivate empathy: Working from home can be isolating. It’s essential to understand and respect the challenges your team members might be facing. Regularly reaching out, even for non-work-related chats, can foster a sense of camaraderie and mutual support.

Key Takeaways

Teamwork is a cornerstone of professional success, highly valued by employers across industries. Implement these takeaways and be better equipped to showcase your teamwork skills to potential employers and thrive in collaborative environments:

• Teamwork is essential: Employers consistently prioritize teamwork skills when evaluating job candidates. Being able to work collaboratively with others is a sought-after trait in the modern workplace.
• Highlight teamwork on your resume: Before attending an interview, it’s crucial to emphasize your teamwork skills on your resume. 
• Digital collaboration is key: In the age of remote work, being proficient with online collaboration tools like Slack, Jira, and project management systems is indispensable. These tools facilitate seamless communication and collaboration, especially in remote settings.
• Continuous improvement: Beyond formal education, there are various ways to enhance your teamwork skills, including managing your time effectively, strengthening communication, and actively listening.
• Remote work dynamics: The rise of work-from-home setups has introduced new challenges and opportunities in teamwork. Regular virtual check-ins, staying updated, and cultivating empathy are essential practices for effective remote collaboration.

With our free resume builder, you can see where to list your teamwork skills on a resume, and much more.

Our resources not only show you how to write a resume, but you also have access to a variety of resume examples that can inspire you when writing yours.

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