How Should you Show That you Have Teamwork Skills on Your Resume?

What are teamwork skills?

The famous Napoleon Hill says: "It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed”. In essence, this is why working in a team is so important not just in the business world, but basically in our everyday environments.

People who possess teamwork skills are capable of communicating and collaborating with peers with ease, they can create a sense of unity among a group of people, and even motivate them to pursue common goals.

Therefore, teamwork skills are the qualities and abilities that one needs to effectively interact with others. This can be as part of a group that is working to solve a common problem or achieve a mutual objective. Simple as that.

Why are teamwork skills important on your resume?

Business projects get more and more complicated by the day, and we have all felt that. No longer can we fool ourselves that any task can be a “one-man-show”.

Here comes the importance of teams - the unit that can turn any intimidating task into a successfully realized project.

Teamwork leads to progress, brings more motivation and accountability, as well as a sense of group cohesion. Not to mention the more measurable benefits related to increased efficiency and quality.

No matter how big or small a company is, the management would prefer employees to be resourceful and self-sustainable.

In this way, the CMO would mind his/her own strategy-related tasks without having to interfere with the work of the team of Social Media Specialists.

Just imagine the wonders that can happen if every member of a product management team possess teamwork skills. Effective communication would flow naturally and innovation will flourish as colleagues engage in knowledge-sharing.

You get the picture. Does this sound like you? If you wonder how exactly you can demonstrate these skills in your resume, read on further.

What skills, activities, and accomplishments help you highlight your teamwork skills?

Adding buzzwords to your resume such as “a strong team player” or “teamwork advocate” can be of small use. But it won’t really convince your future employer that you don’t even have to go to a group interview.

So how can you convey such self-explanatory teamwork abilities? Break them down into small chunks of soft and people skills that are needed for any kind of effective collaboration. Here are a few of the main such skills:

• Reliability & Conflict management: gaining the trust and the respect of your fellow team members is a core prerequisite for building good relations. To do that you need to show that you have their back and can be relied on. This might also help you resolve and prevent conflicts from arising.
• Feedback skills & Decision-making : productivity requires many brainstorming sessions and fast decisions. To be a meaningful part of a group and have your voice heard, you need to give and receive feedback in the right manner. This leads to overall better decision-making for the whole group.
• Planning and Flexibility: organizing a workflow to suit the needs of a whole group is so much more difficult than doing task management for yourself only. That is why teamwork requires that everyone stays well-organized but also prepared for last-minute change of plans.

Being a teamplayer, does not mean that you are not capable of working fine independently. It just means that when you gather with other people with teamwork skills, you can make 1+1=3.

That is what you can focus on in the examples in each section of your resume. As we outlined above, the value added and the associated increased business output is the most enticing element for employers.

By this time, you should already have a basic idea about how to build your resume in a way that it shows your teamwork skills. If you need an additional boost of inspiration, take a look at these short resume examples of Enhancv users.

Example 1: Demonstrate teamwork skills in the experience section

Job situation: Junior Business Analyst applies for the position of a Junior Project Manager

Emphasize the importance that your team work had on your daily work. Talk about what you have been able to achieve as part of a team. Also don’t miss to mention that you are social and like to build strong relationships with your teammates.

In this example, the candidate has highlighted that he has worked individually to figure out how his/her team can improve its strategy. This communicates better than anything that you can make 1+1=3.

In addition, demonstrating that you are able to work in multiple teams and fit into any group is a bonus. You can do that by giving an example of a time when you have participated in interns onboarding week.

Example 2: Demonstrate teamwork skills in the resume summary section

Job situation: Business Development Representative applies for the position of Account Manager

It would really make the difference if you are able to highlight that your teamwork skills have been recognized by your colleagues and managers.

In this resume example, the candidate shows that he/she has been promoted to take charge of the whole team.

Example 3: Show your teamwork skills in your achievements sections

Job situation - HR Specialist applies for the position of HR Manager

In the achievements sections, you should aim to create a narrative and complement the impression that you have built up to this point.

Here, you can highlight both the achievements that you have made together with your team as well as your personal achievements.Just make sure you stay focused on highlighting your soft social skills.

Example 4: Demonstrate the skill through other sections of your resume

Don’t be shy to speak about any sports club, chess group, or volunteering initiative that you have been a member of. It will be of your best advantage if you are also able to show off with some form of recognition that you have gained as part of these clubs.

Also, mention your interest, your free time activities and hobbies. If you are kind of a person who likes to just be around people, this will help you communicate your social nature.

And last but not least, what a better way to communicate your teamwork skills than having someone else praise you for them? Include some references by your former colleagues or employers at the end.

Teamwork skills: key takeaways for your resume

• Show your genuine team-oriented personality: through examples illustrate that you actually enjoy working with others and this is part of your personality. From the perspective of your employer this would mean that you will do great in any team.
• Present yourself as a team player who can also work independently: even though you are trying to communicate that you have exceptional teamwork skills, avoid making the impression that you can’t work independently.