“We” vs. “I”: Team orientation and your interview

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

Do you consider yourself a team player?  Or an individual contributor?

How about both?

Employers recognize that certain job roles attract the lone wolf, but they’re still looking for someone who can strike a balance between making things happen all alone and leveraging or, at minimum, respecting the contributions of the team.  One way that an interviewer can start to evaluate where you fall on the team orientation spectrum is how often you say “I” vs. “we.”

So, here are some  thoughts on how to strike an appropriate balance:

• Recognize impact on others. If you’re answering a behavioral interview question, for example, talk about the challenge faced by the organization rather than your personal goal.
• Mention others’ contributions. If you partnered with IT or sales in order to deliver a successful solution, talk about how that partnership worked and what you did to make it successful.
• Don’t forget your subordinates and supervisor. If you delegated authority, that may be appropriate to mention.  If your supervisor shared responsibility with you, that may also be noteworthy.
• For all this “we,” don’t forget “I.” Even though a few well-placed mentions of successful relationships within your last organization can go a long way to demonstrate the value you bring, avoid using “we” all the time.  If you don’t articulate your specific contribution, the interviewer will be left wondering if you made one.

A quick example of how to apply this method:

When I was hired, my previous company was experiencing an issue with timely shipping of product from one specific production group.  I was tasked with coaching the management of that group to identify the problem and correct it.  I started by walking the floor  regularly in that area and making note of factors that could impact the problem, before making time to speak with the area manager directly.  Some of my observations she wasn’t aware of, and she had some great insight on the issue as well.  Between the two of us, we identified some steps that would move the group in the right direction.  I scheduled weekly updates to discuss, and we saw improvement in the problem within a month, which reduced production delays to nearly zero.

This is a basic example that demonstrates both that the candidate took a leadership role and accountability, and that he was able to work successfully with a subordinate to leverage her talents and perspective to solve the problem.  An employer hearing this response may have further questions, but they’re not likely to be left asking, “So what exactly did he do anyways?”

Related posts:

1. Interview Question of the Week: Tell me about your last supervisor.
2. Top 10 Interview Questions You’ve Gotta Be Ready For
3. Interview Question of the Week: What would your last supervisor say about you?
4. Interview Question of the Week: Would your supervisor be surprised to learn that you are seeking new employment?
5. Interview Question of the Week: The Curveball

Tagged as: behavioral interviewing, Career, interview, interview prep, job change, job hunt, job search, preparation