Prove you’re the right fit for the team
When hiring managers are looking for the next new member of their team, they’re not just looking for someone who can carry out the day-to-day tasks associated with the role. No, they’re also looking for someone who will fit well into their team and contribute as a valued part of that unit.
With that in mind, it will help your job search efforts if you can show on your resume that you know how to be a good team player. In this post, we’ll identify the top 8 teamwork skills to put on your resume and look at how and where to include them. We’ve got some examples, too, so you can understand the best way to show off this important skill.
The essential skills for teamwork on your resume
Adding teamwork to your resume isn’t as simple as throwing in the line “works well independently and in a team.” In fact, we’d strongly recommend you avoid that line! It’s generic, overused, and doesn’t show how you add value. Instead, try adding some of these skills to show how you can excel in a team environment:
1. Conflict resolution
Unfortunately, conflict is a fact of life – even more so in a work environment, where you’re thrown together for hours on end with people you may not choose to associate with otherwise. It’s equally true that conflict doesn’t make for a very happy or productive team. If you’re the type that can step in to diffuse conflictor prevent it from escalating, that’s well worth showcasing on your resume.
2. Giving and receiving feedback
As companies seek continuous improvement in every aspect of their operation, change is necessary. That could mean change on a company, team, or personal level. But once the need for change is identified, it needs to be communicated. Whether you’re the person giving or receiving feedback to enable this change, it’s important that it’s done graciously, fairly, and non-confrontationally. If that’s a skill you have in your arsenal, why not weaponize it on your resume?
3. Communication
Communication is one of the most vital teamworking skills of all! It encompasses a host of other skills, the main ones being speaking, writing and listening. If you can engage with others, convey information articulately, and understand the concerns of colleagues, you can put some very in-demand teamwork skills on your resume.
4. Delegation
No one can do everything and knowing when to ask for help is a superpower. If you can recognize that someone else in the team may be better placed than you to complete a certain task, it’s time to activate your delegation skills. When you can do this, you’re well on your way to mastering a key leadership attribute and working your way further up the career ladder. That’s not to say it’s OK to offload all your work onto others though – that’s likely to lead to bad feeling and rapidly crash team morale.
5. Respect
While you may not always agree with your colleagues, showing respect is non-negotiable for team cohesion. The ability to value others’ perspectives and treat other people as you’d like to be treated yourself is hugely important in a team environment. If you can successfully work with the quirks of different personalities without provoking conflict, it could be worth letting your future employers know by showcasing it on your resume.
6. Collaboration
Collaboration is at the heart of teamwork. Being able to work harmoniously with others is a vital teamwork skill for your resume, so make sure you show how you’ve achieved strong outcomes by working collaboratively either with your team, with other teams across the business, or even with suppliers and partners.
7. Positivity
There’s nothing quite like a moaner for sucking the lifeblood out of a team. You know the type – always on hand with some salacious gossip, a complaint, or a generally negative attitude. They sow discontent, which leads to low morale and is often accompanied by a decrease in productivity. Prove you’re not that person by showing off your positive, can-do attitude on your resume.
8. Relationship building
Some people seem to naturally strike up a rapport with others, while some people find it a bit trickier. If you’re the type that can make a friend of anyone, you have a great teamwork skill for your resume. Building positive relationships not only improves team harmony, it’s also valuable for engaging wider teams such as suppliers, customers and colleagues from other functions. It’s easy to see why it’s a great teamwork skill on your resume!
Where to show professional teamwork skills on your resume
Now you know which specific teamwork skills are in demand, but how can you show them off on your resume? There are several places where you could consider adding them.
In the Profile section
The Profile is the elevator pitch at the top of your resume. In this short paragraph, the aim is to convince the reader that you have the skills and experience required for the vacant role and that it’s worth reading your resume in greater depth. Depending on the role, it may be worth highlighting a couple of teamwork skills here. Make sure the skills you select are the ones most relevant to the vacancy and, if possible, frame them as a success that has directly benefited the business.
In the Key Skills section
The Key Skills section seems like the ideal place to add teamwork skills, doesn’t it? Not so fast! Ideally, this section will be weighted in favor of hard skills – they’re the job-specific skills you’ve acquired throughout your career. While it’s OK to include some soft skills here too, remember that a long list isn’t particularly engaging to read and limit yourself to keywords that you find in the job advert.
In the Professional Experience section
Now we get to the meat of the matter. In the Professional Experience section, you can really show off and emphasize all those amazing teamwork skills on your resume to position yourself as a fantastic addition to any team. You have a bit more space here to give detail and context, so that you’re doing more than just saying “I’m a great team player” – you’re actually proving it.
In the Education or Professional Development section
These sections aren’t traditionally used to show off specific skills but, if you’re light on work experience, you can expand this section to demonstrate skills you’ve gained while studying. Perhaps you were part of a team project at university or completed a course in conflict resolution that you could highlight here.
In the Hobbies and Interests section
While the Hobbies and Interests section is by no means obligatory, you can use it to show off skills you’ve developed outside of work. This is particularly handy if you’re struggling to add teamwork skills elsewhere on your resume. Sports teamwork skills are great on a resume for students, for example.
How to add teamwork skills on your resume
As with any skill on your resume, the best way to add it is by showing, rather than telling. That means providing concrete examples of when you’ve used a particular skill – ideally with a positive outcome that benefited the business or the team. Below you’ll find some teamwork skills examples, so that you can fully understand how to incorporate them and use them as inspiration for your own document.
Example of teamwork in the Profile section
A positive and customer-focused Customer Service Assistant, with an extensive knowledge of the railway network. Confident handling delays, cancellations, and security and takes a calm, professional approach to resolving incidents and complaints. Communicates respectfully with colleagues and customers alike to quickly build a rapport. Possesses an in-depth understanding of health and safety requirements and prioritizes customer welfare.
Example of teamwork in the Key Skills section
Product Management | Stakeholder Communications | Conflict Management | Analysis | Project Management | Strategic Thinking | Agile Methodology
Examples of teamwork in the Professional Experience section
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Mediated between a Junior Developer and the Team Manager to resolve conflict over processes, listening to both sides and proposing a solution accepted by both parties -
Conducted performance reviews, provided constructive feedback on areas for improvement and offered support and development opportunities to address them -
Liaised with teams across the business, communicating persuasively to win their buy-in to new projects and delivering confident presentations to large audiences
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Turned around a delayed project by reviewing plans and delegating tasks fairly across the team, achieving delivery 2 days ahead of the original deadline
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Led by example to build a cohesive and productive team that respected and valued each other despite having very different personalities
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Negotiated a $10,000 cost reduction with a supplier, having collaborated with them to identify and address inefficiencies in the current supply process
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Motivated colleagues to complete a complex project on time by adopting a positive, can-do attitude to overcoming challenges
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Increased team output by 15% by instilling a sense of common purpose through team-building exercises and optional team social events
Example of teamwork skills in the Education section
Course: Conflict Management and Resolution, 2024
BSc degree: French and English Literature, University of Alabama, 2023
Gained skills in collaboration and delegation as leader of a group project
Example of teamwork skills in the Hobbies and Interests section
Soccer player: Contributed significantly to the team that won the Alabama Youth Cup
PTA member: Collaborated with other parents to raise $10,000 for the school
Other words for team working
Of course, you don’t want to repeat “teamwork” and “team working” multiple times throughout your resume. Switch up the vocabulary to ensure you’re presenting a compelling and engaging read. Try these ideas:
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Collaborating -
Communicating
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Cooperating
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Sharing
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Partnering
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Supporting
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Leading
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Working together
How to improve your teamwork skills
Not everyone was born a natural collaborator and not everyone has had the opportunity to contribute to a team before they first hit the job market. If you’re looking to develop or improve your teamwork skills, there are plenty of ways to do so.
Understand your role
By fully understanding your role in the team and the role of the team in the wider business, you’ll be equipped to fulfill your responsibilities and support others in fulfilling theirs. Hold yourself accountable for completing all your tasks, as they will likely impact other members of the team.
Stay open minded
Actively seek feedback and act on it. Listen to what others are saying and try to look at issues from their perspective. Accept differences rather than taking a negative attitude.
Get organized
An organized team member is a reliable team member, so plan, schedule, use apps, and set yourself deadlines to ensure you’re not letting anyone down.
Push yourself
Ask if there are opportunities to contribute to teams beyond your day-to-day role – if a project is looming, you may get the chance to work as part of a different team, with different objectives and different perspectives. Take the opportunity to learn from others and push yourself beyond your comfort zone.
Teamwork skills on a resume are essential!
Whichever role or industry you’re aiming for, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll be part of a team – small or large, on-site or remote, traditional or matrix. Therefore, it makes sense that you dedicate a corner of your resume to proving your skills in this area. With our advice, you’re now well-placed to make sure your resume demonstrates your excellence in this area.
If you’d like an expert eye on your resume before you send it out to recruiters and hiring managers, why not submit it for a free, no obligation resume review?
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