I am all for collaboration and teamwork. Employers are, too, since you will often find the following terms in their job postings.

“Team player”

“Cooperation”

“Partnership”

“Synergy”

“Joint Effort”

Employers want you to work well with others and, through those efforts, get results.

Because this is a clear message from employers, job seekers often emphasize their collaborative efforts too much.

There is too much “we” and not enough “I.”

And that is a problem.

More “I” Needed

Yes, the employer wants to know you work well with others. In especially collaborative environments, this will be a critical skill.

Yet, some of you spend too much precious real estate on your resumes on what “we” did and not what you did as part of the “we.”

Remember, the employer is hiring you for your value to them. They are not hiring your team. Therefore, you need to balance showing your collaboration skills with your individual results.

Showcase Your Individual Results As Part Of A Team On Your Resume

Here is a common bullet point I see.

• Supported team achieving a 15% increase in item-matching accuracy through collaboration that overhauled the item-matching process by refining algorithms, streamlining workflows, and implementing new quality control measures.

You might ask, what is wrong with it? It has a result and describes how it was achieved.

Yet there is something important missing.

What did the job seeker do in this scenario to get this result?

We have no idea.

Did they refine the algorithm, streamline a workflow, or develop a new quality control measure? We don’t know their contribution.

Aside from being on a team that got a good result, the reader has no idea about the job seeker’s value. That is a resume writing failure.

So what should the job seekers do instead? Rewrite the bullet to emphasize the team results and their individual contribution.

• Supported team achieving a 15% increase in item-matching accuracy by leading a team of three in a 60-day data cleansing initiative to identify and eliminate outdated and duplicate items.

You are still part of a team effort, but in this case, you showed your value by leading an aspect of the project.

So what if your role was solely as an individual contributor, with no team leadership? Then you can write something like this:

• Supported team achieving a 15% increase in time-matching accuracy by meticulously identifying and rectifying discrepancies in the database, ensuring that the refined algorithms operated on clean and accurate data.

Team success results from individual success in the activities assigned. Do not be shy when in a job search to highlight your contributions to the team wins.

Don’t Forget To Balance “We” and “I” In Interviews, Too

Many job seekers have a hard time selling themselves. They feel talking about what they have accomplished at work is a form of bragging. So, regarding interviews, this discomfort is often lessened using “we” instead of “I” examples.

It may make you feel better, but it is sabotaging your interviews.

As on your resume, talking about your collaboration and teamwork is not frowned upon by interviewers….unless that is all you speak about.

If your interview is a collection of stories about how “we” did this or “the team” did that, you have not explained YOUR value, which is what the employer is buying.

So, like on your resume, you must balance talking about what the team accomplished as a collective effort with your individual contribution.

This is an answer to “What has been the biggest challenge you have faced?” solely focused on team effort.

One of the most significant challenges we faced as a team was a decline in morale and engagement across the company. Recognizing the importance of a positive workplace culture, our HR team collaborated closely to address this issue. We conducted comprehensive surveys to understand employee sentiments, organized team-building activities, and initiated open communication channels. Together, we implemented wellness programs and established recognition initiatives, fostering an environment where employees felt heard and valued. As a result, our employee engagement scores went up 8% in one year.

While this answer has some very good actions to address the problem, who on the team did it? Which parts did they lead?

As a former recruiter, how would I evaluate the job seeker based on this answer? They could have led these initiatives, contributed, or the team could have carried them. Who knows?

This would have been a better answer to the question to show the job seeker’s value.

A pivotal challenge I tackled as HR Manager involved a noticeable decline in morale and engagement within the company. Recognizing the urgency, I took the initiative to conduct one-on-one sessions with employees in my assigned areas, actively listening to their concerns and gathering valuable insights. Drawing on this feedback, I designed and implemented a mentorship program that I spearheaded, connecting employees across departments to foster a sense of community. As an HR team, we also came up with the idea of more team-building activities. I worked specifically with the Finance and Marketing teams on various activities, including bringing in a CliftonStrengths coach to review the team members’ strengths so they could better understand and work with each other. This initiative was so well received that other HR team members used it with their assigned teams. 

After a year, the HR teams’ combined efforts helped our engagement scores increase by 8%.

In this answer, the HR team is acknowledged, yet we can see the individual contributions of this specific HR manager. This job seeker can be judged for how they took a challenge, figured out the problem areas, and took action.

Successful interviewers balance between talking about what their team accomplished and what they individually achieved.

Evaluate Your Resume And Interview Answers

Are you guilty of too much “we” and not enough “I?” Review your resume and see what you have written. Here are some suggestions:

• Assess all your collaborative projects. What were collective achievements, and what was your role in the result?

• Can you quantify individual achievements by identifying specific contributions to group efforts and measuring their impact on results? If you do not have a specific result, can you give a reasonable estimate or even a range (reduced time by at least two hours, increased positive customer feedback, etc.)?

• Use a mix of action verbs in accomplishment statements to highlight individual actions and team efforts.

Individual: Spearheaded, Innovated, Pioneered

Team: Facilitated, Coordinated, Collaborated

• Aim for an overall balance in project descriptions, showcasing teamwork and individual contributions.

• Highlight leadership roles where applicable, underscoring individual leadership contributions and team success.

• Solicit feedback from mentors or colleagues to gauge the perceived balance in your resume.

For interviews, you can help yourself by reviewing the following:

• Review your professional experiences and identify instances where teamwork and individual contributions were crucial. Prepare a mix of examples that showcase your ability to work collaboratively with a team and instances where you took independent initiative.

• Analyze the job description and requirements to anticipate whether the employer highly values teamwork, individual initiative, or a combination of both. This will give you an indication of how much time to spend on each aspect.

• Incorporate transition phrases such as "while working collaboratively with my team" or "taking the initiative, I..." to smoothly transition between the "we" and "I" aspects of your answers.

It's essential to find the right mix of "we" and "I" when discussing your work. Teamwork is crucial, but it's also necessary to show what you personally bring to the table. When you write your resume and answer interview questions, balance talking about working with a team and your individual achievements. Showing you can do both successfully is a combination that most employers prize.

Shelley Piedmont is a Career Coach who focuses on understanding your unique skills, interests, and aspirations and provides personalized coaching to guide you toward roles where you can truly thrive. Whether you are stuck as to what your next career move should be or need help with resumes, LinkedIn profiles, or interview preparation, Shelley is here to help you. Please set up an exploratory call to find out how she can help you reach your career goals.