When starting at a new position, how do you earn your coworkers' trust?

What You Need to Know
Entry Level Example
Experienced Example
Community Answers

Jeff Bezos says, "The way you earn trust, the way you develop a reputation, is by doing hard things well over and over again. It really is that simple. It's also that complicated. Because in order to do hard things well, you must have integrity and competence. That means doing what you said you were going to do, and delivering. I want to live in a place where people can disagree and can still work together. I don't want to lose that." Examine the reputation you have built up for yourself as a professional and how your sense of integrity earned the trust of your teams.

"Whether I deliver a strong interview or not, and whether I get hired for this position or not, I'll still have to prove myself - to you and to my teams. Despite what I share about myself, personally or professionally, my actions will reveal who I am and how trustworthy I am. So I would earn that trust, for it must be earned, by living up to my promises, working smarter, working harder, sharing, collaborating, and giving my all. I would do this consistently and prove myself to be dependable, reliable, and trustworthy."

"I feel that earning trust is the foundation of any relationship, personal or professional. When starting a new position, I like to get to know my coworkers more personally. I believe asking about a coworker's family shows compassion and kindness. I earn trust by keeping my word and doing what I say I will do. I am dependable and do not call in sick or show up late to work, adding stress to my team. I never talk badly about people behind their backs or participate in office gossip, which is bullying. I think you can earn someone's trust pretty quickly by being an honest, friendly person."

Anonymous Answer

"I think that the most important pathway to trust in a new team is to show respect for my colleagues' skills and experience, showing my ability to learn and be curious, by listening to them and responding with questions."

Marcie's Feedback

Excellent. Being respectful, curious, eager to learn, and an active listener are all great ways to build trust with new coworkers. You might also mention that you've done this successfully before and include a brief example to bolster your assertions.

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Anonymous Answer

"By listening and earning trust. Deep diving into the role - learning, being curious. Then when and where I can, when I am ready, I will invent and simplify. But that will come in time.

I am not a gossiper. I also believe in consistency, openness, and giving credit to the person/people who deserve it."

Marcie's Feedback

Listening and learning about the role will definitely help you earn the trust of your coworkers because then you'll become knowledgeable and someone they can rely on. You can also be friendly, avoid gossiping, share information with them, be consistent, and give credit to others when it's due. These are all ways you can gain the respect and trust of your coworkers.

Anonymous Answer

"Trust can be built by demonstrating you can be dependable, and able to work with coworkers to help resolve impediments, even if it is not your responsibility, tackle this as our problem to solve, compared to your problem."

Marcie's Feedback

It's definitely a good idea to show that you're dependable and collaborative when trying to earn the trust of your coworkers. What else? Do you try to be communicative and an active listener? How about honesty and transparency? Do you stick to your word and admit when you're wrong? Also, can you talk about a time when you earned the trust of someone else? Explain to the interviewer exactly how you did this. Good job!

Anonymous Answer

"Every project represents a new opportunity to build relationships and trust with colleagues. Being too focused on immediate results rather than establishing rapport can make people feel unvalued. I approach my colleagues by being curious about their challenges, then humbly offering help so they do not feel alone in their efforts. I think that follow-through is very important when establishing trust. It is too easy to simply demonstrate a passing interest in someone else's issues, but to pick up the pickaxe and work side-by-side with them that is how to build trust. Then, in exchange, when vulnerable, I let others help me. Having each other's back is important to building trust. Also helping others is an excellent way to expose yourself to new learning opportunities."

Marcie's Feedback

Nice! Being willing to both give and receive help is definitely one way to build trust with colleagues. Following through and showing that you're trustworthy is another. Other ways you can build trust include being honest, transparent, and a strong communicator, being willing to take accountability for mistakes, honoring your commitments, being an active listener, and responding with constructive feedback. Also, if you can talk about a time when you earned someone's trust, that will make your answer even more meaningful. Good job!