Have you ever had difficulty working in a team environment?
Your interviewer is curious about how team-oriented you are, or whether you prefer to work more independently. How you answer could help them identify where you are on the scale of being an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in the middle. Regardless of whether the position requires constant engagement with others or not, most positions require BNSF employees to coordinate with others to ensure the safe and timely transport of their consumer's freight.
"I have no difficulty in team-based environments. But then again, I have never encountered difficulty working in any environment. I have been lucky enough to work with a few amazing crews. I can work well on my own as well, but I prefer the variety and excitement that comes with teamwork. That is where I thrive, as a highly collaborative crew member. I'd look forward to building relationships with new work friends here at BNSF as well if I am so lucky."
When answering this question, try to lean more towards being an ambivert, regardless of your preference for working on your own or around others. Your goal here is to showcase yourself as a team player who is adaptable and able to do whatever is needed to support your team and get the job done. If in the past you have ever experienced difficulties in a team environment, share situations where you were part of the solution, resulting in a positive outcome, rather than a contributor to the situation or part of the problem.
One of BNSF's core values is, "Empowering one another, showing concern for our colleagues' well-being and respect for their talents and achievements." And, when describing their teams, BNSF states, "The people who built BNSF were, and continue to be, a unique breed, blending the forward-thinking of dreamers with the pragmatism of results-oriented business leaders.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I absolutely love working in a team environment. Most recently my team had to collaborate on ways to improve our whole security keeping our customers safe. We were able to have our IT team work on developing a child safety feature. This feature will help keep our system efficient and safe.
Marcie's Feedback
Make sure you begin your answer by directly answering the question. State that you've never had difficulty working in a team environment and then move into explaining how much you enjoy this type of collaboration. What motivated your team to brainstorm security improvement ideas? How did the child safety feature work? Be sure to give lots of details so the interviewer understands exactly what the situation was, what your role was in it, and that you didn't have any trouble working in this type of atmosphere. Great job!
