Do you prefer to work in a team-based or individual position?
While the role you are interviewing for at Kaiser Permanente may be a job that requires a great deal of independence, their career site makes it abundantly clear that the power of a team effort is what truly makes the difference for the hundreds of thousands of members and patients they care for each year. They expect their staff to be proud of working with other medical professionals and to understand the importance of everyone's role in the bigger picture. As you answer this question from the heart, make sure your interviewer walks away knowing that you would come to their team with the ability to work independently and that you have a true passion for being involved with a larger team effort.
"Nothing is more satisfying to me in my work than coming together as a team of experts in different areas to solve a very complicated patient-related issue. As you hopefully learned today, I would come to Kaiser Permanente with the ability to hit the ground running in this role on my own. But more important to me is working side by side with some of the top physicians and medical experts on the West Coast and having the ability to collaborate with them."
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 work good with minimum supervision, but I also enjoy working with a team. Either way, I always do my best, and I make sure the job is done the way it suppose to be.
Rachelle's Feedback
Nice! You are showing the interviewer that you are highly capable in either situation.
Anonymous Answer
I enjoy working in a team. At my last job, I had the best group, and we worked together well. I also enjoyed working independently when there were days I was the only technician since my days went by so fast.
Rachelle's Feedback
You are able to operate well in both situations, which is fantastic. You sound very enthusiastic about your last role, which is always a positive for any hiring authority to see.
Anonymous Answer
It depends on the task. I work well in teams and individually. However working in a pharmacy definitely requires teamwork whether it's supervising technicians, coordinating with nurses and physicians. So depending on the goal, I am able to work individually and in a team just as effectively.
Marcie's Feedback
Great! The interviewer will appreciate that you are able to work both on a team and independently. To further strengthen your answer, can you talk about a time when you did one of these successfully? This will make your response even more memorable to the interviewer.
Anonymous Answer
I have worked with a team and independently under the distant supervision of the Physician. While working with a team, I enjoyed the camaraderie and bouncing ideas and problems to arrive at a solution I otherwise may not. I have worked independently as a solo PA provider and have enjoyed it. I know my limitations, but can be very productive in my productivity and time management.
Amanda's Feedback
It sounds like you have the ability to work productively in either environment, so it's appropriate to say so. It's very likely that any role would require some element of both. However, because this question is asking about your preference you can also honestly share which one you prefer and why.
Anonymous Answer
I do well in both settings. Working independently means that I can work at my own pace and learn from my mistakes. Working in a team provides me with different solutions and opinions from my peers and delegating the work can be less stressful. Whatever setting I am placed I will be more than comfortable with.
Jaymie's Feedback
Excellent job leading with reassurance that you can be successful in both environments, then giving a positive to working in each.
Anonymous Answer
I feel that I am more efficient working in a team-based position where I can communicate things easily with one another and we can work together on things to get them done more efficiently. Although if I am needed to work individually, I know that I can just as well get the job done with my excellent work ethic and ability to make quick decisions.
Jaymie's Feedback
It's always beneficial to share with the interviewer that you can be successful in either setting, just as you've done here. Great job!
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