If hired, would you prefer to work individually or in a team-based position?

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If you join UnitedHealth Group, you ideally need to come to their team with the ability to work independently and with the ability to collaborate with a large and diverse team. Don't be afraid to answer this question honestly on what your preferences are, but be sure you don't shut the door and totally rule out the other option. With over 153,000 clinical professionals, 52,000 customer service team members, and 38,000 technology experts, you will surely have to work as part of a team while also handling work on your own.

"I have always thrived in a team-based atmosphere because I firmly believe that greater things are accomplished when more heads, more viewpoints, and more backgrounds are tackling the biggest problems in healthcare. If I came to UnitedHealth Group, you and your team will quickly see that I will be able to help live your value of deepening connections and collaborating for better outcomes through my ability to be an open communicator and a great listener. But I also want you to know that I work very diligently on my own with very little direction and will come to this team with this innate ability."

Anonymous Answer

"A position that offers either or both. I am very comfortable working individually with minimal supervision as well as working closely with others or as part of a team."

Marcie's Feedback

It's great that you're happy working either independently or within a team environment. This shows the interviewer that you are flexible. Consider talking more about the benefits you receive from each type of situation (e.g., within a team you learn from others; independently you are able to move at your own pace).

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Anonymous Answer

"Whether I am doing an independent project or working in a team environment, I always give my best. I can be successful in either environment."

Rachelle's Feedback

Your answer shows a good balance! If you want to strengthen your response, I recommend offering up examples of times when you have been successful in each scenario.

Anonymous Answer

"I am versatile and flexible by nature, On occasion, I have worked on individual projects and I have also excelled in group projects. Depending on the need of the organization, I am open to wearing multiple hats for the company."

Rachelle's Feedback

Your interviewer should be thrilled to hear that you are so flexible and open to various work environments/project times. This response sounds very confident.

Anonymous Answer

"I am pretty versatile and flexible. I am productive either way and will be successful."

Amanda's Feedback

Flexibility is important; however, because this question is about your preference you can share which mode of work you actually enjoy more - team-oriented or individual. Neither response is wrong. Then, share the skills you have that enable you to adapt and work well in either environment such as organization, articulate communication, strategic planning, or bias for action.

Anonymous Answer

"I am a team player and have the ability to work independently with or without supervision."

Marcie's Feedback

Nice! It's great that you're willing to work either independently or as part of a group. The interviewer will appreciate your flexibility. To further strengthen your answer, provide examples of times when you've worked effectively by yourself and with others. See below for another way you can answer this question:

"To be honest, I am confident that I'm fully capable of working either individually or as part of a team. If I had to choose one over the other, however, I'd say that I prefer working independently because it gives me the ability to control the outcome, and since I have a strong work ethic and high standards I like being able to direct how the steps of a project are carried out. I'm also very self-motivated and like to stay busy. There have been many times, though, when I've worked successfully as part of a team. In these cases, I recognize how much value there is in collaboration and hearing the thoughts and opinions of others. Ultimately, I'd be happy working in either situation, but if I had to pick I'd choose to work independently."

Anonymous Answer

"To be honest, I like both formworks. I loved it when I was able to focus on evaluating the financial report on my own because I was able to rely on myself and make my own judgments. However, I enjoyed working in a team because you can bounce ideas off each other and come up with something better when you're stuck with a problem."

Amanda's Feedback

Being able to work both autonomously and collaboratively makes you a valuable candidate because many modern workplaces incorporate both forms of work. Consider better highlighting your ability to work both ways successfully by sharing something you were able to accomplish by working on your own and then talking briefly about something else you were able to accomplish as part of a collaborative team. Talking about specific examples makes your response more memorable and helps illustrate that you really can work well in either environment.

Anonymous Answer

"A team-based position would be great. UnitedHealth Care is a Fortune 5 industry leader, to have the team support and resources behind you is wonderful. The opportunity to work with an elite team of accounting and finance professionals who are diligently making contributions to writing the history of the organization and guiding its success as a global industry leader is second to none. The perspectives of your team members are immensely beneficial to broaden the perspective and deepen the understanding. We can feed off each other's ideas and build on each other's strengths and achieve higher synergy as a team."

Marcie's Feedback

Great! Your answer clearly shows why you prefer to work within a team. The interviewer will appreciate that you see such a benefit to working in a team-based environment at their company. You've done a wonderful job of explaining why you like the company so much. Awesome job!

Anonymous Answer

"For this role, it will be important to be able to do both. There will be times when working as a team is needed, and I enjoy working not other with other lawyers, but really enjoy cross-functional teams. But there are also times when I will need to work alone, reviewing, revising, and drafting contracts, which I enjoy and am comfortable doing without supervision."

Marcie's Feedback

It's great that you're open to working both independently and on a team. The interviewer will be happy to hear this. Consider including an example or two of times when you collaborated with others and/or worked alone to successfully complete projects. Prove to the interviewer that you're capable in both situations. Great job!

How to Answer: If hired, would you prefer to work individually or in a team-based position?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an UnitedHealth Group job interview.

18. If hired, would you prefer to work individually or in a team-based position?

How to Answer

Written by Ryan Brunner on January 19th, 2024

Answer Example

Written by Ryan Brunner on January 22nd, 2024

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"A position that offers either or both. I am very comfortable working individually with minimal supervision as well as working closely with others or as part of a team."

Marcie's Feedback

Show More Answers

Anonymous Answer

"Whether I am doing an independent project or working in a team environment, I always give my best. I can be successful in either environment."

Rachelle's Feedback

Your answer shows a good balance! If you want to strengthen your response, I recommend offering up examples of times when you have been successful in each scenario.

Anonymous Answer

Rachelle's Feedback

Your interviewer should be thrilled to hear that you are so flexible and open to various work environments/project times. This response sounds very confident.

Anonymous Answer

"I am pretty versatile and flexible. I am productive either way and will be successful."

Amanda's Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"I am a team player and have the ability to work independently with or without supervision."

Marcie's Feedback

Anonymous Answer

Amanda's Feedback

Anonymous Answer

Marcie's Feedback

Anonymous Answer

Marcie's Feedback