Some people work best as part of a group - others prefer the role of individual contributor. How would you describe yourself?

How to Answer
Answer Example
Community Answers

The purpose of this question is to discover your collaboration skills. There are benefits to both working by yourself and functioning as a member of a team. You should be able to discuss both of these, their benefits, and challenges. You then complete your answer by describing which one you prefer and why you like to work in this manner.

"I am able to work both as an individual contributor or as a member of a highly functional team. The benefit of working as an individual is that you move faster and can complete a project in less time. However, you are also limited to your ideas, experience, and skills. As a member of a team, you move slower due to the need to collaborate and discuss actions and topics related to the project you're working on. However, the benefit is that many individuals contribute to the project, each providing a unique set of experiences, skills, and talents. The output of a team often eclipses the data and up to that of an individual contributor. Given a choice, I would rather function as a member of a team."

Anonymous Answer

"I think it's important to connect the two. I love working as part of a team that has the same goals and is as eager as I am to work towards a common goal. However, it's also important to have independent time to plan, think about new ideas, and have a project that I independently ran."

Rachelle's Feedback

You show a nice balance between teamwork and being an independent thinker. If you have examples of these two approaches in action, you may also want to include a brief story of a time when you worked well independently and a time when you worked well in a group setting.

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How to Answer: Some people work best as part of a group - others prefer the role of individual contributor. How would you describe yourself?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Information Security Analyst job interview.

14. Some people work best as part of a group - others prefer the role of individual contributor. How would you describe yourself?

How to Answer

The purpose of this question is to discover your collaboration skills. There are benefits to both working by yourself and functioning as a member of a team. You should be able to discuss both of these, their benefits, and challenges. You then complete your answer by describing which one you prefer and why you like to work in this manner.

Written by William Swansen on October 1st, 2020

Answer Example

"I am able to work both as an individual contributor or as a member of a highly functional team. The benefit of working as an individual is that you move faster and can complete a project in less time. However, you are also limited to your ideas, experience, and skills. As a member of a team, you move slower due to the need to collaborate and discuss actions and topics related to the project you're working on. However, the benefit is that many individuals contribute to the project, each providing a unique set of experiences, skills, and talents. The output of a team often eclipses the data and up to that of an individual contributor. Given a choice, I would rather function as a member of a team."

Written by William Swansen on October 1st, 2020

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

"I think it's important to connect the two. I love working as part of a team that has the same goals and is as eager as I am to work towards a common goal. However, it's also important to have independent time to plan, think about new ideas, and have a project that I independently ran."

Rachelle's Feedback

You show a nice balance between teamwork and being an independent thinker. If you have examples of these two approaches in action, you may also want to include a brief story of a time when you worked well independently and a time when you worked well in a group setting.

Next Question