Can you share an experience when you had to work on a project with teachers? What was your role and how did your group go about the task?
Share an experience where you took an active role in a team. Emphasise on what you personally did or contributed, not just what happened to the activity in general. Questions like this allow interviewers to see if you have leadership potential or if you can work well with others. After describing the experience, you may also share how you felt about the whole endeavour.
"There was a time when all the school personnel had to work together to organize the school's anniversary. I was a part of the Secretariat Committee together with 4 teachers, and our task was to arrange the registration list and the invites for the event. I personally handled the release of the invites and monitoring the RSVP. Everything was released on time and nobody in the list was left out. As a group, were able to accomplish our task and I was proud to have contributed to the success of the anniversary."
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
As a German teacher, we always celebrated Foreign Language Week. I worked with the foreign language department to create activities for the week. Specifically, I was in charge of German day. Together we came up with interesting and enjoyable cultural ideas for the week that the kids took part in.
Chad's Feedback
Good answer! However, it is lacking in the details that would make it more engaging and memorable to the interviewer. Are you able to flesh out the story by being more specific about the types of activities you personally created for German day? Also, consider discussing how you and the others in the group divided the work and assigned various tasks to ensure the success of the project. Behavioral-based interview questions like this are best answered using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method. Organizing your response using this framework will ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a compelling answer. We have a guide that you may find helpful - https://www.mockquestions.com/articles/5 Behavioral Based Interview Questions You Should Prepare For/
Anonymous Answer
In grad school, I had many opportunities to work as a team on projects. One, in particular, comes to mind regarding working on a parent workshop focused on blended families. Three of us collaborated on the project and decided to begin with a brainstorming session and then discussing our individual strengths to bring to the team. From there, we assigned tasks based on our strengths and interests, set deadlines, and completed the project prior to the due date.
Stephanie's Feedback
This question is asking specifically about your experience collaborating with teachers (which would be a common job duty as a school counselor.) While the example of collaboration that you provided from your graduate school experience is helpful, it doesn't explicitly answer the question. If you have not had previous experience working with teachers, I suggest you state that by saying, "While I haven't had direct experience working with teachers, I have had a lot of transferrable experience with collaboration."
Anonymous Answer
Our school had adopted the Leader in Me program by Sean Covey. I was a member of the lighthouse team which was the leadership team involved in carrying out the implementation of the program. I took on the role of the scribe in the meetings. It was my responsibility to provide the agendas for the meetings and record the minutes of the meetings and upload the meeting minutes. As a group, we collaborated on how we would initiate the program in elementary and middle school in biweekly meetings.
Cindy's Feedback
Good. It sounds like you took an active role in the team. Were you able to contribute ideas to the group discussions, as well as contributing as scribe and agenda-setter? Was there a positive result you can talk about?
Anonymous Answer
Yes in grad school, I had to work on several projects. The first thing we did was meet to discuss the project and run ideas by each other. Then we decided on our final concept and divided up the responsibilities. Then we followed up occasionally to check on progress and get feedback. Finally, we agreed on a way to present the project and congratulated each other on a job well done.
Marcie's Feedback
While your explanation of the projects you worked on in graduate school is relevant, it's not specific enough to be overly impactful. Your response will be much stronger if you talk about a particular project and detail what your role was within the team dynamic.
Anonymous Answer
As a middle school Science teacher, we always have Family Night once a year. My role was to gather information from each teacher to determine what activity they would demonstrate at the event so that no two teachers would be conducting the same activity. I organized the night by asking certain teachers to speak before the audience and recruited students to assist in the event by performing demonstrations and explaining the lessons to the guests. We all agreed on a uniform attire to wear to the event, and I had the honor of designing a Science t-shirt we all wore. The activities displayed at the event were engaging to the parents, and younger siblings and the unity among us was inspiring.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent! You do a great job of following the STAR method here by explaining the situation, your role/actions, and the end result. You come across as creative, collaborative, resourceful, and organized, in addition to being a strong leader and delegator. Wonderful job!
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