Applying for positions as a recent graduate is exciting not only as an opportunity to enter an industry, but work in teams of people with different backgrounds and expertise. In your new position you won’t find yourself alone but instead working alongside a group of people that will take your academic knowledge and transition it into a real world setting. To excel in this environment, having teamwork skills is so important.
In this comprehensive article we’ll explain the basics of what teamwork skills are, the most popular teamwork skills for graduates, and how you can learn them to share with employers on your resume.
What are Teamwork Skills?
Teamwork skills are the different proficiencies you can have that contribute to the team's success. Skills such as communication, adaptability, conflict resolution, and many more help a group of people working toward the same goal be far more likely to find success than one person alone.
Have you ever heard of the phrase “sticks in a bundle are unbreakable”? How about people on TikTok showing how one clothes hanger, unable to hold someone’s weight, is then able to when there are many? These examples help visualise how teams of people are more resilient and adaptable than someone working alone. The mix of perspectives, expertise, backgrounds, and approaches means a group of people are able to use their teamwork skills to overcome larger obstacles than what they may have been able to alone.
This means for you, as a recent graduate, you’ll be able to use your background to contribute to projects while also learning from and being lifted by more experienced team members. At the end, with effective teamwork skills, you’ll get to join the shared success of the team achieving their goals.
10 Popular Teamwork Skills for Graduates
1. Communication
A graduate who is a strong communicator is able to convey information clearly and effectively. The skill isn’t limited to helping you write an article on teamwork skills for graduates but also essential to coordinating with team members when working towards a goal.
Strong communication will enhance collaboration within a team. Multiple perspectives contributing ideas to a project helps create better outcomes through this back and forth workshopping process. Effective communication also reduces misunderstandings which can impact not only the team’s effectiveness but also people’s relationships.
When team members don’t have strong communication it can lead to confusion, errors, and it’ll take the team longer to achieve goals.
2. Collaboration
A graduate who is collaborative understands the process of working with others to achieve a common goal. Crucial to effective collaboration is pooling resources and expertise to accomplish tasks along the way. For example, if the team needs to create a website, they may have people whose expertise are in programming but also people whose expertise are graphic design. By working together, this team of people will be more effective than if either responsibility was put on one person alone.A team that collaborates well will find more innovative solutions through leveraging the diverse strengths and expertise of its members.
Without collaboration, teamwork breaks down. The group will struggle as disjointed efforts lead to missed opportunities where people’s unique expertise and experience goes untapped. It’s no good if the expert in graphic design is trying to program, or the programmer tries to do graphic design.
3. Adaptability
Recent graduates who are adaptable are able to change or adjust their response as factors surrounding a project change. By being adaptable you’ll be better equipped for the dynamic nature of team projects.
Imagine a scenario where a project was planned for and expected to take three months, but unexpectedly is now expected to be completed in one month. An adaptable team might bring on more people or shrink the scope of the project in order to achieve the new goal. By focusing on being adaptable, your problem-solving will be more flexible and able to accommodate unexpected challenges in your career.
When something isn’t flexible, it usually breaks. Inflexibility is a flaw that can lead to stalled progress on projects and an inability to cope when unexpected challenges arise. Graduates who are adaptable are far better equipped for when projects need to change.
4. Problem-solving
A graduate who’s good at problem solving has the capacity to identify, analyse, and resolve issues as the team works toward their goal. This skill is vital for overcoming obstacles in order to achieve team objectives.
Through effective problem solving minor issues don’t become major setbacks. They’re identified early, decisions made on the issue are effective in tackling the problem, and the solution is implemented effectively.
However, Ineffective problem-solving can lead to unresolved issues and hinder the team’s overall success. For example, perhaps the problem was considered but further implications of it weren’t considered in the solution.
5. Conflict Resolution
Graduates with skills in conflict resolution are able to address and settle disputes fairly and efficiently. This is a particularly important skill as it allows everyone to continue to work at their best in a positive environment.
Conflict resolution ensures that when areas of conflict do arise they are managed constructively. This means the point of view of everyone involved in the conflict is considered and their needs and wants are considered in the resolution. When done well this skill ensures team relationships and morale are preserved once the conflict is resolved.
Without conflict resolution areas of issue can escalate damaging the team's willingness to communicate and collaborate damaging the groups productivity and chance at success.
6. Leadership
A skill easily visualised, a graduate who is a good leader can guide and inspire others toward a common goal. In a team a good leader, or multiple, is essential for directing the team's efforts and fostering a sense of purpose to keep everyone motivated by the bigger picture.
Strong leadership promotes a productive and motivated team environment that, like a conductor, uses everyone’s unique perspective and skills to drive the group toward success.
It’s leadership that brings out the strength of working in a team, but without it the group may lack direction and struggle to achieve their objectives.
7. Organisation
A graduate who is skilled in organisation is able to plan, structure, and manage resources and tasks effectively. They can do this at an individual scale, likely learned and done during their studies, or organise a team ensuring smooth operations.
Effective organisation is intended to minimise stress and maximise productivity. It might look like ensuring your achieving milestones and getting help from a colleague if necessary, limiting any wasted time, or ensuring your resources are used effectively.
A recent graduate likely has experienced the outcomes of poor organisation. Missed deadlines, unmet goals, late nights stressing… Simply put, without organisation any project can start feeling like chaos.
8. Time Management
Recent graduates good at time management are able to manage and utilise their time effectively to meet team deadlines and objectives.
When done well, time management ensures the team contributes equally in order to complete tasks in a timely manner, without being rushed, and at the appropriate quality.
But when done ineffectively it can lead to rushed lower quality work that doesn’t achieve the team's objectives as successfully. Furthermore, the pressure of having to rush can have long term impacts on the morale of the team leading to further negative implications.
9. Creativity
Creativity is a skill commonly discussed but in a graduate would look like an ability to think outside the box when coming up with solutions to problems and ways of achieving the group’s goals. Creativity is a valuable skill to have in a team as it brings in fresh perspectives and ideas. It’s more than having an “ideas person”.
Within a team creativity encourages innovation that can give the group an edge driving their success. It might look like a new way of tackling a problem or an unexpected approach to achieving the team’s goals.
A lack of creativity can mean a lack of innovation. Stale and unoriginal solutions can hinder progress and future success.
10. Empathy
An important skill at work and in life, a graduate who is empathetic has the capacity to understand and share the feelings of others.
Empathy is essential in a team for creating a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where people feel comfortable to share not only their ideas but also their challenges. This is only possible by fostering an environment of trust and respect that will enhance team collaboration and communication.
But without empathy relationships within the team can suffer along with the overall team dynamic. Without an environment of support and understanding, it encourages team members to tackle problems alone when other people in the team could help.
How to Improve Teamwork Skills as a Graduate
Improving your teamwork skills as a graduate is a three step process. While you can count the number of steps on one hand it’s important to recognise that learning is a continuous process! Once you have finished these steps it doesn’t mean you can’t keep learning and finding real-world practice - learning is a process after all, not a destination.
1. Identify the Skill
Teamwork skills are a broad category so to begin it’s important which one you’d like to improve. Is your goal to manage a team? Then leadership skills would be good to learn. Instead, maybe you feel like you’re too rigid with your plans? Perhaps adaptability is the skill you’d focus on.
Once you feel like you’ve learned a skill you can always come back to this step to learn another. Unlike student debt, the more you have the better off you’ll be!
2. Learn the Theory of the Skill
To learn a skill, you first need to learn what people are saying about it. Spend some time and read widely and with a critical eye. What advice feels right to you? What advice is repeated many times across the web? By maintaining a critical eye you’ll engage more with the material and start to develop a feeling of what a good understanding of the skill looks like.
3. Find Real-World Practice
Once you understand the theory behind a skill, and what executing it well looks like, it’s time to take your knowledge to the real world.
While this can be the workplace, it doesn’t have to be. You can practice leadership at your footy club or with your friends. You can practice adaptability during your studies or even in your day-to-day planning. Even the smallest amount of practice with a skill adds up as you become more familiar with what it looks and feels like.
In this step you can also seek feedback from others. An outside perspective can point out what’s working and what isn’t. Feedback points out things, positive or negative, that you might not have noticed in the act of doing the skill.
How to List Teamwork Skills on a Resume
Teamwork skills listed on a resume should be specific, engaging to read, and tailored to the company and position you’re applying for.
As we’ve discussed there’s more to teamwork skills than just the overall category. On your resume consider discussing your skills specifically. For example, instead of “teamwork skills,” consider your experience in leadership or creativity as a starting point. Then consider what company and position you’re applying for. What skills do you have that are best suited for that role?
When you have the skill you want to list, think about a specific achievement that skill led to. To continue with our leadership example, perhaps you led a team project at university that got top marks, or you're the captain of your sports team that improved greatly when you took over the role.
Example of What to Do
- Led a group of six peers in my degree to complete a two-minute news story within a tight deadline. I delegated tasks of editing, interviews, and script writing within the group. The story was shared on the university's social media channels and is being used as a teaching example for future years.
Examples of What Not to Do
- Teamwork Skills
- Leadership, creativity, problem-solving, etc.
- Led a group of six at university to complete a two-minute news story.