Most people think they are team players. And they are. I have been racking my brain trying to think of a profession that does not require teamwork. Even jobs like boxer require support such as a coach, trainer, and work out partners. A thief might work alone, but that is not a profession. Every job requires teamwork and employers want and need to hire team players. I have never seen an ad for a position that states, “Team players need not apply.”
I don’t think team player is a particularly valuable skill, since everyone is a team player. I know many would disagree with me. It is usually an unstated requirement for every job. It is like reading and speaking English for most jobs. If the requirements don’t list English language skills-it is understood. People do not usually list English as a skill (in the USA) on their resume. Lately, I have
been telling fellow job seekers not to list team player on their resume if they have other skills. The exception, of course, would be applying for a position on a team such as hockey, baseball, football, and technical teams.
The real issue is how good of a team player you are. As I said earlier, all jobs require teamwork. However, some teams lack good teamwork and are actually dysfunctional. Instead of saying, someone is a team player, it might be better to say they work well with others.
I don’t think team player is a particularly valuable skill, since everyone is a team player. I know many would disagree with me. It is usually an unstated requirement for every job. It is like reading and speaking English for most jobs. If the requirements don’t list English language skills-it is understood. People do not usually list English as a skill (in the USA) on their resume. Lately, I have
been telling fellow job seekers not to list team player on their resume if they have other skills. The exception, of course, would be applying for a position on a team such as hockey, baseball, football, and technical teams.
The real issue is how good of a team player you are. As I said earlier, all jobs require teamwork. However, some teams lack good teamwork and are actually dysfunctional. Instead of saying, someone is a team player, it might be better to say they work well with others.
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