I haven't worked in a team in years. How do I convince people that I want to?

Posted by shrkf on Monday February 16, 2015 @07:03PM
from the self-post dept.

I am currently in the last year of my PhD and applying to a boot camp style academia to industry program. As part of my application I need to describe a recent experience of working successfully in a team. The thing is: I’d love to be part of a team of motivated people and this is one of the reasons I want to leave academia. But my work as a graduate student has not been collaborative at all. Now I wonder what to do: Do I dig up and inflate one of the few small examples of team work that have happened in the last five years or should I be honest and focus on my desire to work with people in the future? Your opinion is very much appreciated. Thank you.

( 2 comments | 7 points | on HN )

Re:I haven't worked in a team in years. How do I convince pe... by daniper on Monday February 16, 2015 @11:29PM (#9060668)

That's a really good question. The problem is MANY freelancers give other freelancers a bad name by being unfocused, uncommitted, and hard to work with.

I think a good way of showing that's not you is kicking off your job interview process by submitting something with your intro email and resume that is germane to the company/team you're interested in joining. Perhaps a coding project, a UX design, a marketing plan -- something that shows you care.

That'll make you stand out not only among freelancers, but just about any applicant.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:I haven't worked in a team in years. How do I convince pe... by gatsby on Monday February 16, 2015 @07:56PM (#9060027)

>"Should I be honest and focus on my desire to work with people in the future?"

Do this.

Just because you haven't worked on a team in a while doesn't mean you're not a team player.

[ Parent | on HN ]