Skip to main content
header search
ahihi OpenLearn
OpenLearn
Menu
sticky search

About this free course

Become an OU student

Share this free course

Course content Course content
Working in teams
Working in teams

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

More free courses

6.1 Practical suggestions

Listen to Rebecca Fielding from Gradconsult talking about different ways to gain experience of working in a team if you are not currently in work.

Download this video clip.Video player: boc_wdt_video_week1_section7_1_fielding.mp4
Copy this transcript to the clipboard
Print this transcript
Show transcript|Hide transcript

Transcript

REBECCA FIELDING:
If you feel you haven't got a lot of experience in terms of teamwork, and you feel that that isn't a strength currently, I'd recommend getting out there and getting yourself some experiences. Volunteer. Become a member of a local volunteering team. Join your church. Join your mosque. Whatever your religion is, or if you have children, join the PTA. Join a sports team. I think the message here is get involved. Teams are ultimately groups of people who come together with a common cause to get things done. And they can come from any walk or aspect of your life. So my recommendation will be if you feel that these aren't skills you currently have, get out there and have a go. And you'll learn an awful lot from doing it.
End transcript
Download
 
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Activity 8 Ways to gain team experience

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

Look at the examples of gaining team working experience listed below, and see if you can add any other ideas to this list. Try to add at least one more idea.

Table 2 Examples of how to gain experience of team working
Volunteer

Use your preferred internet search engine to explore voluntary opportunities in your area based on your interests, the activities you would like to get involved in and skills you would like to develop.
Join a sports team

Have a look at your local council/district council website for sports activities you could get involved in.
Become a school governor or trustee

If you have children of school age then consider volunteering for a position on the school governing body. If not, there may be other organisations you are connected to which may be run by a trustee body.
Join a social group like a choir or orchestra

Have a look at your local council/district council website for cultural activities you could get involved in.
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
Words: 0
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Think of your own experience and whether you would like to try any of these options.

If one of your issues is the lack of examples you have to draw on, then it is certainly worth taking a few moments now to reflect on what you might want to do to enhance your experience of working in teams. Make a note here of three things you want to look into further:

To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Comment

The more team environments you put yourself into, the more evidence you will have for your teamwork experience and the better your skills will become. If you already have lots of experience, but want to be able to analyse and interpret it in a way that employers will value – the rest of this course will help you to do exactly that.

Even when you’ve built your teamwork experience and developed a range of examples, you might still have a block when it comes to promoting those skills during the recruitment process. In the next section you’ll have an opportunity to reflect on how confident you feel about marketing your skills.