7 Summary

You have reached the end of this 8-week course on working in teams – well done!

You should now be able to:

• explain how employers assess team skills in the recruitment process
• understand how to communicate your teamwork skills to employers using STAR
• identify your next steps and set SMART goals.

It is worth taking a moment now to consider the breadth of material you have covered in this course and what you have learnt that could be of use to you in either finding work or developing your career.

Employers are keen to employ candidates with teamwork skills and in this course you have examined why this is the case, exploring different aspects of team structure and development in order to reflect on your own experiences and enhance your future performance.

You have considered the benefits that team diversity can bring, while acknowledging that difference in a team can also be a catalyst for conflict – particularly if those differences relate to values, and you have investigated virtual teams, reflecting on how you might enhance your own experiences of remote working in the future.

You have learnt that employers are looking for candidates who can evidence their competency in a number of key teamwork skills, but that they don’t always find them. This is often because potential employees lack confidence in communicating their skills effectively during the application process.

So, you have ended the course with an exploration of the ways that employers assess teamwork skills and looked at some strategies which will enhance your ability to communicate your experiences.

What you have learnt here is a process which will help you evaluate your experience of working in teams against the competencies that employers are looking for. You should now feel more confident about gaining and recording this kind of experience so that you can use it when applying for a new role or progression opportunity within your current field.