How to hire a team player

It’s all well and good when a candidate claims to be a “team player,” but what does it really mean? Is it someone who’s always there to lend a listening ear? Someone who steps up to help whenever needed? Or maybe it’s the person who brings out the best in their colleagues and keeps everyone motivated during tough times?

At its core, being a team player is all of these things – and more. What’s key is finding someone who plays well with your team and complements its unique dynamic. But how do you find someone like that? Pre-employment testing is the key.

In this article, we discuss what being a team player means, share top tips for finding your next team player, and explain how TestGorilla’s pre-employment testing platform can help you find the right team player for you.

Key takeaways

• In a general sense, a team player might lend a listening ear to their team, pick up the slack on tough days, or step in to mentor a new team member.

• You need to consider what traits a team player will need in your team. That means understanding your team’s unique dynamics and finding someone who meshes well with the personalities of the group.

• Pre-employment testing can help you find a candidate with the right motivation and personality to fit with your existing team.

What is a team player?

A team player is someone who plays well with your team, who understands its rhythms and knows when to step in or step back.  It’s not necessarily someone with the best qualifications or experience but someone who gels well with the team and contributes to its overall success. 

But finding this person can be tricky. You need to look beyond the skills or experience gap you need to fill and consider whether an applicant will vibe with the other team members. So keep reading for seven top tips to nail your recruitment campaign. 

7 tips for hiring a team player

Follow these 7 top tips to help you find your next great team player. 

1. Consider the team first

First, you need to sit down and consider who is on your team. What’s the dynamic among members, what are their strengths, and what are their weaknesses? What gaps are you looking to fill or what vibe are you trying to enhance? Getting clear on what your team needs will help you identify the right person to bring on board. 

Try asking your team to complete a culture add test to see what qualities they think are important. From this, you can make a judgment call as to what traits and qualities your new hire needs to fit into the current dynamic. 

Remember— it's not just about finding someone with the right skills. You're looking for someone who’ll mesh well with the existing members and enhance their strengths. Teamwork is all about helping each other shine, after all. 

2. Don’t skip the chit-chat

Don’t underestimate the importance of chit-chat. Small talk at the beginning of an in-person interview can help you measure how personable a candidate is.

Are they easy to talk to? Do they seem genuinely interested in connecting? Pay close attention to how naturally the conversation flows to gauge whether they fit your team’s dynamic. 

These moments might seem small, but they can tell you a lot about how well they’ll work and build relationships with your team.

TestGorilla’s communication skills test is a great way to measure how personable a candidate is. It assesses how well they understand professional etiquette and pick up on non-verbal cues— both key traits in a professional environment. 

3. Listen for the “we” language

Listen carefully to how applicants describe their past experience. Do they say “we” more than “I”? Do their examples highlight the impact their actions had on the team or how they supported the common goal? These subtle cues can tell you a lot about their attitude toward collaboration and teamwork.

Someone who only talks about their own success may not be a great team player. You might find they struggle to collaborate, play hardball too often, or even have trouble sharing credit where it’s due.

4. Ask about mistakes and failed projects

We’ve all made mistakes, and we’ve all supported projects that didn’t go exactly to plan. What’s important is that we learn from the experience and move forward. 

When you ask candidates about mistakes or failed projects, pay attention to how they describe their role and how they handled the situation. Do they take responsibility for their part and talk about what they learned? Or do they shift the blame elsewhere? 

A true team player isn’t afraid to admit when something didn’t work out and is eager to learn from those experiences to improve themselves and the team. This kind of self-awareness is exactly what you want in someone who will positively contribute.

5. Use examples from everyday life

The behavior and attitude of a team player extend far beyond the four walls of the office. To measure how well a candidate embodies teamwork in everyday life, ask them about experiences outside of work. 

Maybe they’ve coached a sports team, were first on the scene in a traffic collision, or managed a large-scale project like a house renovation. Sometimes, how people act in their personal lives can be just as telling as their professional experiences, so encourage candidates to use examples and behaviors from day-to-day life. 

6. Be suspicious

Be wary of people who claim to be exactly what you’re looking for. Remember—unicorns aren’t real, and neither are perfect candidates. If a candidate’s resume is a carbon copy of your job description or if their interview answers are a little too perfect, it could be a red flag. 

A true team player will be upfront about where they can improve and how they’re working on it, so look out for someone who isn’t afraid to admit their flaws. If someone seems too good to be true, they probably are!

7. Final check with the team

Consider introducing your candidate to your current team. There’s no better way to see if they gel than by letting them interact with the people they’ll be working alongside. You could set up a casual meeting like a team lunch or quick coffee chat. 

This way, your team can get a feel for the candidate's personality and how they handle themselves in a more relaxed setting. Plus, it gives your team a chance to weigh in on the decision. After all, they’re the ones who will be working with this person day in and day out. 

How to assess culture fit and personality

Understanding whether a candidate will mesh well with your team usually comes down to culture fit and personality. But measuring these qualities isn’t always straightforward. You need a tool that goes beyond a resume and the usual interview tools to give you a snapshot of your candidate’s true character.

Enter TestGorilla. Our pre-employment talent platform is the perfect way to deep dive into a candidate’s personality, quirks, and culture fit, looking beyond what they say about themselves to see what makes them tick. 

We have a range of tests you can use to assess whether a candidate's personality makes them a good team player. Kick off with the following:

• Culture add test. This test helps you measure how well aligned a candidate’s values are with those of your team. Will they contribute to the current dynamic and bring a fresh new perspective?

• 16 Personality Types. This test categorizes your candidates into one of 16 pre-determined personality types. It can help you create balance within your team, ensuring you have a diverse mix of personalities that complement one another. 

• Motivation test. This test measures whether a candidate’s expectations match the job you’re offering, and helps you understand what aspects of a role they enjoy the most. 

• Big 5 (OCEAN). Like the 16 Personality types test, this test measures a candidate’s behavior, ability to relate to others, and core strengths. It’s a great way to understand how someone might navigate different workplace dynamics and fit into your team’s culture. 

Pro tip: Be sure to run these tests on your team first. This way, you’ll know exactly how a new candidate’s personality or motivation will fit in, including whether they’ll contribute to the current culture or fill any gaps. 

Find your next team player with TestGorilla

Finding your next team player can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. Someone might in theory be a great team player, but do they have the skills, capabilities, and personality type to fit in with your specific team?

Test Gorilla’s easy-to-use, talent assessment platform could be your solution. You can use our personality and culture-add tests to go beyond the resume and get to know what really makes your candidates tick—whether it's their collaborative spirit, unique strengths, or passion for contributing to the bigger picture.

Sign up for a free plan today or book a free live demo and see the difference TestGorilla makes to your hiring campaign. 

FAQs

How to tell if someone isn’t a team player?

If someone isn’t a team player, you may notice they consistently prioritize their own tasks over group success, struggle to share credit, or seem uninterested in helping others when challenges arise. Subtle, selfish acts are a telltale sign of someone who isn’t a team player. 

How to deal with someone who isn’t a team player?

Dealing with someone who isn’t a team player is tricky. Handling them is likely to be a strategic combination of coaching, team building, and informal misconduct conversations where necessary.