Collaboration and teamwork skills

These ideas are ways to start thinking about and researching good teamwork skills. You can’t use these as evidence of teamwork skills in a written application – as they don’t involve teamwork! – but they might be things you reference at interview.

• Read business articles on teams and teamwork.
• Research Belbin and other team effectiveness models.
• Analyse great teams e.g. in sport, F1 pit crews; road-racing cycling teams; or New Zealand All Blacks.
• Go to a introductory session in dancing, singing, or a sport ...

Remember that how you perceive yourself is not always how others perceive you.

You’re unlikely to use these as evidence of teamwork skills in a written application if you have examples from medium-term or long-term commitments – but they might be things you reference at interview.

• Turn tutorials or worksheets into a team exercise; review each other's work, provide positive feedback and collectively improve your end results.
• Help out during Freshers week - for example, working with other “parents” to help new students.
• Have fun with friends, for example by tackling an Escape Room, playing collaborative board games or bridge, or taking on a low ropes course.
• Sign up for Careers skills workshops which include a group element - for example, the Civil Service Group Discussion workshop, or Case Study workshops. See the term planner or the events calendar on CareerConnect for more information and to book your place.
• If you’re a researcher – invite others from different disciplines to hear about each other’s work, or brainstorm potential collaborations.

You may already be involved in some of these teamwork situations, and they are all experiences you might use in applications.

• Volunteer with a youth group, or a local community organisation.
• Get involved in a choir, orchestra or band – or help produce a play.
• Get involved in sub-committees in your Common Room or in a society. For example, volunteer to be part of the team that runs your college ball.
• Take part in a group consulting project, either with the Careers skills programmes, or apply to join student society led consultancy team projects. Read the Consultancy information page for more ideas.
• Join the University Officer Training Core (UOTC)
• Participate in employer competitions that require teamwork.
• Join a sports team. There are dozens of student-run sports clubs, and many more for individual colleges. See Oxford University Sports for initial ideas.

Make long-term commitments to the things that you really enjoy doing and/or which are important to you. This should prove more sustainable and rewarding as well as allowing you to improve your skills.  

• Stand for election to a committee in your Common Room or with a student society – and contribute to their collective decision-making.
• Make a longer term commitment as a volunteer, for example;
  • volunteer as student counsellor in College or for Nightline, and as you gain experience and confidence start to support and train others
  • become part of the student team that runs Oxford Hub or another charity
  • volunteer with a local school to support their teaching or sports.
• Become part of the creative team for a major production, like TEDxOxford, or taking a summer show on tour, perhaps to Edinburgh.
• Participate in on-going student society projects, like the OU Racing team, taking on editorial work for the Oxford Student or Cherwell, or setting up and running a hackathon.
• Consider taking on a role as a school govenor or trustee of a charity.