Team Work – RCMP Right Fit Interview Competency 7

Team Work – RCMP Right Fit Interview Competency 7

As I continue my series breaking down the eight RCMP Right Fit Interview (formerly Regular Member Selection Interview) Competencies, we are going to focus on Team Work.  As I stated in my previous posts, going through the RCMP Application Process and getting ready for the “Right Fit” Interview can be one of the most challenging stages of the process, and one not to be taken lightly.

At this interview, you will be asked behavioural and situational questions that will be used to assess if you meet this competency.

Taken from the RCMP Preparatory Guide for the Regular Member Right Fit Interview, the definition of Teamwork is:

Achieves common goals by working cooperatively with others and developing a positive work climate. Acts to facilitate the operation of teams of which they are a member.

 

Team Work for Behavioural Based Questions

The behavioural question will target your past experiences that demonstrate that you have a strong ability and desire to effectively work within a team environment.

For example, the interviewer might ask you to tell about a time when you had to motivate a team to perform at a higher level.  Or when you were working on a team where members had difficulty adapting to differences among the team members.  And then, what you did to help restore a positive work environment.

When you are preparing for the “Right Fit” Interview, think about all of the situations where you were part of a team, and how you contributed to the positive interaction of the members.  Try and think of examples where you were faced with problems that occur whenever a group of people are working together to reach a common goal, i.e. conflict within the team, varying work levels and abilities, strong personalities, etc.   Something that demonstrates that you have encountered team issues and are comfortable taking steps to address them.  Don’t forget, this doesn’t just have to be work related examples.  You can use volunteer time, sporting events, or periods during your education.   Prepare several stories that you can use during the interview that demonstrate that you are committed to being an effective and contributing member of a team.   

Remember, when answering these questions, you will articulate your example using the S*T*A*R principle. 

Situation
Task
Action
Result

Team Work for Situational Based Questions

The situational question will be a hypothetical scenario that will assess how you would handle a certain situation.

The interviewer will provide you with a situation and ask what you would do.  You will respond by stating the action that you would take if faced with that situation, why you would take that action and what factors you considered.  This is called the A*R*C principle.

Action
Reasoning
Considerations

You might get asked what you would do if you were working in a team where one of the members was not working up to the standard of the other team members, or how you would handle it if  two or more of your team members were embroiled in a conflict.

Situational questions can be somewhat lengthy, so you have to be careful to pay attention to the entire question.  Focus on the parts that are relevant.  Think about the action as a series of steps.  Then state why you would do those steps and what you considered at each stage.

As you can see, there is a lot to consider when focusing on this one competency.  And as I continue to stress, you must be prepared.  Have your examples ready and practice delivering them using S*T*A*R.  Come up with sample scenarios on your own and practice answering them using the A*R*C principle.

Catch up on all parts of this series: RCMP Competencies.

Do you know someone who is faced with this challenge?  Feel free to share this post by using the share links at the top of this page.  Also, if you’d like more interview tips, feel free to check out the interview resource page.