{"id":4433,"date":"2016-11-21t11:40:30","date_gmt":"2016-11-21t11:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/?p=4433"},"modified":"2016-11-21t11:40:30","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21t11:40:30","slug":"4-ways-display-teamwork-application-essays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.catharsisit.com\/blog\/4-ways-display-teamwork-application-essays\/","title":{"rendered":"4 ways to display teamwork in application essays"},"content":{"rendered":"
this post originally appeared on the accepted blog<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n teamwork, and its close cousin, <\/span>leadership<\/span><\/a>, are highly prized by graduate programs and universities. haven\u2019t worked in teams on any regular basis? don\u2019t worry! there are more ways than you may realize to prove your chops in this area. consider the following 4 options:<\/span><\/p>\n unless you\u2019ve been living alone on an island for the last several years, you have undoubtedly <\/span>participated in various groups<\/span><\/a>. you may have been a member of a sports team or dance troupe, a member of a committee on either a volunteer or workplace basis, helped to organize an event, planned a triathlon, or been a tutor, big brother, or big sister. in each case, you were working with other people, even if it was only one other person, and had opportunities to display teamwork.<\/span><\/p>\n teamwork and collaboration involve effective listening, so if you can discuss a time when you took the time to listen to others, patiently and skillfully, and how doing so eased tensions and increased collaboration, that will demonstrate your teamwork abilities.<\/span><\/p>\n talk about the steps you took to improve morale or motivate. if you helped to generate enthusiasm for a project when enthusiasm was flagging, or brainstormed an idea to strengthen a group or project, that\u2019s also teamwork. if you were a member of a committee and figured out a way for two warring members of the committee to stop fighting and start working together, that would also constitute teamwork. any time you took the initiative to get involved with other people (especially when they are difficult!) to find a better way to get things done, find a middle ground, brainstorm a new idea, it\u2019s all teamwork.<\/span><\/p>\n effective teamwork can also be shown in very small groups. a client once wrote about her efforts to heal a serious rift in her family after her father passed away and siblings fought for control of the successful family business. an ugly succession fight was underway. the client\u2019s ability to patiently coax cooperation in such an emotionally charged environment, including her \u201cshuttle diplomacy\u201d and active listening among family members, displayed skilled teamwork and leadership. another client wrote about having organized a trip with a few friends, and how she dealt with a dispute between two of the participants whose bickering threatened to ruin the trip for everyone. her effective listening, and creatively figuring out an activity that both of the \u201ccombatants\u201d would not be able to resist, helped defuse the situation and save the trip from descending into a hellish situation for everyone. in both these situations, the \u201cteams\u201d were small but the stakes for those involved were high.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n about linda abraham:<\/em><\/p>\n accepted.com<\/a> has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top universities since 1994 \u2013 they know what works and what doesn\u2019t, so follow linda abraham on google+<\/a> and contact accepted<\/a> to get started or visit accepted.com<\/a> for all your admissions consulting<\/a> needs today!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" check out these tips to best demonstrate your teamwork skills on your application.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":4434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,8],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[491],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n1. remember: no man is an island<\/h2>\n
2. put your listening ears on<\/h2>\n
3. discuss morale boosting and conflict resolution<\/h2>\n
4. think small<\/h2>\n
\nso do not feel stymied when asked for examples of how you have displayed teamwork \u2013 as you now see, you\u2019ve been working in teams more often than you realize!<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nphoto at top courtesy of shutterstock.com \/ rawpixel.com<\/a> <\/i><\/h6>\n