How to answer "How will you establish your credibility quickly with the team?" in a job interview

Being new to a team isn't easy!

Your new employer and coworkers need to know they can trust you.

They might ask you in the job interview:

How will you establish your credibility quickly with the team?

Credibility means the ability to build trust and increase your influence in any environment.

It's such an important quality to demonstrate in the workplace, as it reflects your values and beliefs.

How can you come up with the best answer to this question?

If you're asked, "How will you establish your credibility quickly with the team?" here's how you can respond:

First, reflect on qualities that make you credible to others.

Example:

• I am honest in my dealings with people.

• I take responsibility for all I do.

• I like to be accountable.

• I set clear goals and communicate them.

Second, pick one quality and think of a story that happened in your workplace to use as an example.

It's through stories that we shape meaning. The most powerful story wins. 

-- Maureen Freely, author

For example:

In 2019, I led a project, and it did not meet the expectation of the stakeholders. As someone who believes in being accountable for my actions, I reviewed the project with my team. This allowed me to understand what went wrong and how we could improve it. I was able to communicate what went wrong to the stakeholders.

The CAR method is an interviewing technique that helps you to create a story focusing on three essential factors: challenge, action, and results.

• Identify a challenge you faced so that you can demonstrate your best quality during the interview.

• What action did you take to resolve the challenge? This helps to solidify your chosen quality.

• Did you see any results (numerical) that help to quantify your action?

Here is an example of the C.A.R method in action:

As a project planner, I had to complete a project in 3 months instead of 6 months. This challenging project allowed me to showcase my planning and organization skills. I designed and developed clear objectives, a project plan, and a timeline. These were communicated clearly to the rest of my team. The project was completed on time and within its budget.

What should you do to establish your credibility?