We’re so glad you’re here! If you’ve got an interview coming up for a Senior Executive Officer (SEO) role in the Civil Service, you’re in the right place. This post will focus on the Working Together behavior and guide you on how to effectively prepare for interview questions using the B-STAR method. We’ll break down what Working Together really means, how it applies at the SEO level, common questions, and what interviewers are looking for.
Grab a coffee, get comfy, and let’s dive in.
What is Working Together and Why is it Important at the Senior Executive Officer Level?
Working Together is all about collaboration, teamwork, and building strong, positive relationships. It’s about engaging with colleagues, stakeholders, and customers in a way that fosters trust and mutual respect. At the SEO level, this behavior is essential because you’ll often be leading teams, managing complex relationships, and ensuring that various parts of the organization work in harmony to achieve goals.
🛠️ At this level, Working Together differs from more junior roles. You’ll be expected to handle greater responsibility, especially when leading cross-functional teams, managing competing interests, and maintaining relationships across departments or agencies. Your ability to lead by example, resolve conflicts, and unite teams will be under close scrutiny.
Answering Working Together Questions Using the B-STAR Method
To ace these questions, we recommend using the B-STAR method, which breaks down your response into clear, structured steps. Here’s how it works:
- B – Belief: Start by sharing your personal belief or approach to teamwork and collaboration. What values guide you when working with others?
- S – Situation: Set the context by describing a specific situation where teamwork was critical.
- T – Task: Outline your role and what was required of you in that situation.
- A – Action: Highlight the specific actions you took to foster teamwork and collaboration.
- R – Result: Explain the positive outcome, whether it was a successful project completion or resolving an issue through effective teamwork.
Common Working Together Interview Questions for the SEO Role
✨ How do you build relationships with colleagues and stakeholders?
✨ Tell me about a time when you had to manage conflicting priorities within a team.
✨ Can you give an example of how you’ve fostered a collaborative environment in a project?
✨ How do you approach situations where team members disagree or have different viewpoints?
✨ Click this link to see more example questions… Interview Detectives
What Are Interviewers Looking For?
Let’s break down what the interviewer will be looking for in your answers:
💡 Building Relationships
They want to see that you’re proactive in establishing strong working relationships. You should demonstrate openness, trust, and a willingness to support colleagues and stakeholders. Your Belief here could be that building trust is foundational to teamwork.
💡 Managing Conflicting Priorities
When it comes to handling conflicts, the interviewer will want evidence of your ability to diplomatically manage tensions and find common ground. Highlight how you use communication to resolve conflicts and move the team forward.
💡 Fostering a Collaborative Environment
They’re looking for examples where you’ve gone beyond your role to bring people together, encouraging diverse perspectives, and ensuring every voice is heard. Your Action could involve organizing team-building activities or promoting open communication.
💡 Handling Disagreements
The interviewer will want to see how you’ve successfully navigated disagreements. Focus on your conflict resolution skills and ability to bring differing views together in a constructive way.
Ideas for Real-Life Scenarios
Here are a few scenario ideas to inspire your answers:
🚀 Leading a project where team members had conflicting ideas on strategy, and you facilitated a compromise.
🚀 Managing stakeholders from different departments with competing priorities, ensuring everyone was on the same page.
🚀 Handling a situation where a team member was disengaged, and you took action to bring them back into the fold.
🚀 Coordinating across multiple teams to deliver a large-scale initiative under tight deadlines.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Working Together Questions
❌ Talking only about individual achievements. Remember, it’s about teamwork, not just you.
❌ Not explaining the specific actions you took. Be clear about your role in the situation.
❌ Overlooking the Result. Always show the positive outcome of your collaboration efforts.
❌ Focusing too much on problems without solutions. Emphasize how you resolved conflicts or overcame challenges.
❌ Being vague. Specific examples are key—don’t generalize.
Key Takeaways for the Senior Executive Officer Role
🔑 At the SEO level, Working Together is crucial for managing relationships, leading teams, and resolving conflicts.
🔑 Use the B-STAR method to structure your answers clearly.
🔑 Focus on scenarios where you successfully fostered collaboration and teamwork.
🔑 Be specific, show leadership, and highlight the positive impact of your actions.
Good luck! You've got this! 😎
Learn more about HEO/SEO Civil Service interviews with our guide...
