How to Get a New Job as a Team Leader
Are you ready to climb the career ladder and land the perfect team leader role? We love matching passionate candidates with exciting new positions of authority, so we’ve put together a list of tips to facilitate the process.
Understand the company as a whole
Though it’s true that every member of staff is crucial to the daily flow of a business, the team leaders are the ones who keep everything running smoothly.
A team leader requires more knowledge about the company than the average employee, as they need to understand the mission, values, vision and goals that form its very foundations. Showing that you’re invested not just in doing your job but actively helping the business to improve and grow is a crucial quality of a strong team leader.
Do your research, keep your finger on the pulse of sector developments and never stop being curious, ambitious and imaginative.
You have to be a people person
As a team leader, you’ll need to know your staff, your peers and your leaders in equal measure. This can’t begin until you’ve been offered the role, but you can still demonstrate your determination to establish strong working relationships during the interview process. This could involve explaining how you’ll use your position to further strengthen communication, collaboration and a sense of community both within your team and between departments.
You’re the one who enables change
Team leaders don’t just follow orders and meet minimum quotas – they constantly go above and beyond to evolve their domain and the wider business. Remember that small improvements are just as valuable as large changes, as they can have a cumulative effect that makes an enormous difference to everything from efficiency to profitability.
Use your interview to highlight that you’re not afraid to take responsibility and share new ideas. This is as much about developing your people as it is suggesting tweaks to operational processes, so be creative and stand out from the other candidates.
Set goals right away
There will be many other people applying for the same team leader position. This means that the interview panel will be looking for candidates who immediately share their goals, as this gives an idea of how you’ll benefit the business. Providing you’re respectful and honest, your boldness in outlining these goals is sure to make a good impression.
Can you solve a problem right away?
If you’ve done your research, you may have already spotted opportunities for improvement within the company. This could take any of countless forms but the key is to instantly show how your problem-solving abilities, attention to detail and can-do attitude will benefit the business. Pitching an idea during an interview is a sure-fire way to grab attention and convince the interviewers that you’re serious about being a team leader.
Be yourself
Of all the things you need to be in an interview – engaging, sharp, enthusiastic, friendly, positive – the most important thing is to be yourself. You’ll be working with these people on a daily basis for a long time and your role is central to the organisation’s productivity and service delivery, so be authentic from start to finish.
Aside from giving the interviewers a genuine feel for who you are as an individual, being yourself also helps to build rapport and open up valuable topics of conversation.
Get in touch today
Prestige Recruitment is dedicated to matching candidates with employers across a wide variety of industries. To find out more, please call your closest branch or get in touch through our contact form.