DEV Community: Gaurav Agarwal

How Indian Developers Can Ace Technical Interviews in English

Gaurav Agarwal — Sat, 14 Nov 2026 20:05:01 +0000

You can solve the problem. You know the data structure. But in a technical interview conducted in English, many strong Indian developers lose points not on code but on communication. Interviewers at product companies and global teams evaluate how clearly you explain your thinking, not just whether your solution compiles.

Here is how to communicate like a senior engineer, even if English is your second language.

1. Think out loud, in simple sentences

Interviewers want to hear your reasoning. Use short, clear sentences:

"Let me first make sure I understand the problem."
"My first idea is a brute-force approach. It would be O(n²)."
"We can improve this with a hash map. Let me explain why."

Silence for three minutes followed by perfect code scores lower than a clear walkthrough with a small bug.

2. Clarify before you code

Asking questions shows maturity:

"Can the input contain negative numbers?"
"Should I optimise for time or memory?"
"Is it okay if I assume the list is sorted?"

3. Use a structure for system design

Say your plan out loud before drawing anything:

"First, I'll clarify requirements and scale."
"Then I'll sketch the high-level architecture."
"After that, I'll go deeper into the database and caching."
"Finally, I'll discuss trade-offs and bottlenecks."

4. Handle "I don't know" gracefully

Never freeze. Try: "I haven't worked with that directly, but here's how I would approach it..." This keeps the conversation going and shows problem-solving.

5. Prepare your behavioural answers

"Tell me about a challenging project" and "Describe a conflict with a teammate" come up in almost every loop. Use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and practise each answer aloud until it takes about two minutes.

Practise speaking, not just LeetCode

Most developers practise hundreds of coding problems but never practise explaining them. Record yourself solving one problem a day while talking through it, then listen back for long pauses and filler words.

If you want structured mock interviews with feedback on your spoken English, SpeakSaathi offers live one-on-one coaching for working professionals, including technical and HR interview practice.

Your code gets you to the interview. Your communication gets you the offer. Start practising both, and if you need a coach for the speaking part, check out SpeakSaathi.

English Communication Tips for Indian Developers: Standups, Code Reviews and Client Calls

Gaurav Agarwal — Sat, 14 Nov 2026 19:21:02 +0000

Most developers in India read and write English every day: documentation, Stack Overflow answers, pull request comments. Yet many of us go quiet the moment we have to speak English in a standup or on a client call. Our technical skills are strong, but our spoken communication makes us look less senior than we are.

Here is a practical playbook for the three situations developers face most.

1. Daily standups

Use a fixed three-line structure so you never have to think about wording:

Yesterday: "Yesterday I finished the API integration for the payment module."
Today: "Today I'll be writing unit tests and fixing the timeout issue."
Blockers: "I'm blocked on the staging credentials. Could someone from DevOps help?"

Short, clear sentences sound more confident than long, complicated ones.

2. Code reviews and technical discussions

Disagreeing in English without sounding rude is a real skill. A few phrases that help:

"Have we considered using a queue here instead?"
"I might be missing something, but wouldn't this cause a race condition?"
"Nice approach. One small suggestion: ..."
"Can we take this offline and discuss it in detail?"

3. Client and stakeholder calls

Clients care less about grammar and more about clarity. Before any call:

Write down the three points you must communicate.
Practise explaining one technical issue in non-technical language, out loud.
Prepare a fallback phrase for when you don't understand: "Sorry, could you rephrase that? I want to make sure I get it right."

Why reading isn't enough

You can't learn to swim by reading about swimming, and you can't become fluent by reading English. Spoken fluency comes from speaking and getting feedback. Record yourself explaining your current project in two minutes, then listen back for filler words and long pauses.

If you want structured practice, SpeakSaathi runs live one-on-one spoken English sessions for working professionals, including mock standups, client calls and interview practice, with a coach who corrects you in real time.

Final thought

Your code speaks for you in the repo. In meetings, you have to speak for yourself. Fifteen minutes of daily speaking practice can change how your team and clients see you. If you'd like a guided plan, check out SpeakSaathi and start with a trial session.