Demonstrating Relational Skills in Tech Interviews

“I'm passing on this candidate. They’re just… not a great communicator.” I’ve heard this before. Many times. A candidate crushes the technical test… then completely fumbles the behaviorual interview. Why? Because they underestimated the one skill set that can make or break your career in tech: Soft skills. Here’s the reality: - 92% of hiring managers say soft skills are as important (if not MORE important) than hard skills. - Many managers would rather train a technically weaker candidate with great soft skills than hire a genius who can’t communicate. - Collaboration issues between IT and business teams actively slow projects down. In other words, if you can’t communicate, listen, and work well with others, you’re a liability, no matter how great your code is. So, how do you prove your soft skills in the hiring process? 1. Active listening > Rambling Let the interviewer finish. Then, paraphrase their question before answering. It shows clarity and engagement. 2. Keep answers concise Tech folks love going deep and going technical. But hiring managers/interviewers love clear, structured thinking. Use the STAR or CAR method 3. Show you’re a team player When discussing past projects, highlight HOW you worked with people, not just what you built. And if you really want to avoid career roadblocks? Keep these truths in mind: • Your skills get you in the door, but your attitude determines how long you stay. • People don’t just remember what you say. They remember how you make them feel. • Being right isn’t as valuable as being easy to work with. • A great idea means nothing if you can’t communicate it clearly. • No one promotes the person who drains the energy out of every meeting. • You can be the smartest in the room, but if no one likes working with you, it won’t matter. • Emotional intelligence often beats technical brilliance. •Trust is built through consistency, not grand gestures. • People follow leaders who listen, not just those who talk the loudest. • Humility opens more doors than arrogance ever will. • Be biased toward action. Remember this: Soft skills build careers and make you the obvious choice. They create trust, open doors, and make you someone people actually WANT to work with. But a lack of soft skills? That’s the fastest way to stall your career—no matter how talented you are. So if you’re serious about growth? Start with soft skills. Start with how you communicate. Start with how you empathize. Start with how you handle stress. That’s what sets apart great candidates from forgettable ones.

Next time you're interviewing and they ask about teamwork, skip the usual clichés (think I am ready to roll up my sleeves...BUT how?) Try the Team Amplification approach that landed one of my peers their ideal role. And use the examples below as just a starting point - use your own data to highlight how you have advanced others. Instead of saying "I'm a team player," show HOW (the behaviors): The Amplification Method 1. Map Team Wins, Not Just Yours "When I noticed Sarah's design eye, I advocated for her to lead our rebrand" -Result: Her confidence soared, project won awards 2. Bridge Skill Gaps Creatively "Connected my team to my network's Excel wizard for training" Result: Whole team leveled up, productivity jumped 30% 3. Spotlight Hidden Talent "Discovered our quiet analyst was brilliant at client strategy" Result: Created new role that played to her strengths 4. Document Your Multiplier Effect -Track how your actions elevated team performance -Show how investing in others created exponential returns 5. The Power Move: Bring a one-page "Team Impact Map" showing how you've amplified others' success. Interviewers remember leaders who make everyone better. 🚀Going far together beats going fast alone. Every time! 📣 The takeaway: ROI isn't just financial. It's relational.

How I passed 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀  at Shopify, Uber, Amazon, and more! I still remember bombing my first ever technical interview. Here's what changed: In my first one, I opened my laptop and immediately started coding. No questions asked. Near the end, the interviewer stopped me — I had implemented something entirely unnecessary. I had solved the wrong problem. In silence. The issue wasn't my LeetCode. It was that I never stopped to actually understand what they were asking. Most people over-prepare on problems and under-prepare on communication. An interview is a conversation, not a coding exam. Here's the process I use now: 𝟭. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 Repeat the problem back. Ask about edge cases. Confirm constraints. 𝟮. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 Walk the interviewer through your logic. Get approval. Then code. 𝟯. 𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 Don't go silent. Tell them what you're doing and why. They want to see how you think, not just what you produce. 𝟰. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀 Tell them why you chose your approach, what you considered, and why this was the most optimal path. Speed matters. Arriving at the right solution matters. But clear communication is also just as important. Mastering that separates you from being a good candidate to being a great one. 👇🏻 What part of technical interviews do you find the hardest to prepare for? ⭐️ I’m sharing 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 that helped me - resume, prep, interview techniques, all of it. 🔔 Connect so you don’t miss the rest of the series :)

You may have the best resume and aced the tech interview, but that is not enough! Based on my 8+ years of experience, here is what I have learned: ✅ Human connection and adding value are just as important as technical skills. Most of my roles required just 1-2 interviews to get an offer, except for one, which involved 4-5 interviews. Why? Because building a genuine connection and showing your impact from the first interview makes all the difference. Of course, software engineering roles are different, they often require multiple coding, system design, and behavioral rounds. But the principles still apply: Key Takeaways for Landing Offers 1️⃣ Build genuine connections Ask thoughtful questions that show curiosity & interest in the role. Send a thank-you email to express genuine interest in the position. 2️⃣ Focus on adding value Highlight how your skills and experience bring value to the team. Share how your past experiences align with the company’s goals. 3️⃣ Be someone they want to work with Interviewers are looking for teammates they can work well with, not someone who knows everything. Ask yourself: Are you someone who makes the team better? Can you write, test, and explain your code clearly? Are you approachable, collaborative, and open to feedback? What Successful candidates do ✔️ Talk about mentors they have learned from. ✔️ Clearly explain how they will add value to the team. ✔️ Create authentic connections during the process. What candidates who didn't get offers do ❌ Don’t create a genuine connection. ❌ Fail to demonstrate their value to the team. ❌ Didn't give credit to team/company. If I were interviewing today, here is what I would do: ✅ Research the company and interviewers thoroughly. ✅ Ask meaningful, strategic questions. ✅ Clearly communicate the value I bring to the team/company. The Truth about interviews At the end of the day, interviews aren’t meant to be overly complex, they are about finding the right talent through meaningful conversations. While some companies overcomplicate the process, great companies often make it simpler and give clear signals from the very first interview. Remember: Interviews are as much about teamwork and personality as they are about skills. Build genuine connections, show your value, and the offers will follow! What’s one tip that worked for you during interviews? Share in the comments! Follow Lakshmi for more such tips & reach out to me on my Top mate for any 1:1 or resume review ( link in the comments ) #softwareengineer #softwaredeveloper #engineering #interns #newgrads ______________________________________________________________________________ 🙋♀️ I am Lakshmi Marikumar, founder of Everyone Who Codes (EWC), I have guided over 1000+ engineers! Subscribe to my YouTube channel @thefriendlyrecruiter for tips on preparing for your interviews by industry experts.

You solved it. Correct output. Clean code. No hints needed. They still said "No". Here’s the truth: Interviewers make judgments before you write a single line of code. I’ve sat in thousands of debriefs. The engineers who get hired? They don’t start solving. They start asking. “Can I clarify something about the constraint?” “Let me repeat the problem back to make sure I understand.” “Before I dive in - can I share how I’m thinking about this?” The engineers who get rejected? They start coding in silence. Heads down. No questions. No framing. 45 minutes later, they have a working solution. And the debrief note reads: “Solved the problem but felt like a black box.” Here’s why this matters: In a debrief room, I have to argue for you. I can’t argue for silence. I can’t say “trust me, they’re good” when 3 interviewers felt like they couldn’t follow your thought process. What I CAN argue: “They asked great clarifying questions.” “They framed the problem before jumping in.” “When they got stuck, they talked through it instead of going quiet.” That’s evidence. That’s what moves a “maybe” to a “yes.” 5 things to do in the first 5 minutes of any interview: → Repeat the problem in your own words → Ask at least one clarifying question (even if you don’t need to) → State your approach before you start building → Flag the tradeoffs you’re choosing and why → If you’re nervous - say so. “I’m going to take a second to think.” That’s not weakness. That’s composure. The interview isn’t a test of whether you can solve the problem. It’s a test of whether I can put you in front of a team and trust you to think clearly under pressure. Show me your thinking. That’s the offer. What’s the first 5 minutes of your interviews usually look like? Honestly. Joshua Talreja Views are my own. #interviews #techcareers #india #hiring #engineering

Interviewing for SWE roles at Google, Microsoft, and Goldman Sachs taught me one crucial thing beyond coding & design challenges : While technical skills (Data Structures, Algorithms, System Design) are the entry ticket, demonstrating your thought process and communication under pressure is what often seals the deal. It wasn't just about getting the right answer, but: * Clearly articulating trade-offs (O(n) vs O(nlog n) isn't just theory, why choose one?). * Asking clarifying questions before jumping into code. * Thinking out loud, even when stuck (showing resilience and problem-solving approach). * Discussing testing and edge cases proactively. Different companies might weigh these slightly differently, but they were universally important across my experiences from finance tech (GS) to big tech (MS & Google). I enjoy breaking down the nuances of Software Engineering. Follow me Ashutosh Maheshwari for more such insights. #softwareengineering #systemdesign #techinterviews