Madhav Malhotra and Avneet Kaur
In this blog post, we are going to discuss important communication skills for giving effective interviews.
Acknowledgement
The first thing we would like to acknowledge is that getting an interview is difficult.
There is a lot of effort that goes into job searching even before an interview happens. The communication skills we are discussing in this blog become relevant once you are inside the interview room (virtual or physical).
What do we mean by Communication Skills?
Communication is a Fundamental Skill that encompasses the following abilities:
- Reading and Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information presented in various ways. This can include job descriptions, interview questions, prompts, case studies, graphs, or shared documents.
- Expression: The ability to speak (and sometimes write) clearly so that others can follow your thinking. This includes staying focused, structured, and relevant.
- Listening: This includes understanding intent, constraints, and what the interviewer is really asking.
- Clarification: The ability to ask questions or explain ideas clearly when something is ambiguous, unclear, or incomplete.
In the following sections, we are going to look deeper into what each of these abilities mean and how to effectively use them for interviews.
Reading and Comprehension
This is the ability to read and understand information presented in various ways.
| Where This Shows Up in Interviews | Common Pitfall | What Good Looks Like | Practical Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
|
• Reading the job description accurately • Understanding multi-part questions • Interpreting case studies, scenarios, or take-home prompts • Reading interviewer cues, time limits, or constraints |
• Rushing into answering without fully understanding the question • Answering the wrong problem • Missing key constraints • Giving technically correct but irrelevant responses |
• Pausing briefly to think deeply before answering • Mentally breaking the question into parts • Identifying what the interviewer is optimizing for (depth vs breadth, constraints) |
Before answering, restate the question in your own words to confirm understanding and alignment with the interviewer |
Expression
Expression is about how clearly and effectively you communicate your thoughts.
| Where This Shows Up in Interviews | Common Pitfall | What Good Looks Like | Practical Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
|
• Explaining past experience • Answering behavioral questions • Walking through problem-solving steps • Describing the different approaches and why you took a particular approach |
• Over-explaining • Jumping between ideas • Assuming context the interviewer does not have This can make strong answers sound confusing or unfocused. |
• Clear structure (beginning → middle → end) • Short, complete sentences • Explicit transitions between ideas |
Use a simple structure (for example: context → action → outcome) and stop once the core point has been clearly made |
Listening
Listening is about understanding intent, constraints, and what the interviewer is really asking.
| Where This Shows Up in Interviews | Common Pitfall | What Good Looks Like | Practical Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
|
• Understanding follow-up questions • Catching hints or redirections • Adjusting answers based on interviewer reactions • Noticing when an interviewer wants more depth or less |
• Interrupting too early • Missing corrections or guidance • Continuing on a path the interviewer has already moved away from |
• Allowing the interviewer to finish speaking • Acknowledging feedback mid-conversation • Adjusting answers in real time |
Pause briefly after the interviewer finishes speaking before responding, and actively reflect back any redirection you hear |
Clarification
Clarification is the ability to ask questions or explain ideas clearly when something is ambiguous, unclear, or incomplete.
| Where This Shows Up in Interviews | Common Pitfall | What Good Looks Like | Practical Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
|
• Ambiguous questions • Open-ended scenarios • Case or problem-solving interviews • Situations with missing information |
• Avoiding clarification due to fear of appearing unprepared • Avoiding clarification to prevent slowing down the interview In reality, not clarifying often leads to weaker answers. |
• Asking relevant, focused questions • Explaining assumptions explicitly • Checking alignment before proceeding |
Before starting your answer, state any assumptions you are making and ask one focused question to confirm alignment |
Bringing It All Together
At the first principles level, these skills focus on:
- Understanding what is being asked
- Expressing ideas clearly
- Listening actively
- Clarifying when needed
When these abilities work together, they convert interviews into productive conversations