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By Mockly English · Last updated:
How a Serbian Engineering Manager Prepped for Microsoft in English
Interviewers are not grading your accent. They need to follow your reasoning in English. He was a engineering manager in Serbia. The gap was behavioral / STAR — not the technical content.
At a glance
| Role | Engineering Manager |
|---|---|
| Location | Serbia |
| English challenge | behavioral / STAR |
| Interview problem | Behavioral |
| Target | Microsoft |
| Preparation | Live mocks with English feedback on the same answers |
| Outcome | Gained clearer, more confident English for interviews |
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The Problem
Interviewers are not grading your accent. They need to follow your reasoning in English. He was a engineering manager in Serbia. The next interviews were at Microsoft, in English. In the room, behavioral / STAR was what broke down.
Then vs Now
Before coaching
- Stories ran long and lost the result
- Long pauses while searching for the next sentence
After coaching
- STAR stories with a clear action and a result said early
- Finished answers without abandoning the structure
What We Practised
Practice matched the round he actually had to speak: behavioral / STAR for Microsoft. Each mock got notes on the same answer — where he paused, which words were vague, and where the structure broke.
- Built reusable STAR stories from real work — situation, task, action, result
- Practised answering follow-up questions on the same story instead of switching prompts
- Replaced vague verbs with precise language (decided, shipped, measured)
- Practised giving the result earlier so the interviewer could follow the point
Useful references along the way: STAR interview framework, Pronouncing numbers and metrics.
What to Practise
- Write 5–8 STAR stories from real work. Practise the follow-ups on the same stories.
- Say the result in the first 20 seconds, then the action.
- Use first person for decisions: I decided, I measured, I pushed back.
- Keep answers short. Clear beats a long timeline.
- Practise out loud. Notes on paper do not train retrieval under pressure.
The Difference
Gained clearer, more confident English for interviews. He could explain the work more clearly when questions got hard. That readiness was the goal — not a promised job offer.
Why Behavioral Interviews Are Difficult in English
A behavioral round asks you to remember an experience, pick the relevant details, structure a story, and still sound natural — all in a second language. You are choosing tenses, names, and numbers while the interviewer asks follow-ups. STAR is useful because it is a spoken order, not a script. Without that order, strong work disappears into a long, unfinished story.
Preparing for a similar path? Read How a Russian Data Analyst Built English Fluency for Microsoft.
Starting Point
He prepared for English-language interviews as a engineering manager. Written English was stronger than speaking under the clock.
Practice this STAR story
Try a locked preview of a behavioral / STAR drill — with English prompts for situation, action, and result.
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Create your Mockly account →Frequently Asked Questions
What English should a engineering manager learn for interviews?
The language of the round you will face — here, behavioral / STAR. Learn full sentences for that format, not a general business-English course.
Can I pass a tech interview if my English isn't fluent?
Yes. Interviewers need to follow your reasoning. A clear structure and the right words matter more than sounding native. This case study is about that gap — not about erasing an accent.
What if I understand English but struggle to speak in interviews?
That was the pattern here: written English was stronger than live answers. Practise behavioral / STAR out loud, with follow-ups, until retrieval is automatic.
Should I practise technical interviews in English?
If the real loop is in English, yes. Silent LeetCode or notes in your first language do not train the round the interviewer will hear.
Other engineers practising interview English
Mockly has helped me enormously in working toward my goals in Tech. Highly recommended.
Mockly knows what it takes to get hired. The preparation covers behavioral, algorithm, and system design interviews thoroughly — with real expertise in the STAR method, LeetCode, and Alex Xu’s system design frameworks. And when it comes to English and communication skills, the native-speaking mentors make all the difference.
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