How a Croatian Security Engineer Prepped for Google's Behavioral Interviews
Interviewers are not grading your accent. They need to follow your reasoning in English. She was a security engineer in Croatia. The gap was behavioral interview stories - not the technical content.
What this case shows
A Croatian security engineer was targeting Google. Behavioral stories in English were the gap. Here is what she practised.
At a glance
| Role | Security Engineer |
|---|---|
| Location | Croatia |
| English challenge | behavioral / STAR |
| Interview problem | Behavioral |
| Target | |
| Preparation | Live mocks with English feedback on the same answers |
| Outcome | Built stronger interview English after earlier unsuccessful rounds |
The Gap Between Knowing and Explaining
Interviewers are not grading your accent. They need to follow your reasoning in English. She was a security engineer in Croatia. Day-to-day work used AWS. The team often spoke Russian, so live English was not daily practice. The next interviews were at Google, in English. She had already been through an earlier interview round. In behavioral rounds, her stories ran long or lost the result, and she paused to find words in English.
Before and After
Before coaching
- She reached for words mid-answer and translated from her first language.
- Stories ran long and lost the result.
- She took long pauses while searching for the next sentence.
After coaching
- She used a small set of precise terms instead of long approximations.
- Short work stories with a clear action and a result said early.
- She finished answers without abandoning the structure.
What We Practised
Practice matched the round she actually had to speak: behavioral interview stories for Google. After each mock, she got notes on the same answer - where she paused, which words were vague, and where the structure broke.
- She built reusable work stories with a clear structure: situation, task, action, and result.
- She practised answering follow-up questions on the same story instead of switching to a new example.
- She replaced vague verbs with precise language (decided, shipped, measured).
- She practised saying the result early so the interviewer could follow the point.
Useful references along the way: STAR interview framework, Pronouncing numbers and metrics.
The Turning Point
The useful change followed an earlier interview round. She stopped treating English as optional polish. The next mocks used the same format that had failed. Answers got a fixed order so follow-up questions did not break the story.
What Other Engineers Can Learn
- Treat a failed round as information. Practise that exact format out loud again.
- Write five to eight work stories from real projects. Practise follow-up questions on the same stories.
- Say the result in the first twenty seconds, then explain the action.
- Use first person for decisions: I decided, I measured, I pushed back.
- Keep answers short. A clear point beats a long timeline.
After the Coaching
She built stronger interview English after earlier unsuccessful rounds. She could tell a clearer story after an earlier interview round. Readiness - not a promised offer - was the goal.
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 an American Security Engineer Built English Fluency for Google.
Where She Started
She prepared for English-language interviews as a security engineer. The stack was AWS. Written English was stronger than speaking against the clock.
The interview process
| Earlier round | Unsuccessful - an earlier interview round |
|---|---|
| Target | Google - behavioral interview stories |
Learning paths
Practise in the course
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FAQ
Questions
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Other engineers practising interview English
Mockly was a huge help in preparing for my interviews. We worked on both technical and behavioral questions, and I received great advice on how to approach them and what to focus on. I feel significantly more confident as a result. They also helped me with my CV and cover letter - showing me how to structure them properly and highlight my strengths. I appreciate that they always ask how you’d like to structure your sessions and adjust to your goals. It keeps you on track and makes the whole process far more effective.
I’ve had the pleasure of practicing English with Mockly and I truly appreciate the progress I’ve made. I highly recommend their services to professionals in tech and beyond. I particularly enjoy the teaching style and the philosophy behind it: “If you enjoy the process, you’ll get it.” The personalized learning plans make every session practical and useful. Their hands-on knowledge and genuine interest in the world of technology will genuinely boost your English skills.
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