Interview questions › Communication
Explain something technical you know well to someone with no background in it.
Communication · commonly asked in engineering, product, analyst
No account, no credit card for the first three questions.
How to answer it well
Pick one idea, use one everyday analogy, then check understanding by asking what they would expect to happen next.
Two mistakes that cost you points
- Keeping the jargon and adding 'basically' in front of it.
- Explaining the whole system instead of the one idea that matters to the listener.
What to do with this question today
- Answer it out loud once, without stopping. Do not write it down first.
- Read back exactly what you said. Mark the filler words, and the length of your longest pause.
- Answer it again and change one thing — usually the opening line, or the number at the end.
This question is not in the free run yet — practise the same skill with a free run, or paste a job description and we build the set around that role.
More questions
- In one minute, introduce yourself and explain why this role should consider you. · Communication
- Walk me through your resume. Tell me about the choices you made along the way. · Communication
- Why this role, and why this company, rather than the other places you are talking to? · Communication
- Why should we hire you for this role? · Communication
- Tell me about a time you persuaded someone. What did they disagree with, and how did you put your case? · Communication
- Tell me about a presentation or a meeting you ran. What was the outcome you were after, and how did it land? · Communication
Also searched as: explain technical concept to non technical interviewer; communication skills technical interview
Dimension: Communication — the same skill is probed again with different wording, so practise the pattern, not just this sentence.