During a coding interview, how do you speak while thinking or coding?

In a coding interview, your communication is as critical as your coding skills. The interviewer wants to understand how you approach problems, make decisions, and solve challenges in real-time. To effectively convey your thought process, it's essential to narrate your thinking, explain your coding steps, and maintain clear communication throughout the session.

Approach:

• Narrate Your Thought Process: Start by restating the problem to confirm your understanding and to set the stage for your solution.

  • Example: "So, what I'm trying to solve is finding the maximum sum of a subarray in this list. My plan is to first consider a brute-force approach, and then optimize it using dynamic programming."

  Then, break down the problem into smaller steps, explaining each step before you start coding.

  • Example: "I’ll begin by initializing a variable to track the current sum and another for the maximum sum I’ve seen so far."

• Think Out Loud: As you write each line of code, explain what you’re doing and why. This helps the interviewer follow your logic and understand your approach.

  • Example: "I’m checking if the current element adds to the sum or if I should start a new subarray because we’re trying to maximize the sum."

  If you're considering multiple approaches, discuss them briefly before making a decision.

  • Example: "I could use a nested loop to check all possible subarrays, but that would be inefficient. Instead, I'll use Kadane’s Algorithm, which runs in linear time."

• Pause Strategically: It’s okay to take a moment to think, but communicate what you're doing to avoid awkward silence.

  • Example: "Let me think about the possible edge cases here, like when the array is empty or has all negative numbers..."

  If you’re unsure about something, ask clarifying questions. This shows that you’re thorough and care about getting the problem right.

  • Example: "Should I consider arrays that contain only negative numbers, or can I assume there will be at least one positive number?"

• Use Simple Language: Keep your explanations straightforward and avoid jargon. The goal is to make sure the interviewer clearly understands your approach.

  • Example: "This line checks if adding the current number increases the sum, or if it’s better to start fresh with just this number."

• Summarize Your Solution: After coding, briefly review your solution to ensure it addresses the problem. Highlight any optimizations or trade-offs.

  • Example: "So, this solution finds the maximum sum by iterating through the array once, updating the maximum sum as it goes. It's efficient with a time complexity of O(n), and I've handled edge cases like an empty array."

Summary:

The key to speaking while coding in an interview is to maintain a clear and structured communication flow. By narrating your thought process, thinking out loud, and summarizing your solution, you make it easy for the interviewer to follow your logic and see the depth of your problem-solving abilities. Examples, like the ones given, help illustrate your approach and make your thinking process transparent.

For further preparation, consider exploring DesignGurus.io courses such as Grokking the Coding Interview and Grokking 75: Top Coding Interview Questions to master the techniques needed for acing coding interviews.