Interview with one of our developers

Deshan works as a Senior Tech Lead for a major European e-commerce platform in the home and furniture space, one that processes millions of orders and product updates every single day. He specialises in React, TypeScript, React Native and other front-end technologies, and outside of work he's a Toastmaster and a mentor, so naturally, we asked him about mentoring, culture and communication.

If you were mentoring a junior developer joining a client team for the first time, what's one piece of advice you'd give them?
Be honest and take ownership. If you don't know something, it's perfectly fine to say, "I don't know." There's no need to pretend you have all the answers. Be proactive, take responsibility for your work, and focus on finding solutions rather than passing problems to someone else. Taking ownership and being willing to learn will go a long way.

What's one thing about working with your client's team or country that surprised you?
The quality of work and the work-life balance surprised me the most. There's a strong focus on delivering high-quality work while still maintaining a healthy balance between work and personal life. It's actually much more balanced than I expected!

If you could tell a new developer one tip for working with a European team, what would it be?
Since it's a remote job, communication is especially important. Your European teammates may be working together in the office while you're working remotely, so you need to make an extra effort to stay connected. Communicate clearly and consistently, ask questions when something isn't clear, share regular updates, and raise concerns early. Good communication helps you stay aligned with the team and ensures that distance doesn't become a barrier to working well together.

It's a simple set of habits. Say what you don't know, speak up before you're asked to, and stay visible even when you're the only one not in the room. Nothing on that list needs a computer science degree, just the willingness to show up properly. That's probably why it works.