Среди кандидатов была моя подруга, и работодатель особенно похвалил её за честные ответы.

Среди requires the genitive case, so кандидатов is the genitive plural of кандидат.

• кандидат = candidate
• кандидаты = candidates
• кандидатов = of candidates / among the candidates after среди

So среди кандидатов means among the candidates.

In the past tense, Russian verbs agree with the subject in gender and number.

Here the subject is моя подруга, which is:

• singular
• feminine

So the verb must be была.

Compare:

• был = masculine singular
• была = feminine singular
• было = neuter singular
• были = plural

Both are grammatically possible, but the word order changes the emphasis.

• Среди кандидатов была моя подруга puts the setting first: among the candidates...
• Моя подруга была среди кандидатов starts with my friend and sounds more neutral or straightforward.

Russian word order is much more flexible than English. In this sentence, the given order helps present моя подруга as the important new piece of information.

Russian often does not need a direct equivalent of one of in this kind of structure.

Среди кандидатов была моя подруга naturally means:

• My friend was among the candidates
• or, in natural English, My friend was one of the candidates

So the idea of one of is already built into среди + genitive plural.

Because её is the form used for a direct object here.

• она = she
• её = her

In работодатель особенно похвалил её, the employer praised her, so Russian uses the object form её.

After хвалить за meaning to praise for, Russian uses за + accusative.

So:

• за честные ответы = for honest answers

Here ответы is accusative plural. Because ответы is an inanimate plural noun, its accusative form looks the same as the nominative plural.

That is why you see:

• честные ответы
  not a different-looking plural form

The adjective честные matches ответы in case, number, and gender.

Because и is joining two separate clauses, each with its own grammatical center:

1. Среди кандидатов была моя подруга
2. работодатель особенно похвалил её за честные ответы

In Russian, when и connects two full clauses like this, a comma is normally used.

Особенно means especially, particularly, or in particular.

It modifies похвалил and shows that the employer praised her in a special or notable way:

• особенно похвалил = especially praised / praised in particular

Usually, среди is the better choice here.

• среди = among, amid, in the midst of a group or mass
• между = between, or among in a more spatial or clearly separated sense

Since кандидаты are being treated as a group, среди кандидатов sounds most natural.

Not necessarily. Grammatically, работодатель is a masculine noun, but it can be used as a general term for employer, regardless of the person’s sex.

So in context, it can mean:

• a male employer
• or simply the employer as a role

If the sentence wanted to make the employer clearly female in a more explicit way, the wording might be changed, but работодатель itself is often used as the standard neutral job-title word.