The quality I keep hearing hiring managers talk about most right now has nothing to do with technical ability. It comes up in almost every conversation I’m having with engineering leaders at the moment, and it’s increasingly influencing who gets hired at the senior level.
This page covers why communication is moving up the priority list in engineering hiring, what it looks like in practice, and how to assess it in your process.
What good engineering communication looks like
The best engineers don’t only solve difficult technical problems. They explain them in a way that Product Managers, Designers, Executives and customers can understand. They translate complexity into clarity without losing the substance.
This isn’t about being a polished presenter or writing tidy documentation. It’s about whether an engineer can bring a non-technical stakeholder with them through a difficult decision.
Why this matters more now
Engineering is more embedded in business decision-making than it was five years ago. As teams get leaner, engineers are increasingly in rooms where the conversation centres on strategy, trade-offs, and customer outcomes. The ability to communicate well in those rooms is no longer optional at the senior level.
As engineering teams work more closely with product and design, the friction caused by poor communication between disciplines has become harder to absorb. Strong communication reduces that friction significantly.
What hiring managers are looking for
The signal tends to show up in how candidates explain their own work. The question isn’t whether they use the right technical terminology. It’s whether they can tell the story of a complex problem in a way a non-technical person can follow.
Strong candidates walk through a difficult decision clearly: what the problem was, what the constraints were, what they chose to do and why. They don’t assume shared context. They build it.
What this means for your hiring process
Worth building at least one stage into your process where candidates explain something complex to a non-technical interviewer. It doesn’t need to be elaborate. A straightforward “walk me through how this worked and why you made the decisions you did” is enough to surface whether the communication is there.
FAQ
Why does communication matter for engineers in 2026?
As engineering teams become leaner and more embedded in business decision-making, engineers are regularly working alongside Product, Design, Executives and customers. The ability to explain complex technical decisions clearly in those conversations directly affects the speed and quality of outcomes.
What does strong communication look like in a technical interview?
A candidate who communicates well can walk through a complex problem without assuming shared context. They tell the story of a decision clearly: the problem, the constraints, what they chose and why. They don’t rely on technical language to fill the gaps.
Is communication more important than technical ability?
No. Technical ability remains the base requirement. Communication is what separates strong candidates from each other at the senior level, once that bar is cleared.
How do you assess communication skills when hiring engineers?
Give candidates something complex to explain to a non-technical interviewer. Ask them to walk through a past project or decision in plain language. How they handle that tends to reveal more than a standard technical interview.
How does Brightbox factor communication into engineering placements?
We pay close attention to how candidates explain their work in our conversations, not only what they’ve built. Engineers who communicate clearly tend to integrate faster and have a stronger impact on the teams they join.
Thinking about an engineering hire?
If you’re building or growing an engineering team and want an honest read on the market, hit reply or book a chat. No pressure, no pitch, just an off-the-record conversation.
Liam Pietzka
CEO and Founder, Brightbox Consulting
Engineering | Technology
Last updated: July 2026
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