[PainfullyNormal]

> She wrote that she assessed that I don't talk like their staff engineers.

I've heard this from other people, too. Is talking the talk really this important to employers looking to hire staff engineers? And if it is, why?

[ghaff]

I'd say that for senior positions generally companies are looking for qualities that go beyond technical expertise (where in coding or something else). This includes communication skills, poise, etc.

[PainfullyNormal]

What you're describing applies to all jobs everywhere, including junior and non-technical positions. Nobody hires strictly on technical expertise.

[hanifbbz]

In this particular case I guess questioning the business model of the company by bringing some controversy on the first interaction wasn't very strategic. Maybe the staff engineers they have hired don't do that!

[PainfullyNormal]

I doubt that was the deal breaker. I always question the company's business model in the interview. If they can't defend their business model to an applicant, how can they possibly do so to investors, customers, and/or other companies looking to make strategic partnerships? Their due diligence is far more severe than mine (or the author's).

I asked the question because it's not the first time I've heard something similar to "learn to talk like other staff engineers". I've heard it a few times, I've read/heard other people being told some variation of it, and it even shows up in the Staff Engineer book by Will Larson. I was hoping to get more insight from people either hiring Staff engineers or other Staff engineers themselves.