Rant: 'exceptional written communication' in every single infrastructure job ad

Sam · Infrastructure consultant · 23 June 2026 illustrative example

Job ad for a network engineer role. Requirements: BGP, MPLS, automation... and 'exceptional written communication skills with meticulous attention to detail'.

The job is 90% keeping packets moving. The 10% that's writing could be handled by templates and a proof-listen. But that one line quietly filters out half of us before we apply.

I've started reading it as a signal: if the ad can't tell the difference between the job and the paperwork around the job, the team probably can't either. Anyone found the opposite - ads that got it right?

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4 replies

Maya · Network engineer · 24 June 2026 illustrative example
The one that got it right for me: 'clear ticket notes (we have templates)'. Four words in brackets doing more inclusion work than the whole diversity statement.
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Priya · Platform engineer · 24 June 2026 illustrative example
Flip side: I now put 'documentation systems that don't rely on individual heroics' in MY consulting pitch. The dyslexia-driven template obsession became the product.
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- Sam · Infrastructure consultant · 25 June 2026 illustrative example
  Selling the accommodation as the methodology. This is the way.
Richard · Senior infrastructure engineer · 25 June 2026 illustrative example
Worth saying: if you're hiring and reading this - 'attention to detail' as a filter selects for people who are good at proofreading under stress, which is a different skill from operating infrastructure. Write the ad about the job.
✓ helpful to 4 people