Influencing others in engineering roles is the ability to drive change, gain buy-in for ideas, and persuade stakeholders without necessarily having formal authority. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, this competency involves "the ability to gain others' support for ideas, proposals, projects, and solutions through strategic communication and relationship building."

Engineering professionals with strong influencing skills can navigate complex organizational dynamics to implement technical solutions, drive innovation, and lead cross-functional initiatives. This competency becomes increasingly critical as engineers advance in their careers, evolving from influencing immediate team members to shaping organizational strategy and direction. Influencing effectively in engineering contexts requires a blend of technical credibility, communication clarity, relationship building, and strategic thinking.

The dimensions of this competency vary depending on the engineer's career stage. Junior engineers might focus on persuading peers about technical approaches, while senior engineers need to influence executives on strategic investments, build consensus across departments, and mentor others. Assessing this competency effectively requires understanding how candidates have navigated various influence scenarios, adapted their approach to different stakeholders, and learned from both successful and unsuccessful attempts to drive change.

To evaluate a candidate's influencing abilities, use behavioral questions that explore past experiences, focusing on how they've built relationships, communicated complex ideas, navigated resistance, and achieved results through others. Interview guides can provide comprehensive frameworks for assessing this and other critical competencies for engineering roles.

Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you needed to influence engineering colleagues to adopt a new approach or technology that you believed was important.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific situation and why the new approach/technology was valuable
• How the candidate assessed stakeholders and potential resistance
• Strategies used to build support and credibility
• Challenges encountered during the influence process
• How the candidate tailored their communication to technical audiences
• The outcome and what the candidate learned about influence
• How they've applied these learnings to subsequent situations

Follow-Up Questions:

• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address specific concerns?
• How did you tailor your approach for different types of stakeholders in the engineering team?
• What would you do differently if you could go back and influence this situation again?
• How did you balance advocating for your position while remaining open to input?

Describe a situation where you had to influence decision-makers outside the engineering department to prioritize a technical initiative or allocate resources to an engineering project.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and importance of the technical initiative
• How the candidate translated technical concepts for non-technical audiences
• Their strategy for linking engineering needs to business priorities
• Methods used to build relationships with non-engineering stakeholders
• How they addressed concerns or competing priorities
• The results of their influence attempt
• Lessons learned about cross-functional influence

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you adapt your communication style when speaking with non-technical stakeholders?
• What data or evidence did you use to strengthen your case?
• How did you identify what would motivate these decision-makers?
• If you faced resistance, what specific techniques did you use to overcome it?

Share an example of when you had to influence a decision where there were competing technical approaches or solutions.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the technical decision and competing alternatives
• How the candidate evaluated different approaches objectively
• Their process for bringing stakeholders together to reach consensus
• Techniques used to facilitate productive technical discussions
• How they managed disagreement or strong opinions
• The final outcome and implementation process
• What they learned about technical influence and decision-making

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you ensure all perspectives were heard during the decision process?
• What criteria did you establish for evaluating the different approaches?
• How did you handle team members who strongly disagreed with the direction?
• What would you do differently in a similar situation in the future?

Tell me about a time when you influenced a team to take on a challenging technical task or project that was initially met with resistance.

Areas to Cover:

• The challenging task and why it faced initial resistance
• How the candidate understood team concerns and hesitations
• Strategies used to build motivation and commitment
• How they communicated the purpose and importance of the task
• Support provided to help the team succeed
• The outcome and impact on team capability
• Lessons learned about motivating technical teams

Follow-Up Questions:

• What specific concerns did team members have, and how did you address each one?
• How did you create a sense of ownership among team members?
• What role did you play once the team agreed to take on the challenge?
• How did this experience change your approach to influencing teams?

Describe a situation where you had to build support for a significant technical change that would impact how engineers worked.

Areas to Cover:

• The nature of the technical change and its potential impact
• How the candidate identified key stakeholders and influencers
• Their strategy for building a coalition of support
• Methods used to communicate the benefits and address concerns
• How they handled resistance to change
• The implementation approach and results
• What they learned about leading technical change

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify early adopters or champions for the change?
• What resistance did you encounter, and how did you address it?
• How did you balance the technical benefits with the human factors of change?
• What would you do differently if leading a similar change initiative?

Share an example of when you had to influence upward - convincing senior technical leadership or executives to support your recommendation.

Areas to Cover:

• The context of the recommendation and why it required executive support
• How the candidate prepared their case for senior leadership
• Their approach to framing the recommendation in business terms
• Methods used to build credibility with decision-makers
• How they navigated organizational politics or competing priorities
• The outcome of their influence attempt
• Lessons learned about influencing at executive levels

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you adapt your communication style for an executive audience?
• What potential objections did you anticipate, and how did you prepare for them?
• How did you link your recommendation to organizational priorities or strategies?
• If you faced skepticism, how did you respond in the moment?

Tell me about a time when you needed to influence stakeholders during a project that was facing technical challenges or delays.

Areas to Cover:

• The project context and specific challenges encountered
• How the candidate communicated bad news or risks to stakeholders
• Their approach to maintaining trust during difficult circumstances
• Strategies used to influence revised expectations or resources
• How they collaborated with stakeholders to find solutions
• The outcome and stakeholder reactions
• What they learned about influence during challenging situations

Follow-Up Questions:

• How transparent were you about the issues, and why did you choose that approach?
• How did you balance addressing immediate concerns while maintaining long-term credibility?
• What specific techniques did you use to keep stakeholders engaged despite the challenges?
• How has this experience shaped your approach to stakeholder management?

Describe an instance where you disagreed with a technical decision but needed to support it and influence others to implement it effectively.

Areas to Cover:

• The context of the decision and nature of the disagreement
• How the candidate balanced personal opinion with organizational needs
• Their approach to authentically supporting the direction
• Methods used to influence implementation despite reservations
• How they handled questions or concerns from others
• The outcome and lessons learned
• How they've applied these learnings in subsequent situations

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you reconcile your personal disagreement with the need to support the decision?
• What did you do when team members raised concerns that aligned with your initial reservations?
• How did you maintain your credibility while supporting a direction you originally questioned?
• What would you do differently if faced with a similar situation?

Share an example of when you had to influence across cultures, distributed teams, or different engineering disciplines.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and specific cross-cultural or cross-functional situation
• Challenges in communication or working styles encountered
• How the candidate adapted their influence approach for different groups
• Strategies used to build trust across boundaries
• Methods for ensuring inclusive decision-making
• The results and relationships developed
• What they learned about influencing diverse technical teams

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you identify and navigate cultural or disciplinary differences?
• What techniques did you use to ensure everyone felt heard and valued?
• How did you handle misunderstandings or conflicts that arose?
• How has this experience shaped your approach to cross-cultural or cross-functional influence?

Tell me about a time when your attempt to influence others didn't work out as planned. What did you learn from that experience?

Areas to Cover:

• The situation and influence approach attempted
• Why the candidate believes their approach wasn't successful
• How they identified that their influence strategy wasn't working
• Steps taken to adjust their approach or recover from the situation
• Reflection on what could have been done differently
• How they've applied these lessons to subsequent influence situations
• Growth in self-awareness or influence skills as a result

Follow-Up Questions:

• When did you realize your approach wasn't working, and what signals indicated this?
• What specific aspects of your influence strategy were ineffective?
• How did you adapt in the moment when you realized things weren't going as planned?
• How has this experience changed your approach to similar situations?

Describe a situation where you successfully influenced engineering teammates to prioritize quality, testing, or technical debt reduction when there was pressure to deliver quickly.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and competing priorities involved
• How the candidate built a case for technical excellence
• Their approach to balancing short-term and long-term considerations
• Methods used to create shared understanding of technical implications
• How they navigated pressure from business stakeholders
• The outcome and technical impact
• Lessons learned about advocating for engineering best practices

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you quantify or communicate the risks of not addressing these technical concerns?
• What resistance did you face, and how did you specifically address each concern?
• How did you build a coalition of support among technical team members?
• What compromises or trade-offs were made, if any, and how did you negotiate them?

Share an example of when you needed to gain buy-in from multiple engineering teams for a shared technical standard, architecture, or approach.

Areas to Cover:

• The technical standard/approach and why alignment was important
• How the candidate identified key stakeholders across teams
• Their strategy for building consensus among different groups
• Methods used to address team-specific concerns or constraints
• How they facilitated collaborative decision-making
• The implementation approach and results
• What they learned about driving technical alignment

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you ensure that all teams had meaningful input into the final solution?
• What techniques did you use to address competing priorities between teams?
• How did you handle situations where a team strongly disagreed with the direction?
• What structures or processes did you put in place to maintain alignment over time?

Tell me about a time when you had to convince skeptical engineers to try a new tool, process, or methodology.

Areas to Cover:

• The specific innovation and why it faced skepticism
• How the candidate understood the sources of resistance
• Their approach to demonstrating value and addressing concerns
• Methods used to lower the barriers to adoption
• How they built momentum for the change
• The outcome and impact on the engineering organization
• Lessons learned about driving technical innovation

Follow-Up Questions:

• What were the main sources of skepticism, and how did you address each one?
• How did you make it easy for engineers to experiment with the new approach?
• What evidence or data did you use to support your case?
• How did you identify and leverage early adopters to influence others?

Describe a situation where you had to influence without authority to align different stakeholders on technical requirements or product direction.

Areas to Cover:

• The context and stakeholders involved
• How the candidate built relationships with key decision-makers
• Their approach to identifying common interests and goals
• Methods used to facilitate productive discussions
• How they handled conflicting priorities or objectives
• The outcome and stakeholder satisfaction
• What they learned about influence without formal authority

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you establish credibility with stakeholders who didn't know you well?
• What techniques did you use to find common ground among competing interests?
• How did you handle stakeholders who had significantly more organizational authority?
• What would you do differently if you faced a similar situation in the future?

Share an example of when you had to persuade others to support a risky or innovative technical approach that was outside the team's comfort zone.

Areas to Cover:

• The innovative approach and why it represented a valuable opportunity
• How the candidate assessed and communicated both benefits and risks
• Their strategy for building confidence in the approach
• Methods used to address fears or concerns
• How they built a path for safe experimentation
• The outcome and organizational learning
• Lessons about influencing innovation in engineering contexts

Follow-Up Questions:

• How did you balance communicating the opportunity while acknowledging legitimate risks?
• What specific techniques did you use to help stakeholders feel comfortable with uncertainty?
• How did you create space for experimentation without putting critical systems at risk?
• If you had to do it over, what would you do differently to gain support for innovation?

Frequently Asked Questions

Why focus on past behaviors rather than hypothetical scenarios when assessing influencing skills?

Past behaviors are the best predictors of future performance. When candidates describe actual situations where they've influenced others, you gain insight into their real approaches, not just their theoretical knowledge. Hypothetical questions often elicit idealized answers that may not reflect how someone actually operates. By focusing on specific past experiences, you can better understand a candidate's authentic influencing strategies, how they've handled resistance, and what they've learned from both successes and failures.

How can I differentiate between candidates who have genuine influencing abilities versus those who are just good at explaining concepts?

Look for evidence of relationship building, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive approaches in their answers. Strong influencers will describe how they tailored their approaches to different stakeholders, built coalitions of support, worked through resistance, and modified their strategies based on feedback. They'll focus not just on their technical arguments but on how they connected with people's motivations and concerns. Ask follow-up questions about specific challenges they faced and how they adjusted their approach - this often reveals the difference between theoretical knowledge and practical influencing skill.

What's the right balance between technical expertise and influencing skills when hiring engineering leaders?

This depends on the specific role, but generally, as engineers progress in their careers, influencing skills become increasingly important. Technical expertise remains the foundation of credibility, but the ability to influence across teams, departments, and leadership levels often determines an engineer's ultimate impact. For senior roles, look for candidates who demonstrate both strong technical judgment and the ability to build consensus, drive change, and mentor others. For more junior roles, prioritize technical skills while looking for the foundational elements of influence: clear communication, collaborative mindset, and self-awareness.

How can I assess influencing skills in candidates with limited work experience?

For early-career candidates, ask about influence experiences in academic projects, internships, open-source contributions, or even non-technical contexts like student organizations or community activities. Use questions that don't specifically require workplace examples, such as "Tell me about a time when you convinced a group to try your approach to solving a problem." Look for evidence of the building blocks of influence: clear communication, understanding others' perspectives, building relationships, using data effectively, and adapting to feedback. These foundational skills often translate well to professional settings.

How can our interview process itself better assess influencing skills?

Consider incorporating a collaborative problem-solving exercise or presentation where candidates must explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical team members. Observe how they read the room, adapt their communication, address questions, and build rapport. Include multiple stakeholders from different functions in the interview process to see how candidates adjust their approach across different audiences. Finally, ensure your interview questions are consistently applied but allow for rich follow-up exploration that reveals how candidates think about influence, not just what they've accomplished.

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