Lead with real problems, real constraints, and real proof—engineers filter fast.

Engineer messaging has to be concrete. Start with the work: systems, scale, reliability, architecture, tooling, and the technical tradeoffs you’re making. Then define “how we build”: autonomy, review standards, incident process, decision-making, and what good looks like. Add proof—metrics (latency, uptime, deploy frequency), artifacts (tech blog, OSS, talks), and specific project examples. Include tradeoffs (“high ownership,” “ambiguous problems,” “lean teams”) so candidates self-select. “Becoming choosable” for engineers means reducing risk (no bait-and-switch) and increasing upside (impact + growth) with credible specifics—not generic “innovative culture.”