In Parker Dewey’s 2026 Student Sentiments Survey, students who'd completed a Micro-Internship or internship said that communication (32%) and teamwork (30%) were the most important skills they built through experiential work, ahead of problem-solving (26%), industry-specific skills (25%), and critical thinking (23%). And according to NACE, communication is both the “most valued and most lacking competency in today’s entry-level hires.”
So “communication” is everyone's top answer and yet nobody's actual strength. This is a problem.
Then the same survey asked about the moments that actually test the skill, and fewer than 7% said they were comfortable navigating a difficult conversation. Only 27% said they had an actual strategy for one, and just 4% said they could run a conflict-resolution process effectively.
Candidates aren't lying when they say they communicate well. They believe it, because most of them have never been in a room where it counted. An interview question about communication style gets you the 84% number, but tells you nearly nothing about the 4%.
These are all scenarios that fall under the communication umbrella, and "strong communicator" on a resume doesn’t tell you anything about how someone will actually handle these issues when they arise.
If self-reported confidence and a scripted interview answer don't tell you much, the signal has to come from somewhere else: how someone behaves when the stakes are real, even in a small way.
A few things worth watching for:
How they handle ambiguity. Do they ask a clarifying question, or guess and hope?
How they write a status update. A short, clear update that flags a risk early says more about someone's communication instincts than a polished cover letter.
How they respond to feedback mid-project. Do they get defensive, go quiet, or actually revise the work? This is the closest thing to watching someone handle a real difficult conversation before you've hired them.
Whether their application shows genuine interest in the specific work, not a generic template answer. A structured, thoughtful application is itself a communication sample.
Unfortunately, this can't be uncovered in the traditional interview format. That's exactly why giving candidates a real opportunity to show how they work results in better hiring outcomes.
See how employers evaluate communication by giving candidates a workplace-based assessment with Parker Dewey.
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