The article is devoted to the actual topic of intercultural communication as a factor in the competitiveness of Russian specialists in the international labor market. In the modern world, for specialists (especially for positions of a managerial nature), it is necessary to know foreign languages and, the rules of communication, the linguistic and cultural characteristics of each participant in communication. The research methodology is based on a systematic approach and includes the methods of the general scientific group (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction), as well as a number of special methods: content analysis of scientific literature on the research topic, sociological survey, statistical analysis. The materials of the study were the answers of students to a survey in three non-linguistic specialties of the 1st year of a non-linguistic university. As a result of the empirical study, it was revealed that intercultural communication as a special section in the course of a foreign language, using the example of English as a language for special purposes, allows to achieve a significant improvement not only in the language students' competence, but also in deeper knowledge of the specialty chosen by students. The competitiveness of specialists with intercultural communication skills was assessed at a high level compared to those students who were not taught the rules and principles of intercultural communication.In general, the author came to the conclusion that in non-linguistic universities it is necessary to actively introduce a course of intercultural communication for students of both the humanities and natural sciences.