How do you retain top talent and keep engineers engaged?
Why This Is Asked
Interviewers want to see that you proactively invest in retention—not just react when someone leaves. They're looking for evidence that you understand what motivates engineers (growth, impact, autonomy, recognition) and that you create conditions for them to thrive.
Key Points to Cover
- Understanding individual motivations through regular 1:1s and career conversations
- Providing growth opportunities (stretch projects, mentorship, learning)
- Ensuring meaningful work and visibility of impact
- Creating a culture where people feel valued and heard
STAR Method Answer Template
Describe the context - what was happening, what team/company, what was at stake
What was your specific responsibility or challenge?
What specific steps did you take? Be detailed about YOUR actions
What was the outcome? Use metrics where possible. What did you learn?
đź’ˇ Tips
- Mention retention metrics if you have them (e.g., attrition rate, tenure)
- Show you differentiate retention strategies—what works for one person may not for another
✍️ Example Response
STAR formatSituation: At a payments company, we'd lost three senior engineers in six months—two to competitors, one to a startup. Exit interviews cited lack of growth, unclear impact, and feeling underutilized. I managed a team of 10 and couldn't afford more attrition. I needed to get proactive about retention.
Task: I needed to understand what motivated each person, create conditions for them to thrive, and address the themes from exit interviews before they became resignations.
Action: I ran stay interviews with everyone—not just when they might leave. I asked what they loved, what would make them leave, and what would make them stay. I learned that growth and impact mattered most; compensation was a factor but not the primary one. I created individual development plans: one engineer wanted to grow into system design—I gave them ownership of our next major architecture. Another wanted more visibility—I had them present to leadership. I also worked on impact visibility: we started sharing customer feedback and metrics in team meetings so people could see their work's effect. I advocated for promotions for two high performers who'd been overlooked. I made retention a standing 1:1 topic, not just when someone seemed unhappy.
Result: We had zero voluntary attrition in the following 18 months. Two engineers who'd been considering leaving stayed and were promoted. Team engagement scores improved. I learned that retention is individual—there's no one-size-fits-all, and the best retention strategy is knowing your people and acting before they're out the door.
🏢 Companies Known to Ask This
| Company | Variation / Focus |
|---|---|
| Amazon | Strive to Be Earth's Best Employer, Hire & Develop the Best — "How do you retain top talent?" |
| Googleyness, collaboration | |
| Meta | Building high-performing teams |
| Microsoft | Growth mindset, motivating teams |
| Netflix | Freedom & Responsibility, high performance |
| Professional growth, learning agility |