Applied on the career website and got an email from a recruiter. Had the initial phone screen and then had phone interviews with a manager and then a senior manager. The phone interviews were standard and involved describing past experiences and how I tackled certain problems. They did ask one or two questions not on my resume but they were more or less trying to judge my problem solving approach rather than trying to weed me out (no gotcha questions or random questions from obscure engineering classes). They seemed to like what I had to offer and flew me out to the Fremont factory.
At the factory, there was an written exam that tested skills/analytical thinking pertaining to the role. I was fortunately told about the exam in advance and had time to prepare and look over old engineering notes and job notes. The exam was hard but it seemed not to be a weed out but rather to gauge your level of skills and abilities. There were questions that I could not answer due to lack of time and knowledge but I focused on what I knew and answered those to the best of my ability.
Afterwards, I had 1 on 1 interviews with everyone on the team (sometimes there were multiple engineers present because they like to have engineers from other departments you would potentially work with interview you as well). The 1 on 1 interviews were amazing because I got a chance to speak to Tesla Engineers and pick their brains on engineering challenges at Tesla. The engineers I spoke to were down-to-earth and really knowledgeable about their subject areas. They were a combination of experienced mfg professionals and highly educated college grads. The questions they asked me involved my past experiences and certain hypothetical situations. Essentially, if you actually worked on projects and problems listed on your resume and significantly contributed to them, you would have no problem answering the questions. Again there were not trying to pull a fast one but rather understand my experiences and if I would bring value to the company. There were certain questions I did NOT get right with certain interviewers so I was feeling a little bit down towards the end. After the 1 on 1 interviews, I was given a brief factory tour and then sent off.
After certain time, I found that I had miraculously PASSED the on-site interview process and then had two additional 1 on 1 interviews with senior managers. Again, the questions they asked were straight from my resume and about my experiences.
Unfortunately, I didn't hear anything back after this stage (essentially ghosted) and I found out later online that this was common at Tesla instead of sending a rejection letter. I felt slightly bad but I had a good experience overall and met some awesome people.
Main Takeaways - be honest on your resume. When in doubt, do not put it on your resume. If you don't know something, be honest rather than trying to make up an answer. As mentioned, these interviewers are sharp and can easily spot candidates lying or exaggerating. Be prepared to answer why you want to work at Tesla A LOT. If you don't know an answer, use engineering/problem solving principles to guide you. Its better to try to answer a question and then admit your mistakes rather than say "I don't know."
I hope this brief guide helped. Don't get discouraged if you don't get an interview or fail to progress in one. Keep your head up, stay positive, and try again until you succeed. I feel that they would rather take someone that was not as book smart but hardworking, passionate, and perseverent rather than a 4.0 student who is lazy and is in it for the name and glory.
