I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at SpaceX (Los Angeles, CA) in Dec 2017
Interview
Long but super interesting. You meet a lot of great people. If you pass the first few rounds of questions they will fly you to SpaceX. Some days Elon Musk is in the company so you might get lucky and see him! Not easy questions.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Very specific questions about your resume. Basic engineering questions (fluids, static, heat transfer)
I applied online. I interviewed at SpaceX in Mar 2026
Interview
My interview experience at SpaceX was disappointing. The expectations felt extremely high, even for mid-level roles. Missing even one or two questions seemed to stop the process, and there was little tolerance for not knowing something.
It felt like they prioritize candidates who already know everything rather than those willing to learn. Overall, a very rigid and negative experience.
Round 1) Recruiter Phone Call
Round 2-4+) Phone call with Lead Engineer, Manager, etc.
Round 5) On-Site with Technical Presentation and One-on-Ones
I found the questions in the in-person one-on-ones were equal or slightly harder than the phone screening questions
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why SpaceX? (Was asked this during all four phone screenings)
1 on 1 interview standard fundamental mech questions from coursework fluids, statics, structures, heat transfer, thermo etc. asked lots of questions and follow ups to get a gauge of thinking
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
fixed cantilever beam point load p at the end what is the defleciton eq?
