I applied through an employee referral. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at SpaceX (Hawthorn, PA) in Oct 2015
Interview
I got a call from a recruiter and she set up an interview for the next week. The interview lasted about 30 minutes and was very technical. Beam bending etc.
I applied through college or university. I interviewed at SpaceX in Dec 2014
Interview
After coordinating with an HR rep by email, I spoke with one of the engineers from this department on the phone. He asked me about the projects I had listed on my resume as well as some brain teaser type questions. During a follow-up call, I interviewed with the manager for the department I was applying for. He asked more specific strength of materials/mechanics questions related to spacecraft structures, as well as some basic controls (frequency response) questions. In the end, I did not make it any further into the interview process.
Months later, an HR rep from another department (different engineering role) "found" my application and asked if I wanted to start another interview process. By that time, I had already accepted a full-time position at another company.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Where on the Earth can you walk one mile north, one mile east, and then one mile south and end up at the same place you started?
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 5 months. I interviewed at SpaceX (Los Angeles, CA) in Mar 2015
Interview
Step 1: Initial contact via LinkedIn.
Step 2: First-pass phone interview to determine general candidacy and cultural fit.
Step 3: Technical phone interview.
Step 4: Technical on-site interview which consisted of a technical presentation, a written test and eight 1-on-1 interviews.
Step 5: Behavioral phone interview (normally part of the on-site but they ran out of time).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What was a time that you failed, and how did you respond?