I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Tesla
Interview
1. Contacted by recruiter. Went over my resume and job experience.
2. Contacted by senior engineer. Talked about my background. Very laid back.
3. Contacted by one of the managers. Talked about my past experience. Was asked for 1 or 2 specific examples. Phone interview was relatively easy.
4. Company flew me down to CA for an interview. Interview lasted for more than 5 hours in the Fremont, CA location. Interviewed with 5 managers/directors. Questions were very direct and mostly technical regarding my past experience. No written test or behavioral questions were asked. A couple of questions were asked about how would you persuade your manager to make changes even if they disagree. Each manager was very different. Got a bit nervous after a couple of hours. I did get a chance to go down on the floor and see Tesla Model S. Very cool!
Overall, I would say questions were not very difficult if you are well prepared. The mental exhaustion can play a part in getting nervous after a couple of hours.
Some of my observations:
Very open environment, no cubicles. Judging by the amount of people still in the office after 6 p.m, expect to work long hours and weekends. Also, be prepared to wear different hats since the company is currently understaffed for what it needs to do in order to build quality cars. I felt that the interviewing process could have been better in terms of timing and structure. There is no cafeteria in the building but they do offer some snacks, pre-made sandwiches (for $) and provide free cereal, coffee, etc... Coming from a big organization and based on my questions to the managers, I felt that the company needs a more robust structure, set processes, and approval process. Overall, good experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Unexpected question - name three (not one) weaknesses. This was asked after three strengths which is typically much easier to answer.
Most difficult question - for each job you held, name your greatest achievement and impact.
Started with 2 technical rounds. First one was basic MechE questions. Second round interviewer was in a hurry and not so open to listening your thought process. There were questions on electromechanical concepts as well
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Difference in bolt torque in hot and cold conditions
The interview was extremely technical. They didn’t ask for an introduction or any background before immediately diving into solving textbook-style engineering problems. The focus was almost entirely on technical problem-solving rather than behavioral conversation or learning about my experience.
Phone screen, Technical foundations test (1 hour, 10 questions on statics, dynamics, E&M, circuits, etc. – sent as PDF and returned via email), technical interviews, on-site behavioral and technical interviews with portfolio presentation.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Determine the optimal packing efficiency of cylindrical battery cells in a rectangular battery pack.