I was contacted by a recruiter via a social media website. We briefly spoke about possible positions, which included both a systems engineering and embedded firmware.
The initial phone screen was quite excellent and I learned a lot about Tesla as an organization and the product I expected to be working on. I have practical experience with the product that is being developed and felt that Tesla is on the correct track (still do, the interview experience didn't change that) and that I would both enjoy working on the product and could make valuable contributions.
The second phone contact involved using a shared screen application to answer a simple programming puzzle. It's the sort of puzzle, such as moving all the zeros in an array to the end, that I've used in the past when I've interviewed candidates to break the ice. The second interview was more abrupt and ended without any additional discussion about the product or my potential role.
I then waited two weeks for a call-back, after which time I sent the recruiter an e-mail that I felt I'd not made the cut. She reassured me that Tesla was still interested in moving forward and wanted to know when I would be available for a programming test. She mentioned that there were no systems engineer positions open at the time, which surprised me since I made it clear I wasn't interested in the firmware positions she had to fill. The time for the test arrived and she e-mailed the test.
The questions on the test were something that might be appropriate for a pop-quiz given to 2nd or 3rd year CS students. The test was sufficiently simple that it was both insulting and a distraction in and of itself. I added comments to my answers suggesting better solutions if I'd had more time or more information. I returned my results, and she informed me the next day that I'd passed.
What happened next is hard to comprehend. I mentioned that I felt the test itself, because of its simplicity, was an impediment to attracting qualified and experienced candidates. Coding tests among very experienced software engineers can backfire if they are too simple, and I shared with her that I was put off by the test, but reassured her I was still very much interested in working for Tesla. She then told me that she was concerned I wouldn't be a good candidate and Tesla wouldn't be moving forward with an on-site interview.
My impression of HR's role in the process is very negative. The attitude about overly simplistic coding tests given to experienced developers is widely discussed on professional social media sites and the recruiter or HR staff seemed both oblivious and unwilling to accept what was given as constructive criticism.
My best advice to anyone who wants to work for Tesla (which still includes me) is to ignore the games they play up-front. Their HR organization seems to be completely tone deaf to any feedback and if you are highly experienced, you may well get the impression you're being interviewed for a new college grad position. My best advice to the executive team at Tesla is to replace the recruiting staff with recruiters who have a better understanding of their potential candidates.
