I applied through an employee referral. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Tesla in Mar 2010
Interview
The process started with 2 brief phone interviews with Human Resources. These interviews included a review of my resume and a discussion about what type of position I am looking for. A series of phone interviews at the Engineering Director level followed. These interviews were also focused on my work history and ability to solve challenging problems. Finally, I was invited to travel to the company's HQ for a very brief (40 minute) panel interview with 4 team members including peers and group leaders as well as a short phone interview with a leader at the VP level. This entire process was drawn out over the span of 3-4 months and it still ongoing.....
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time when you lead an aggressive cost reduction activity?
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Tesla in Mar 2009
Interview
After submitting my resume online, I was first contacted via telephone where I had to answer technical questions. A supervisor then called me and conducted another interview, mostly asking about my interests and background. I was then scheduled for an onsite interview which consisted of 5-6 1:1 interviews. Mostly technical questions were asked based on the contents of my resume.
The people seemed to be very proud to be working there and were genuinely excited about their product. You get some show-offs, of course, but most of them were pretty laid-back.