I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Tesla
Interview
Just wrapped up an interview process that started with an HR round, followed by a solid 1-hour technical discussion. The focus was heavily on battery design, so be prepared to dive into the fundamentals and formulas—especially around:
🔋 Battery architecture
⚡ Charge/discharge cycles
🧪 Electrochemistry basics
📐 Design parameters (energy density, C-rate, SoC, thermal considerations)
Some questions went into the mechanical design aspects too—things like shock & vibration testing, packaging, and cooling systems.
The Tesla interview process was a challenging yet rewarding experience that tested both my technical expertise and problem-solving abilities. It began with a recruiter call where we discussed my background, motivations, and interest in Tesla’s mission. This was followed by technical interviews focused on my core engineering skills, where I was asked to dive deep into past projects and demonstrate my understanding of concepts relevant to the role. The interviewers emphasized practical knowledge, innovation, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment. Overall, the process was intense but gave me valuable insight into Tesla’s culture of excellence and engineering rigor.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time you had to design something under extreme time pressure—how did you handle tradeoffs, and what would you have done differently with more time?
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Tesla in Aug 2024
Interview
That was very strange interview.
Job description from recruiter was completely different to what I heard from engineering team.
From recruiter's description I understand that my skills fit this position, but later during the interview with the engineering team I understand that they have completely different expectations, completely different tasks and use other software which I don't have experience in.