I applied through college or university. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Tesla (Palo Alto, CA) in Jun 2022
Interview
The interviewer was very patient and helpful in leading the interview questions. When I was stuck on something, they made me feel like it was okay to not know everything and the most important thing is being able to work through it so it's okay to take my time.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Cantilever beam thickness comparisons. How would a component perform differently with different material choice. How would you manufacture a certain component.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Tesla in Jun 2013
Interview
I got my resume through to Tesla Motors 2 years ago through a contact who interned there previously. I was contacted and had 3 interviews, but did not receive an offer. A year later, a recruiter visited my school, and I had an HR in-person interview, but again, did not receive an offer. I was later contacted in June of 2013 and asked if I would be interested in a Fall internship (heck yeah I was!). Interviewed with my current mentor and later with my current manager. The questions were: Tell me about yourself, tell me about what you do at your current internship, tell me what you did at a previous internship experience, why do you want to work for Tesla (just a few). Received an offer on my 21st birthday (best present I could have asked for).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I took a materials class 6 months before this interview. The manager asked me what classes I had taken in the past year, so I mentioned a few, including the materials. He then asked me to list common plastics (Polypropylene, Polystyrene, poly carbonate, polyethylene) ..... after somehow pulling them out of the back of my head, he asked me to differentiate each one and give examples where they are used (milk containers, shopping bags, protective eye wear). My advice, you NEVER know what you might be asked so stay on top of your game!
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Tesla (Palo Alto, CA) in Apr 2011
Interview
Multiple phone interviews with: college programs manager, prospective mentors, team manager, and finally the department director. Questions were generally about background and work interests, but varied depending on the interviewer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why did you study mechanical engineering rather than a specialized discipline like automotive engineering?