I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Tesla (Palo Alto, CA) in Jan 2012
Interview
Put in my resume at an info session at my school in October. Was cold called in December and had a 30 minute phone interview about the contents of my resume. A month passed and I was called in to interview in Palo Alto, CA which consisted of 10 or so 1:1 and phone interviews all day. Most of them wanted to talk about projects I had worked on, and I was asked several brain teaser type questions. The beginning was nerve racking, but as the day went on, I got more comfortable. Everyone seemed very excited about the new car coming out, and it was an overall positive experience. I am still waiting to hear back.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Walk me through the steps you took to finish a project on your resume.
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.