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      Software Engineering Director Interview

      Feb 7, 2018
      Anonymous Interview Candidate
      Palo Alto, CA
      No offer
      Negative experience
      Easy interview

      Application

      The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Tesla (Palo Alto, CA)

      Interview

      Recruiter contacted within 1 day after applying. This is where the good news ends. I was sent a “take-home quiz” that they ask of all engineers, and that supposedly Elon Musk reviews. When I asked to speak with the hiring manager first, they dropped the quiz requirements because “you are too senior anyway”. OK, the hiring manager didn’t have time to speak by phone so he asked for an on-site. When I came to the HQ, it took about 20 minutes to park because the valets were clueless and I circled the building twice before just parking somewhere, disregarding the signs since I was already running late. When I checked in, the recruiter who was supposed to greet me was 10 minutes late, apologized that he had a busy day, and said that the hiring manager would come down to pick me up. OK... The hiring manager comes down, the guy is clearly under a lot of stress, wasn’t friendly at all. No small talk, no usual offer of water/tea/coffee, he took me into a conference room and asked to “voice over the resume”. I asked if there were any specific questions he wanted to explore, but he just wanted me to recite my resume going all the way back to college (I have over 20 years experience after college). He then said that their culture is very intense, and that Elon can fire folks after just one bad conversation. I don’t know why anyone would want to work in this environment... They don’t even have that many perks and from what I hear they don’t pay very well either. The only perk is that you get to test-drive a Tesla occasionally. Big deal... I cut the interview short and said it was clearly not a fit for me.

      Interview questions [1]

      Question 1

      Recite your resume by heart
      Answer question
      4