Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at Tesla as 50% positive with a difficulty rating score of 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty). Candidates interviewing for Battery Engineer and Senior Recruiter rated their interviews as the hardest, whereas interviews for Battery Engineer and Senior Recruiter roles were rated as the easiest.
The interview process at Tesla is designed to identify candidates who excel technically and align with the company’s mission of accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy. While the process can vary depending on the role and team, it generally consists of several key stages:
1. Application and Resume Screening: Candidates submit their applications through Tesla’s careers portal. Recruiters review resumes to assess qualifications and fit for the specific role. 
2. Initial Phone Interview: If selected, candidates participate in a phone interview with a recruiter. This conversation focuses on the candidate’s background, experience, and interest in Tesla. 
3. Technical Assessment: Depending on the position, candidates may be required to complete an online assessment evaluating technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and role-specific competencies. 
4. Interview with Hiring Manager: Successful candidates proceed to an interview with the hiring manager, delving deeper into technical expertise, past projects, and alignment with the team’s objectives. 
5. On-Site or Virtual Panel Interviews: The final stage typically involves a series of interviews with team members, managers, and other stakeholders. Candidates may be asked to present on a challenging problem they’ve solved, demonstrating their problem-solving process and technical acumen.
Very standard process. Recruiter reaches out and schedule an phone screen interview. Start with brief chat and introduction of the team and your background and past project. Then start the technical questions. Leave 5 mins for additional questions.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Given image tensors, decompose them into patches and implement the Kmeans algorithm to cluster it.
Using numpy and also need to implement a convergence criterion.
Need to convert data type from uint8 to float.
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Tesla (Palo Alto, CA) in Jan 2024
Interview
No screening call with recruiter.
30 min interview with hiring manager
Panel interview (3 sessions of 30 min 1 on 1 interview)
Whole process took around 1.5 weeks, took about another 1.5 weeks to hear back/receive an offer
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about yourself.
If your coworker was not following laboratory safety precautions, how would you approach resolving the situation?