I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Tesla in Feb 2017
Interview
The interview called me at 11 pm without any prior notice. Said working for Tesla is supposed to be demanding so I should be ready for an interview at all hours. Was very hard to understand him over the phone and he was very vague about the role and location. I am still not clear which position/location he was interviewing me for. Expected me to know everything about what Tesla does and how I fit into the company. Asked me some general questions about my current job. This was followed by some technical questions related to Tesla. Needless to say this interview caught me off guard and I performed poorly. I would recommend researching what the company does and being clear on what interview time suits you.
I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Tesla
Interview
Screening Phone interview with recruiter. Had a good conversation regarding my work experience. Questions included what makes you a good engineer and what is important to you about a job. I was submitted to hiring manager, but no followup due to age filter
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Tesla
Interview
I was contacted by a recruiter. We talked on the phone and it was mostly about the job description. Scheduled to have a phone interview with an engineering manager a few days later. He asked me about my background and asked a few different engineering questions that related to the job including one that involves calculating for something and giving a number value as an answer. If you recently graduated and all this information is still fresh for you, this part might be easy. I didn't pass the interview, but I asked for feedback from the manager and received an honest and specific answer that was very valuable.
Overall the entire hiring process was quick--they are very responsive--and everyone I spoke with was nice and respectful.