Tesla received over 3.6 million applications in 2022, with prospective employees facing a rigorous hiring process. This includes up to 9 interviews, various tests, and, in some cases, writing a letter to Elon Musk himself. Current Tesla engineers, speaking anonymously, shared insights into the challenging process, noting that it can take multiple attempts to secure a role and that it may be laborious. The application process can take up to six months from start to finish, typically beginning with an initial interview with a recruiter or human resources representative.
Engineers explained that securing an initial interview can involve submitting a resume through Tesla's careers page, networking, or receiving a recommendation from a colleague within the company. They also noted that knowing someone within the company or attending a feeder college could be advantageous. Recruiters reportedly screen thousands of applications and conduct interviews with only around 20 applicants, with approximately half of those candidates advancing to the next stage.
After the initial culture-fit interview — which includes traditional questions about why people want to work at Tesla and how they jibe with others — candidates who progress typically chat separately with a manager and at least one engineer from their prospective team. These interviews are more technical and sometimes include a take-home or live test.
"Tesla takes a no-bullshit approach," one engineer told BI. "At other companies, you can sometimes get away with saying something to sound impressive. You can't do that at Tesla. If you don't know something, own up to it because they will always ask the follow-up questions."
Panel interviews can last up to six hours
The next step in Tesla's hiring process includes a presentation and a series of rapid-fire interviews that can take anywhere from four to six hours.
Applicants are typically told to present on a previous project for 15 to 30 minutes, followed by a Q&A session on the project. Tesla workers said it was best for early-career applicants to present on college group projects or personal ventures.
Four to six engineers sit in on the presentation and later break off to interview the candidate on their own for about 30 minutes each.
"We try to leave it pretty open-ended because it's a good way to find red flags," an engineer who has been involved in the recruiting process said regarding the presentation prompt. "We tell them not to present something confidential, and that's the biggest red flag if they present something like that. It's an easy no if we know they won't be trustworthy."
Some Tesla engineers said they spent more than 40 hours preparing for the presentation over several weeks. The panel can take place over Zoom or in person. It also includes a short break in the middle of the session to give panelists time to take lunch.
"You need to make sure you know the technical details of your project inside and out," one engineer said. "It doesn't have to be the most complicated tech so long as you can talk about what you've done in great detail. You need to be able to tell them why you approached it the way you did and address other ways of accomplishing it as well."
One engineer with knowledge of the process said that after the panel, the employees would meet to give a "blind vote" on the candidate, meaning the panelists all submit their scores at once. Candidates are scored on a scale of one to four. The engineer said that if a single panel member were to give the candidate a score of one and could back up their opinion, the individual's application would usually be rejected, while a score of a three or a four would be viewed as a sign of approval for the prospective hire.
Two engineers said only about half the applicants who made it to the panel stage would be selected.
Sit tight — it could take six months to land the job
Depending on the role, some applicants are offered the job after a successful panel interview. For higher-level positions, the candidates can go on to interview with director or VP-level employees.
Three workers said some applicants were required to fill out a form that would be sent to a VP or director-level worker outlining three reasons they would be a good fit for Tesla. Some of the notes would even be passed onto Musk, the engineers said. Last year, the Tesla CEO said in an email to staff that he must approve all new hires.
From start to finish, the entire process could take anywhere from one to six months, the engineers said. Seven engineers said Tesla had the most intensive application process they'd seen in the industry.
"Half the time, we miss out because we're too slow," an engineer with knowledge of the hiring process said. "We know it, but it's set up in some ways to find the people who are so gung-ho they're willing to wait. They're people who'd probably get a higher base pay at a different company, but they have the opportunity to cash in on Tesla stock too."
A Tesla spokesperson didn't respond to a request for comment.