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Tesla is an electric vehicle and clean energy company that provides electric cars, battery energy storage, solar panels, and other related products and services. Tesla Energy is one of the largest battery energy storage systems suppliers globally and was made most notable by Elon Musk, the CEO.
Since its inception in 2003, Tesla has risen to sales heights of over $26 billion. Many know how impressive Tesla is as an organization, but what’s it like working there?
According to employees who work or have previously worked at Tesla, there are many good things about landing a job at Tesla. The company provides plenty of learning opportunities with consistent work. They offer great stock options, fair pay, and the ability to be challenged by intelligent colleagues.
If you’re looking to be considered for a position at Tesla, consider reviewing the article below, where we discuss the interview process and potential interview questions and answers.
Looking for a job at Tesla? See open positions at Tesla and related jobs:
First and foremost, you’ll receive a phone screening as a potential candidate. This is a preliminary conversation that is focused on your background and greatest accomplishments. Your interviewer will be looking to understand what technical abilities you possess and what your career goals and dreams are.
After a successful phone screen, a hiring manager will interview a candidate, asking both technical and cultural fit questions. Recruiters may get more specific in this section, addressing any potential hurdles that might affect the hires, such as relocation or compensation.
Finally, when you’re done with your phone interviews, you’ll be invited in for an in-person interview. Depending on where you are located, this could mean a flight and overnight stay, depending on the position for which you are applying.
If you’re applying for a leadership role, you may be required to stay multiple days so that you have the opportunity to meet with everyone necessary to make a hiring decision.
During your on-site interview, you may meet with several different individuals, including an interview panel of Tesla employees. You may also be required to take a technical and engineering test and have your problem-solving skills analyzed throughout your time there.
To be successful, it’s a good idea to focus on surfacing three characteristics: grit, rigor, and ownership. Show that you have perseverance and emotional stability while being a problem-solver who knows all of the ins and outs of a project.
Finally, be sure you present how personally instrumental you have been in previous project outcomes, especially those you are most proud of.
Below are some example questions and answers you may be asked when interviewing at Tesla. Remember that the sample answers are just a starting point, and you should tailor your answers to match your expertise and skillsets.
Why do you want to work at Tesla?
This will likely be one of the first questions you are asked during your interview at Tesla. This is an important question to understand your motivation, passion, and true interest in the company.
Your interviewer is looking to make sure your career goals fit with their culture and breadth of opportunities. Be sure you mention what specifically you like about Tesla and why you feel you’d be a perfect fit.
Example Answer:
I’m interested in working for Tesla because it’s an innovative organization that is constantly changing and improving. I want to make sure I reach my full potential in my career, and with my long-term career goals, I know Tesla is the company to help me grow creatively. Tesla employees have a passion at the core of what they’re doing, and I feel similarly. The company’s reputation speaks for itself, and I know I would feel incredibly proud to work here.
How do you deal with tight deadlines and multiple priorities?
Tesla is a high-performance company, and thus, employees work hard around strict deadlines and must be able to juggle and prioritize projects effectively. You must be able to demonstrate that you can handle both of these things in your interview. Using past examples is best and getting as specific as you can is important.
Example Answer:
I am a highly organized individual, and I create spreadsheets to manage my daily tasks. I organize my deadlines by what’s coming up the soonest and requires the most amount of effort. That way, I know what I must start first and what projects have a little more leeway. From there, I can prioritize my meetings and other obligations to ensure I meet my deadlines in an appropriate time frame.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Tesla is a unique company and is interested in helping its employees achieve their career goals. To that end, they are interested in understanding what your future goals are and how you envision yourself fitting in at the company.
This can be a little broader, especially if you’re not certain where your perfect fit is. The important thing is that you have some idea of your goals and can articulate them to your interviewer.
Example Answer:
In five years, I hope to still be at Tesla, perhaps in a managerial position where I can lead a team of employees to success. While I have a deep passion for engineering, I am also a people person and enjoy helping people find success. It is my dream to be a people manager and help others achieve what they were meant to do, especially in a company as prestigious as Tesla.
What makes you a good fit for this role here at Tesla?
Tesla has a wonderful culture, and to that end, they will want to make sure you fit into their culture seamlessly. This question is not only looking for culture fit but also self-awareness on your end.
Being able to talk yourself up and relate to why you think you’d be a good team fit is an important consideration to make before you get to your interview. Be sure to give this question a little thought before going in for your interview.
Example Answer:
I believe I am a forward thinker and a risk-taker when it’s appropriate. I believe I can bring my skillset and hunger for innovation to Tesla to develop new ideas and problem-solve existing issues that might need workarounds. I pride myself on being inclusive and a team player. I work hard towards my goals to ensure they’re met promptly.
What qualities and traits are needed to work for Tesla?
Tesla is a mission-driven company and attracts people who believe in the company’s initiatives. They are looking for candidates that can think for themselves and can demonstrate their expertise. This means understanding what qualities and traits are necessary for you to excel at the job you’re applying for.
Those hoping to land a job at Tesla must be willing to experiment, test, and learn. You should showcase yourself as someone who has a significant impact on projects and an individual thinker who isn’t afraid to fail.
Example Answer:
I believe to succeed at Tesla, you need to be unafraid of failure, willing to try new things, and learn from your success and mistakes. I believe failure is essential to growth, and without it, you wouldn’t have many of the incredible products and services we have today.
How do you manage a project from start to finish?
In Tesla’s fast-paced environment, hiring managers are looking to ensure you can complete projects independently without much intervention from supervisors. This is an important question to consider beforehand to have an articulate answer that shows just how organized you can be, even with multiple projects.
Example Answer:
I am highly organized, and as I mentioned before, I use spreadsheets to keep myself that way. I’ve used both project management platforms and Excel sheets for project management, depending on the company’s preferences. Both tools can be shared with colleagues as a place to keep them in the loop on any deadlines or shifting obligations. This process also helps me plan out each task that needs to be completed for the project to be successful from beginning to end.
When have you failed, and how did you learn from it?
Tesla is a company that embraces failure. The trick is that you can not be afraid of it as an employee with the company. This is an important question to answer in the right way to show that failure isn’t something that stops you from going after your dreams.
Example Answer:
When I was in college, I was hoping to enter into a writing competition where I could win $200 if I won the top prize. It was a short story contest, and I was thrilled to submit something. However, I was taken out of the running within the first round for not paying attention to all of the instructions listed on the website. I learned that my ego got in the way, and I needed to take more time to listen and be sure I was catching all of the little details because they matter just as much as the big picture project. From then on, I always make sure to read all the fine print and give the details the attention they deserve.
Tell us about a time you had to solve a problem with little to no information.
At a company like Tesla, problem-solving is very important, especially without a ton of information. This can be a common occurrence at fast-moving companies like Tesla, so you need to think on your feet and solve problems as best you can without pulling others in to answer a lot of questions.
Example Answer:
One time, I was handed a reporting project without many guidelines surrounding it. Instead of asking for many specifics from our busy CMO, I reached out to someone in marketing operations and asked them to send me some samples of past reports done for our CMO and executive team. He sent me four examples, all of which had very similar sections. I used that as my blueprint and added in extra slides that I felt were relevant. The project was completed before the deadline, and my CMO was very happy with what I had put together.
If I asked you to quit your job and start working at Tesla tomorrow, which three things would your manager miss most about you?
Again, this question asks candidates to be self-aware about their own skill sets and the value they bring to the table.
They want to know what specific skills, qualifications, or experience you may add to their existing teams and what was most impressive about you and your skills in past jobs. Be honest about this one, and do your best to talk yourself up.
Example Answer:
If I had to leave my job today, I believe my boss would miss my ability to be a motivating force on our team. I try to always rally behind my team members and encourage them to do their best and voice their ideas and opinions when we’re collaborating as a team.