How To Get A Job At Tesla

There’s no denying the considerable allure of a company that is constantly at the forefront of modern innovation, producing admittedly unique and expensive technology. From futuristic electric cars to solar-powered roof panels, Tesla continues to wow customers around the country year after year.

In fact, in recent years, Tesla has seen upwards of 500,000 applications per year while only having just over 2,000 positions available. On top of that, in 2018, the tech company received the #6 spot on LinkedIn’s hottest companies list, based on their job application numbers.

All that being said, if you’re interested in applying, you should be prepared to face some considerable competition.

So how do you showcase your accomplishments, skills, and qualifications in a way that will catch Tesla’s attention? Luckily, this article will examine the various factors that may contribute to your Tesla application’s success and provide valuable information about how Tesla chooses to screen their candidates.

Have a Vision or Mission that Aligns with Tesla

To properly connect with a company dedicated to a massive and innovative mission, you have to be equally inspired by that mission. One of Tesla’s major goals is to accelerate the global transition to sustainable, green energy.

This vision for the future drives nearly all of the company’s decision-making and has allowed them to create the unique, futuristic technologies they market. Unlike other companies, Tesla is almost entirely driven by their future goals rather than maintaining current systems.

With that in mind, one of the best ways for the company to notice you is to align yourself with its mission. Find ways to make it clear that you’re passionate about innovation and sustainability.

Try to think of examples from your life that showcase your dedication to improving the world around you. This will allow your passions to resonate with Tesla’s hiring managers.

Understand Tesla’s Company Culture

With a heavy focus on innovation, Tesla regularly supports its employees by encouraging them to think outside of the box and develop new, organic solutions. Employees are expected to take a proactive approach when problem-solving and motivate themselves in the workplace.

If you find that you’re exceptionally self-motivated, able to solve puzzles on your own, and willing to make potentially tough decisions, this kind of company culture will suit you. No one is going to hold your hand at Tesla, so you should do your best to outline your leadership and problem-solving skills during the application process.

Additionally, Tesla workers consistently report working long hours and sometimes struggling with their work-life balance, so you’ll need to be willing and able to keep up with a demanding work schedule. When faced with working over 8 hours per day, six days a week, your passion for Tesla’s mission needs to outway the burnout.

Of course, working rigorous hours isn’t for everyone, which is exactly why you should be aware of it before you apply. Then, if you’re willing to take on the workload, explain to the hiring manager why you have the motivation and commitment to do so.

Clearly Outline Your Potential

Unlike other companies looking for highly qualified and intelligent candidates, Tesla doesn’t require you to be a 4.0 Harvard graduate to consider your application. Instead, this future tech company strives to find candidates from any background that show exceptional potential.

While being an Ivy League graduate can certainly indicate potential, being a non-college grad from a small town in Nebraska who just so happens to build highly efficient solar panels is also someone Tesla could be highly interested in.

In other words, don’t let your status or education get in the way of your goal to work for this company, as it will have little bearing on your ability to land a job.

More than anything, outline the various reasons why you have the potential to succeed at Tesla. Maybe you’ve completed a project that might be of interest to the company or have participated in extracurricular activities related to the company’s mission.

Regardless of which personal examples you choose to use, be sure to hone in on the experience and soft skills that make you a high-potential candidate.

Understand How to Take Advantage of Tesla’s Hiring System

Compared to other large companies, Tesla has a unique system of examining applications. Remarkably, despite the growth of the company and the sheer volume of applications, every single one is examined by a real person.

What does this mean for you?

Well, instead of focusing your efforts on keywords or formatting that’s meant to be picked up by a computer, you can carefully personalize and humanize every aspect of your resume.

For instance, if the hiring manager wants to see examples of your innovative potential, you can provide detailed information about your experience and skills that a computer prodding could easily miss for keywords.

Additionally, you can research what current or former Tesla employees did to be noticed by hiring managers and emulate their advice in your resume or cover letter.

However, remember that choosing to have countless applications reviewed by real people can cause considerable wait times, so don’t panic if you’re in the dark for a while. After submitting your application, you may have as long as a week to hear back from the company.

Apply With Confidence

If you’re certain that you want to apply, the best thing you can do is just go for it. While looking for advice and doing research is certainly helpful, you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t apply. After all, nothing is stopping you from applying again.

Remember, regardless of your background, Tesla is always looking for diverse thinkers. Knowing you have something to offer the company, you should apply with confidence. Be aware of your potential, and don’t sell yourself short.

What to Expect After Submitting an Application

It is no simple task gathering great minds from across the U.S., so be prepared for a long and thorough vetting process before you’re officially hired. If your application is accepted, here are some of the next steps you can expect:

1. Phone interview. Before you’re invited to an in-person interview, you’ll likely be called by a hiring manager. Expect to have your general skills assessed and be asked about your interest in the company. If all goes well, you’ll likely be scheduled for an in-person interview.

2. In-person interviews. For the sake of giving candidates a thorough examination, hiring managers will often invite you to more than one interview. Be prepared to answer questions to the point of fatigue, and don’t panic when you’re given Tesla’s routine background check.

3. Assessment test. After you’ve successfully impressed the hiring manager, you’ll be required to take an assessment test. These tests are position-specific and usually require spending a day or two at an assessment center participating in a few relevant activities.

Preparing for Your Interview

Once you’ve successfully moved forward in Tesla’s rigorous hiring process, you’ll want to ensure that you continue making progress. Luckily, here are some common Interview questions you might run into, as well as sample answers:

1. Why do you want to work at Tesla?

   Tesla’s vision and mission have always inspired me. As someone who’s dedicated a lot of my time to environmental science, I deeply admire the new and innovative technologies developed by this company. For that reason, I want to be a part of your mission and contribute my knowledge and skills toward developing Tesla’s technologies.

2. Has there ever been a time where you had to come up with a creative solution? If so, were you successful?

   When I was attempting to wipe and resell my old computer, I ran into an issue with the reboot. Unfortunately, the computer crashed mid-wipe and was unable to reinstall Windows 10. Whenever I tried to restart the laptop, the system would have nowhere to go and just continued to give me a blank screen.

   After several failed attempts to restart the laptop, I began researching the problem and discovered a series of buttons that would get me to an interactive screen. However, this still didn’t solve the problem. Luckily, I realized that I could download Windows 10 on a flash drive and install it that way. This process finally worked, but I was only able to succeed through relentless determination, my knowledge of computers, and my problem-solving skills.

3. Describe a situation where you used teamwork to overcome a challenge.

   When my classmate and I worked on a particularly large metal frame for an engineering project, we found that it was too heavy for us to lift on our own. Given that we were on a time crunch to move the frame to the shop, we put our heads together and devised a plan to roll it using round fence posts. I pushed the frame in the direction it needed to go while my classmate would consistently remove and replace fence posts. This worked like a charm, and together we relocated the frame in less than an hour.

4. What makes you unique?

   I know how to balance my boundless creativity with enough organizational skills to keep myself on track. I can come up with new and innovative solutions, but I can also be realistic about maintaining specific time frames and take valuable criticism. Overall, I think my ability to balance these two skills would make me a worthwhile asset to your company.

5. What do you know about cars?

   Every car is a complex combination of parts that needs to work seamlessly together to provide ideal functionality. For instance, a low fuel economy can be caused by various issues, from inaccurate tire pressure, worn or misfiring spark plugs, or even simply using the wrong motor oil. That’s why I believe that thoroughly understanding every part of a car, as well as being willing to rule out every possible issue, is an important part of working with them.

Examples of the Jobs Available At Tesla

Now that you’re ready to get out there and apply, here is a list of some common jobs you might see listed from Tesla:

• Warehouse Associate

• Inventory Manager

• Product Manager

• Manufacturing Engineer

• Software Engineer

• Electrical Engineer

• Installation Manager

• Transportation Manager

• Construction Manager

• Environmental Program Manager

Author

Jack Flynn

Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.