I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Tesla (Palo Alto, CA)
Interview
There are three rounds of interviews: the first focuses on electrochemical battery technology, the second on data, and the final round is a behavioral interview with the hiring manager. Each interview lasts about 30 minutes, and the overall process moves quickly, usually concluding with results within 2-3 weeks.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Lithium-ion battery charging and discharging mechanism
There was several interviews to this process. It starts with a screening call with HR. Then you advance to two one on one interviews with team members, and conclude with a panel interview.
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Tesla (Reno, NV) in Feb 2025
Interview
started off with a phone screen.
Transitioned to a technical interview with the team manager.
Asked core mechanical engineering principles to begin with. Stress strain curve, heat transfer and such. And each answer would prompt a deeper question that would be application related.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Explain the stress-strain curve to a five year old.
Cell Engineering Intern applicants have rated the interview process at Tesla with 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 67% positive. To compare, the company-average is 55.1% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Cell Engineering Intern roles take an average of 60 days to get hired, when considering 6 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Tesla overall takes an average of 33 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Tesla as a Cell Engineering Intern according to 6 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 22%
Background check: 22%
Skills test: 22%
Phone interview: 22%
Presentation: 11%
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