Test/Validation Engineer II, Self-Driving Interview Experience - Palo Alto, California
Process
I was initially contacted by one of Rivian's recruiters for a different position and was then transferred to another recruiter for this role. The interview process included a phone interview with the recruiter, a phone interview with the hiring manager, and various panel interviews via Zoom over the course of a week with different cross-functional team members.
Overall, almost all of the interviewers were pleasant to speak with, and the interviews felt well-paced. The hiring manager, however, was not particularly likable. He came across as grumpy during both the phone and panel interviews, giving the impression that he was too busy and eager to move on to other matters.
Furthermore, the hiring manager expressed doubt about my skills during the phone interview. I was thus quite surprised when the recruiter contacted me to schedule the panel interviews. After completing the week of interviews, I was completely ghosted. I was told my recruiter would be in touch within 2-4 weeks of my last interview, but it has been 2.5 months with no contact. They wasted a week of my time and did not even have the courtesy to send a rejection email.
Questions
Why do you want to work at Rivian?
Was this helpful?
Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Rivian Test/Validation Engineer II, Self-Driving role in Palo Alto, California.
Success Rate
Rivian's interview process for their Test/Validation Engineer II, Self-Driving roles in Palo Alto, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very negative feelings for Rivian's Test/Validation Engineer II, Self-Driving interview process in Palo Alto, California.
Rivian Work Experiences
- 5.0Great company, headed to good places!Software Engineering • Current EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesAugust 17, 2021Pros: Everything except work-life balance. Smart people, good internal communication.Cons: Work-life balance is kind of skewed, but it depends on the team.
- 5.0A good place to workSoftware Engineer(Internship) • Former EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesAugust 15, 2023Pros: respectful environment, and I'm excited to work with talented colleagues.Cons: Risky business. The EV business is generally more risky, not specifically to Rivian.
- 5.0Amazing experience with limitless potentialEngineering Manager • Current EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesMay 6, 2021Pros: Rivian as a product and as a company has been amazing to experience. The company – from day one, Rivian drives home a few concepts. Rivian has the compass – a set of values designed to keep the culture of the company during rapid growth. This is not only something that is talked about during orientation and then forgotten. In every quarterly 1:1, this is discussed, and every action and goal are tied to these core cultural values. Aside from that, this is an engineering company, developing something that has not been done before. The expectation has to be that of a start-up. Going into the role, expect to be challenged. There are a lot of things to do and the pace is superfast. Rivian has ambitious goals, and it will take a lot to accomplish them. The leadership team constantly asks for feedback through surveys and 1:1s, and they strive to provide resources for you to succeed. At the end, I feel it comes down to the individual. You can make Rivian as good or bad of an experience as you want. If you put in the effort, learn, be open to change, and voice concerns, then the experience will be an amazing one. If you keep everything bottled in and don’t speak up, then nothing can change. The most amazing part for me is being able to experience the product. Driving the Truck and SUV allows for feedback into the daily tasks and improvements. It also gives meaning to all the hard work that was put into the product.Cons: Nothing that hasn't been addressed or isn't addressed.
Rivian Interview Questions
