The process was lengthy. I applied online and waited two months before starting to reach out to 2nd-degree LinkedIn connections.

Once I finally managed to get the interview process started, it took another three months to receive an offer.

The interview process included three phone rounds:

• First, with a recruiter.
• Then, with a potential coworker.
• Finally, with my potential boss.

After passing all three, I received a take-home assignment that took approximately 50 hours of work over the course of a week. This project was very similar to the work I would be doing if I secured the position.

Finally, I was brought on-site for the last interview round. This included a brief tour of the facility in Hawthorne, a presentation on some of my past work, and a long series of technical interviews for the remainder of the day.

Even after passing the on-site interviews, there was a background check, a reference check, and then I had to write an executive summary of my top technical accomplishments for final approval by Elon Musk.

My advice: stay patient and be persistent.

Questions about:

• My resume
• My past work
• General brain teasers
• Very broad, open-ended technical questions

Be ready to think on your feet.