I have interviewed for several positions at SpaceX in the past few months, focusing on propulsion design, manufacturing, and various test engineering roles.

SpaceX is very good about reaching out if you are qualified. Expect a phone call from a recruiter within 30 minutes to a few days if you have truthfully framed your resume to represent the responsibilities, basic qualifications, and preferred skills and experience of the position to which you are applying.

The first phone call from the recruiter aims to understand how your background relates to the position, so know how to showcase yourself! The interview can either end after discussing your background or include some technical questions. If you are given technical questions, have a pen and paper ready to work out some formulaic relationships. If this call goes well, they will schedule you to speak with a hiring manager immediately for the near future. If it does not go well (even if you think it did), they will not schedule you a time with the manager, and it's almost certain you will not move on.

If you move on to the second round, be ready for one of the hardest phone screenings you will ever experience from any company. Honestly, for the last few positions I applied to where I reached this point, I would lose sleep the night before because I knew how difficult they were going to be. They expect everyone they interview at this stage to know the mechanics of a cantilever beam, so they don't bother asking those types of questions. Instead, they will first have you run through your background and grill you in every aspect beyond your imagination. They ask theory questions related to your background that may not have been relevant at the time, but you better know them. Do not say you do not know for any question, or kiss your candidacy goodbye. But do not make things up! It is 30 minutes of constant back-and-forth, high-energy.

If you do well, you will be invited for an onsite interview.

The onsite interview consists of a 15-minute presentation of your relevant work, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. If you do well, they will conduct many interviews afterwards. If not, they will simply give you a tour of the facility.

There is one thing to keep in mind: if you feel that you are a solid, smart engineer, SpaceX will likely see that as well and will give you many opportunities to find your spot in their company. Keep applying to positions at SpaceX if you are not offered the job you just interviewed for! You will end up finding a job there somewhere. There is another Glassdoor interview review below that says the same thing because it is true. I decided to go with a top defense contractor instead of pursuing a position at this company any longer.

Given specified dimensions of a cantilever beam, what happens to the modal response as the stiffness is increased?

You are testing a device in a vacuum chamber. The device tends to overheat while inside the chamber. How do you lower the temperature of the device?

If your position is related to rocket engines, know everything about:

• Thrust force
• Fuel used
• The benefits of those engines within their rockets.