Well, I never thought I would be writing a review for any job interview or company. But I wanted to share my experience with this particular one.

One fine evening, while I was driving back from work, I got a call from Tesla HR for a position similar to my profile. I had been working on the same profile for three years, and my resume was picked for it. I was also working for a leading automotive company. Tesla, being a startup company, excited me, and like many other young engineers, I wanted to be a part of its hopeful future. I was also following Tesla's every move by then.

The phone call with HR was short. Since my profile suited the position best, he did not have too many questions for me. I also expressed my excitement regarding Tesla. At the end of our conversation, he said the hiring manager would call me in five days for a phone interview and would send me an email with the interview details.

Three days passed, and I did not receive any email or call back. I did not have his number to reach him. Finally, he called me on the fourth day and said the hiring manager wanted to speak with me that evening, if I was okay with it. I said I was okay with taking the call.

The hiring manager called me up, went over my resume, and it was pretty straightforward, like any other interview. In the end, he said he would like to have me for a face-to-face interview. I was super excited after that and started dreaming about being a part of Tesla and relocating to the Bay Area.

Next day, I got a call from HR. He said the hiring manager was impressed with my skills and that the team would like to meet me at their Fremont facility. I did ask HR about the salary since it was California, and I was expecting at least 20% more than what I was making in the Midwest. HR did not have a salary figure with him. He said the best they could do was match the salary I was making in the Midwest and asked me to think it over, promising to call back the next day. HR called me back the next day and said they could give me a 10% hike on what I was making in the Midwest.

I thought to myself that more than salary, Tesla would be a place of passion. So, I decided to sacrifice salary and convinced my wife that I would do miracles at Tesla. Finally, I decided to take whatever they offered and show up for the face-to-face interview.

The face-to-face interview was confirmed in a week. They flew me to their Fremont facility, and the interview was with six people working there. Three were from the same department as the position, and two were from a different department. The sixth person did not show up. The interview was very casual, with no tough technical questions as such.

Tesla is still a startup company and does not have strong production systems like any leading automotive company. They are just boxing the car and selling it to rich and anxious people who can afford them. From a production standpoint, they want to create a difference and want to create a Google-kind of workplace. Tesla is an automotive manufacturer, and to produce anything, you have to have processes and standards. Google is innovation. There is a huge difference.

Anyway, after the interview, I thought I got the job and that I would make a difference to the company.

Unfortunately, the sad part was that after the interview, no one contacted me back from the company. I tried reaching HR so many times. He neither replied nor responded to my emails. They did not fill that position until now. At least he should have had the courtesy of sending an email saying that I was not selected.

Well, everything happens for a good reason. I am glad now that I was not selected. I now have a job that is even better; it was kind of a promotion, and I got a 30% hike, and that too in the Midwest.

Tesla was the only interview till now that I did not get any reply from. I hope my experience with Tesla helps future job seekers at Tesla.

To ask a difficult question, either the company has to do something different, or it should be a leader in what it does. I don't think Tesla fits into either.