When people hear the word Tesla, they associate it with serial entrepreneur Elon Musk and electric cars that aim to revolutionize the motor industry. This company, however, does more than just produce futuristic auto. As mentioned on their website, their mission is to speed up the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
This means that apart from electric vehicles, Tesla manufactures a unique set of energy solutions, such as the Solar Roof and Powerwall, to enable utilities, businesses and homeowners to manage renewable energy consumption, storage and generation.
If you’re looking to apply at this multibillion-dollar company, but not sure where to begin, then you’ve come to the right place. This comprehensive guide will tackle the reasons to work in this futuristic company, Tesla career opportunities and tips to increase your chances of succeeding in a job application.
Why Work at Tesla
Many Tesla employees, both past and present, say that working for this organization has been extremely rewarding. Most jobs, however, are highly demanding. If you want to fully enjoy the career benefits offered by Tesla, you’ll need to give your 100 percent on your job.
When you’ve managed to snag a Tesla job opening, you can expect to be at the forefront of the future automotive industry. A job at this sustainable firm will also enable lots of room to grow your career.
Here are a few things that you could look forward to when you start a Tesla career:
Superior Employee Benefits
Like many giant companies, Tesla is famous for providing fantastic pay and benefits to its workers. While you’re working at Tesla, you will enjoy a world-class benefits package. The company offers 401(k) plans, retirement benefits and full insurance coverage.
The company also provides short- and long-term disability packages along with a discount on Tesla shares should the employee decide to purchase TSLA in the stock market.
A job at Tesla can also help you further your education and skills. If you are thinking of going getting a degree or taking courses for upskilling purposes, the company has programs for tuition reimbursement.
All in all, you can confidently expect that Tesla will shower you with plenty of employee benefits once you get a job.
A Focus on Innovation
Tesla is no ordinary company. It’s a futuristic organization committed to sustainable innovation. If you somehow manage to land in the company’s marketing or design departments, you can anticipate “innovation” to be the core of your job duties.
As an innovation-focused company, you’ll be constantly motivated to come up with new ideas and think outside the box. At the same time, you’ll get to discover industry developments from your Tesla co-workers.
Exposure to Cutting-Edge Technology
This company celebrates innovation, creativity and adaptation. When you land a career in Tesla, you’ll be constantly adapting to new gadgets and technology. On top of getting exposure to state-of-the-art tech, you’ll be expected to learn and use new tech or gadgets to boost your performance.
If you enjoy working with tech and the company’s fast-paced culture, you’ll surely enjoy a Tesla career.
Collaborative Culture
Another thing that sets Tesla apart from other companies is its mentorship programs. Employees get support from knowledgeable colleagues who are at the top of their industry. You’ll get guidance and support from your peers that will improve your performance at work.
You can also expect to foster camaraderie in the workplace by collaborating extensively on problem-solving matters while at work. After all, marketing, building and designing a product is a collaborative process between multiple departments.
What Tesla Careers are Available
The job opportunities at Tesla are endless. Although the organization is primarily a car establishment, it spans many other sectors.
You can check out the job openings by going to the Tesla Careers page. When you do a job search, you’ll find the available job openings in various categories, such as manufacturing, construction and facilities, engineering and information technology, design and supply chain.
Tesla isn’t just hiring in the United States. If you live in Australia or certain countries in Europe and Asia, you could apply for a vacant job position in the company.
Not sure what kinds of positions you can expect in Tesla? Here are a few of them:
Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
A Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) is a member of Tesla’s Platform Engineering Team. An SRE should have intimate knowledge of Docker, a tool designed to make creating, deploying and running applications easier by using containers, and Kubernetes, an open-source system for automating management, scaling and deployment of containerized applications.
Other job responsibilities include:
- Influencing architectural decisions with a focus on high performance, scalability and security
- Establishing the technical direction for Tesla’s engineering teams
- Authoring technical documentation for best practices, processes and workflows
Staff Stamping Tooling Engineer
This role is responsible for production process planning and concept feasibility for new projects working with stamping production, materials and Body in White (BIW) engineering teams together with external and internal die vendors to deliver a final product to quality, time and cost targets.
As a Staff Stamping Tooling Engineer, you’ll also be asked to:
- Use Autoform (an engineering software solution) to conduct full simulations from concept to production parts
- Adhere to die design standards and simulation guidelines
- Come with up processes for components within quality and cost targets
Lead Installer
This role is part of the company’s Field Energy Operations team. As a leader, you’ll continuously Tesla responsibilities and standards, including efficiency goals, quality standards and policy compliance. The ideal candidate for this job position will work cooperatively with team members to successfully finish the maintenance and installation of energy products safely and on schedule.
A few of the other job responsibilities of a Lead Installer include:
- Teaching and guiding crew members on resolving equipment failures and issues onsite
- Monitors and tracks productivity goals consistently, as well as communicate areas of opportunity to crew members to contribute to overall improvement
- Attends mandatory training sessions on safety, installation methodology and new products
Looking to Gain Valuable Work Experience? Sign up at Tesla’s Internship Program
Current and eligible students who have the passion to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy can sign up for one of Tesla’s internship programs. The company provides year-round internship opportunities at various locations across the globe.
If you’re a student aspiring to enjoy a rewarding Tesla career after graduation, you should strongly consider applying for an internship. The organization has many interns who returned to pursue a full-time role. Think of the internship as a talent pipeline program.
How to Land a Career at Tesla
In 2017, Tesla got almost 500,000 applications for just 2,500 open roles. This means that the probability of landing that coveted Tesla career is just half a percent.
If you want to grab the Tesla job opening you want, you’ll have to do more than just beef up your resume.
Here are a few career tips to help boost your chances of landing a career in this fine organization:
Show, Don’t Tell
Rather than tell about the things you can do, you should show the hiring managers of Tesla what you could do. If you’re an engineering job candidate, for instance, you could encounter a coding test or some problem that employees would tackle on a whiteboard.
During these exercises, the folks at Tesla are evaluating the competency of a candidate along with their problem-solving process.
Tesla is searching for individuals who are comfortable taking on ambiguity. What the employees at Tesla are doing is difficult — and there’s not always an immediate right answer to a problem. When candidates are doing those exercises, the company wants to learn more about how they think and approach a problem and less about having the perfect answer.
Showcase Your “DNA”
No, this doesn’t mean you talking about polynucleotide chains and double helix structures. You need to show Tesla that you possess the qualities that will help you succeed in the job.
The four main principles that are important to Tesla are being trustworthy, collaborative, driven and innovative. Demonstrate your “DNA” by highlighting a specific reference that can help show that you possess those four principles. Alternatively, you could bring a portfolio of your work or use examples from your previous work experience.
Love the Tesla Mission
The employees are committed to the company’s founding mission. If you want to fill that Tesla job opening, you’ll need to show that you’re passionate about fulfilling this mission.
Before you head over to the Tesla Careers page, make sure you take note of the tips found on this guide. Remember that the job benefits you get from this company are just the proverbial icing on the cake. You also have the unique opportunity to make the world a better place by contributing to the transition to sustainable energy.
