Important Things You Need to Know Before Applying For a Tesla Internship
How do I get an internship at Tesla in 2022? Is it hard to get in? What do Tesla interns even do? Is an internship at Tesla worth it?
If you are in the market for one-on-one mentorship and doing meaningful work at one of the most valuable automotive brands in the world and have any of the above questions on your mind right now, you’re at the right place!
We sat down with Prajwal Omkar, an Industrial Engineering student at Rutgers and an intern with the logistics team at Tesla to ask him all you need to know before applying to the company. Let’s dive right in.
Why did you choose a Tesla internship?
I applied to many places where I thought I could gain valuable experience, learn from people coming from different backgrounds with different perspectives, and network. As an international student, I also wanted to intern somewhere I could potentially work full-time! I got a few offers but I ended up choosing Tesla because their work is incredible and it fascinates me. Their self-driving software for example – just a lot of cool tech I was excited to be a part of.
How did you apply for the internship?
I applied directly from the website. But I also reached out to the internship recruiter on Linkedin and sent them a message and my resume. It was basically just an introduction that was 1 or 2 lines long, then a short line on what I’ve done, and then how I thought I could make a difference as an intern.
What was the interview process like?
I remember taking a 90-minute technical assessment, then an interview with 2 members of the team who also asked me a few technical questions, and finally, a 30-minute meeting with my current manager who discussed my responsibilities with me.
The conversation with my manager was great! At Tesla, you’re doing what the full-time team does - real work. So he made sure I was okay with my responsibilities and answered all my questions.
What does a typical day look like?
The job is hybrid but I currently work remotely because I have classes too. The day starts off with meetings. Tesla is a huge company with complicated logistics so it’s important to pay a lot of attention during these calls to understand the stakeholders, requirements, etc. to map everything out before working on it. I’d say 30% of my time goes into meetings and 70% of it goes into data collection, cleaning, and analysis.
What does your team look like?
Our team has 20 people in it! There is one other intern but I don’t work with them directly because we work on different things. I met and spoke to them during our happy hours, though. We have many of those! The work we do can be overwhelming so the team does its best to make sure we’re also building relationships, getting to know each other beyond work, and having fun!
As for my manager, he’s very supportive. For the first 2 months, he met with me every day to answer all my questions and supervise me. I used those meetings as my opportunity to ask many questions because I think asking is always better than pretending you understand everything. It paid off because he walked me through how to approach problems, how he would tackle certain things and more.
What do you think are the pros and cons of a Tesla internship?
I’d say the amazing people I get to work with on real projects is a huge pro. I’ve also built great friendships with far more talented interns in other departments coming from universities like UC Berkeley and Stanford. I’m a postgraduate student and there are undergraduate interns that I’ve met that are amazing for example. All of that has been great.
I wouldn’t necessarily call this a con but the work being real can sometimes definitely get stressful and that translates to long hours. I don’t complain about it because I’m learning so much and I know we’re doing something incredible here.
What skills do applicants need to get an internship at Tesla?
I see a lot of people with great technical knowledge but poor communication skills. I think the importance needs to be placed on communication skills. The technical skills are important too but ultimately as long as you know the ABC of a piece of tech - that’s fine. You can learn the rest on the job. Being able to communicate will make you an even stronger contributor.
But other than that there isn’t much! Tesla even removed the requirement for a degree so anyone can apply. It comes down to the person and the skills.
Do you have any tips for students applying for internships?
The first thing I’d recommend is to not be complacent. I already had internship offers from different companies but I pushed myself to apply to more places. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn't be at Tesla today.
I’d also recommend reaching out to people who already work there on Linkedin asking for advice or guidance. Most of the time they won’t respond but when they do - you have a great opportunity to build a connection.
Another thing I’d recommend is to look at the resumes of people who are doing what you want to do and see how you can gain similar experiences or if you have similar experiences, take inspiration from their resumes to understand how to present yourself better.
And after you get anywhere, I would suggest you take real responsibility and ownership of those responsibilities. Network with your teams and push your boundaries as much as you can!
Fin
There you have it! Thank you, Prajwal, for sharing your wisdom with us!
Ready to get going? Here is Tesla’s internship page! Here are some more resources to help you before you apply: