Having the opportunity to work for a company that is changing the world is exhilarating and rewarding as well. Meet Daivik Goel, a Waterloo University graduate(the toughest Canadian institution to crack.) who worked as a Product Manager Intern at Tesla (dream company of many out there) a year back. Daivik is a talented tech chap. He is a Product Author, Video Creator & Podcast Host at TheAlmostDropouts, also to add the cherry on top he worked as a Cognitive Software Intern at IBM. Don’t you think it’s amazing?
We have some resources in store for you which will undoubtedly assist you in finding internship openings at your dream firms.
- Your path to success – 63 Student Internships at Tesla & SpaceX
- Opportunities are knocking – Tesla Internship Programs
Interview
Q1. What was your preparation for the program?
The University of Waterloo has a unique engineering program where we alternate between coop(internship) terms and school terms every 4 months. Because of this, I was lucky enough to have a lot of experience behind my back when I was applying to Tesla.
Q2. How long were you preparing for this?
I got the internship in my 3rd year after 20 months of internship experience. For the interview itself, because we are constantly switching between school and internships, I am almost always ready to give interviews. I would say I prepped around 1-2 days before the interview.
Q3. What is the application and recruitment process?
The recruiting process for most people begins applying on Tesla’s website but this is where most candidates get eliminated. The sheer volume of applicants makes it very difficult to get noticed. I would highly recommend reaching out to recruiters through platforms like LinkedIn as it can go a long way in getting you through the door. You should showcase why you are a great fit for the position you are applying to and point to your previous experiences as evidence of that. Although this method also has a low success rate as recruiters get flooded with messages it offers a high return if you send the right message at the right time.
Q4. Why do you think you were selected?
Tesla is a fast-moving company where its employees have a lot of work on their hands. In turn, whether you are an intern or full-time, they need people who can contribute from day one. This makes it essential to showcase in your application that you can do exactly that. This can be done through a combination of many things such as previous work experiences, design teams, and an overall passion to contribute to the mission.
Q5.Describe your experience in this program. Perhaps your story.
Working at Tesla was the most fun I have had working in an internship. It gave me the ability to work on products that I was passionate about with some of the best engineers in the industry. It is remarkable what the company is doing and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a unique challenge!
Q6. What advice would you want to give?
I gave a lot of the tips I had in the other questions but to recap them:
- Don’t only apply online. Try reaching out to recruiters and show why you are a great fit for the position and company. This extra effort can go a long way!
- In your application and interview make sure you point to how you can do the job from day one. This can be done by showcasing previous work experiences, projects, design team experience, etc. Also, make sure to talk about why you are passionate about the company and its products.
- Don’t fret about rejection. Like I said this is a highly competitive program and there are bound to be a lot of highly qualified candidates who don’t get chosen. Just keep working on improving yourself and eventually, it should pay dividends at Tesla or another venture!
I have a lot more general tips that you can check out on my LinkedIn Posts or YouTube videos!
Connect with Daivik Goel on Linkedin & Youtube.
Isn’t this a source of inspiration and motivation? Such a long journey of hard work and smart work. Working with a business that is the future of our planet is no mean feat. You can accomplish the same thing by vowing to never stop learning and improving. If your dream company is also TESLA, then do check out the above-mentioned articles.
“Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.”
-Elon Musk
Scholarship Track 