How I Got Hired at Tesla Without a Degree

Tesla hired me at their Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada! This is the most exciting job offer I got so far. So how did I land the job without a degree? Work projects, confidence, and honesty. 

Work Projects

I’ve mentioned doing free projects for employers in my previous posts. The reason why I emphasize so much on them is that it shows you take the initiative and that you’re a problem solver.

Work projects demonstrate that you can create value and you’re worth the costs of hiring you. Employers run a cost-benefit analysis of hiring you. What benefits will they get in return for bringing you on? And what will their opportunity cost (the next best alternative) be? Think of it as a selling point.

Just so you know, I’m not claiming this will make you rejection-proof. There are no guarantees in life but doing work projects will increase your chances of getting hired.

Confidence and Interviewing Skills

I’ve struggled with interviewing skills in the past and I couldn’t figure out why. I did mock interviews at my college but I left disappointed and still unprepared. The reason was I lacked self-confidence and I was overthinking all the things that could go wrong. Your inner dialogue really makes a difference and it will reflect in the way you carry yourself. People will notice subtle psychological cues like leaning forward in your chair which shows eagerness, or if your hands are under the table instead of on it which demonstrates distance.

Why exactly did I lack self-confidence in answering the interviewer’s questions? I lacked evidence to back up claims like, “I’m hard working,” “I take the initiative,” or some other vague claim. And this another reason why doing free projects will help you tremendously. Don’t just tell, show.

Show how you take the initiative or how you’re a leader by referencing these projects or certain situations you had to handle. For example, during my interview with Tesla, I was asked how I recovered from a big mistake. I talked about how I repaired a bad situation between my boss and me into a good one by creating a training manual.

Another thing that made me better at interviews was remembering how I handled a challenging situation. This is something you should write down somewhere that way it’ll help you prepare for an interview. The Tesla interviewer asked me to name a time where I had to handle an emergency with no help. I told him how I handled a code brown incident at the swim school I work at and followed the proper procedures.

A tip if you wish to apply for a production associate job at Tesla; they asked basic interview questions so nothing difficult. The interviewer asked why I wanted to work on production because my A.A. degree is unrelated. I told him I wanted to learn new things and expand my skillset.

Come in armed with confidence and be able to recall specific situations in which you handled something challenging. And back up vague claims with concrete evidence. The whole point of an interview is to get to know a future employee. Make yourself stand out from the crowd.

My Tesla Story

I first heard about production associate jobs at Tesla from my friend Michelle. She had announced on Facebook that she landed a job at the Gigafactory working on the production line, and she didn’t have a degree yet. Michelle said Elon Musk actually prefers people without degrees so I tried my luck and applied. About two or three months later I heard back from them with an offer and they would pay me $15.50 an hour.

Tesla fascinated me from the time I discovered them in high school. Their technology and their namesake, the great inventor Nikolai Tesla was revolutionary and has paved the way for the future.

So when I heard about an opportunity to work for them I took a chance. Actually, I admit it was a half-serious attempt. I didn’t think I would get hired because who would want a young millennial with no degree, no blue-collar background, and be willing to work twelve hours a day at a factory?

Unfortunately, I had to decline their offer because I didn’t have enough money to move from Florida to Nevada and pay for rent and Praxis. Working for Tesla was my backup plan in case I didn’t get accepted into Praxis. In the future, I might reapply but for a different position.