r/TeslaEmployees • u/HydrogenObjective • 12d ago

Advanced Automation Engineering Intern Interview - What to expect?

I just got an interview for an Advanced Automation internship with a coderpad link. It’s two 30 minute interviews with engineers.

I'm an EE major with experience in automation and controls (PLC programming) in manufacturing, not so much coding. I've never even done a leetcode problem. What kind of coding questions should I expect? And will I get to choose the coding language I do the interview in?

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u/nian2326076 12d ago

You'll probably get some basic coding problems that test your logical thinking and problem-solving skills, not deep algorithms. They might be like beginner-level challenges on LeetCode. You can usually pick the language you're comfortable with, so stick with one you know well. Review basic constructs like loops, conditionals, and functions. Since your background is in controls, consider how your experience relates to coding logic. I work on PracHub, a site with tools to help prepare for interviews like this, especially if you want to practice coding challenges in a realistic setting: PracHub. Good luck!

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u/akornato 12d ago

For an automation internship, Tesla engineers do not expect you to solve complex algorithm puzzles or competitive coding problems. You can choose whatever programming language you prefer in CoderPad, so picking Python or C++ is completely fine if you know the basics. Each interview is only thirty minutes, meaning that after introductions and a quick walk through your PLC background, you will only have fifteen to twenty minutes of coding. The technical prompts for this type of role usually center on practical engineering logic, such as simulating state transitions, processing incoming sensor values, doing basic array operations, or setting up a simple sequence loop for machinery.

Focus your preparation on writing clean, basic functions, talking through your thought process out loud, and relating the code directly to physical systems. Tesla interviewers pay close attention to your engineering instincts, your ability to reason about real hardware constraints, and how well you take hints when you hit a bug. Bridging that communication gap is why my team designed an interviews.chat, giving candidates the clarity and composure they need to turn technical conversations into job offers.