I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Tesla (Palo Alto, CA) in Mar 2010
Interview
The interview process moved rather quickly in comparison to other companies. They were able to quickly setup the interview with short notice. I was given some relatively basic questions that any reliable engineer should be able to answer. There were about 3-4 interviews: one with HR, another with an engineer, and another with Elon.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
If two vehicles are identical, except for one weighing twice as much as the other vehicle, and they roll down a hill, which car reaches the bottom first? Neglect air resistance. Assume the extra mass is in the body of the vehicle.