I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at SpaceX (Hawthorne, CA) in Sep 2017
Interview
Contacted by recruiter based on LinkedIn profile.
30 minute phone interview with recruiter.
30 minute phone interview with hiring manager.
30 minute phone interview with senior manager in same higher level organization.
Flown to Hawthorne to tour facility.
Gave 20 minute presentation on topic of their choosing with group questions to follow.
Tour of facility I would be supporting and met people I would be working with.
1:1 in person interviews with people that attended or were supposed to attend my presentation.
Final 30 minute phone interview with VP of organization I would be supporting
Interview questions [3]
Question 1
How many samples should one take to begin obtaining a statistically significant sample?
I applied online. I interviewed at SpaceX in Mar 2026
Interview
My interview experience at SpaceX was disappointing. The expectations felt extremely high, even for mid-level roles. Missing even one or two questions seemed to stop the process, and there was little tolerance for not knowing something.
It felt like they prioritize candidates who already know everything rather than those willing to learn. Overall, a very rigid and negative experience.
Round 1) Recruiter Phone Call
Round 2-4+) Phone call with Lead Engineer, Manager, etc.
Round 5) On-Site with Technical Presentation and One-on-Ones
I found the questions in the in-person one-on-ones were equal or slightly harder than the phone screening questions
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why SpaceX? (Was asked this during all four phone screenings)
1 on 1 interview standard fundamental mech questions from coursework fluids, statics, structures, heat transfer, thermo etc. asked lots of questions and follow ups to get a gauge of thinking
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
fixed cantilever beam point load p at the end what is the defleciton eq?
