Karma Automotive Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I initially applied online in early Jan'17. About 2-3 weeks later, after I had pretty much forgotten about it, I got a call and scheduled a screening call with HR. The HR call was surprisingly long and detailed, covering my background, knowledge, and interest in Karma. It was useful because I learned they were moving offices and got some advice for the next stage. A few days later, I had a call with the hiring manager and some engineers. This was a broad discussion about my experience, including details from my first job 20 years ago. I also got to ask some technical questions. They said HR would follow up about next steps. A few days after that, I was invited for an onsite interview with the engineering and leadership teams. This involved whiteboard problems that weren't straightforward but I could show my logical approach with some hints. Then I met with the leadership team who asked about ROI and some tough dilemma scenarios. After that, there was a 4-hour lab tour with some hands-on time. It was clear the role would be very varied. A couple of days later, I got a verbal offer.

The interview process was typical: a phone screening, then two phone interviews, and finally an onsite interview. They made a decision really quickly, within an hour after the onsite. The office was new because they just moved after going bankrupt. It seemed like a place that was starting to do well again. The engineers and supervisor I spoke with were very friendly and seemed competent, and I would have liked to work with them, but the HR experience was bad. The HR person initially offered a salary during the phone screening, but then gave a much lower offer at the end. When I tried to negotiate, they didn't even offer a counter. The HR people were very rude. I found out later that because the company had just gone through bankruptcy and laid off 80% of its staff, they didn't have their own HR department and were using a third-party HR company. It seemed like the HRs were more focused on their own financial gain rather than hiring good employees for the company. Oh, and they also messed up my reimbursement for the onsite trip.

HR reached out first, asking basic tech questions about my software knowledge and my availability. After that, I went to the Costa Mesa office for an on-site technical interview with the departmental manager. It was a 45-minute session.