I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at BNP Paribas in Jan 2010
Interview
One half an hour C++ paper test. Was easy enough to weed out BOZOs. Then a 2+ hours discussion on the test and other C++ questions. The interviewer was a very technical person and nice guy to get along with. He was my technical architect in the role. As it was a Friday, the interview got extended to around 3 and half hours. He literally told me on my face that they would be hiring me and did so.