I applied in-person. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Google (Mountain View, CA)
Interview
it is a 3 stage process. recruiter, 1:1 interview for 60 minutes then 3-5 interviews onsite. The whole process is very secretive is was impossible to find out if there was a position near me and basic info on what projects they had at the closest office. I made it through all 3 stages and feel like I did very well and expected an offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
how to redesign a search engine from scratch without knowing anything about the input.
I applied online. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Google (Mountain View, CA) in May 2011
Interview
Got an email follow up a day after I submitted the application, phone screened within two weeks. Phone screen was a bit awkward and the interviewer wasn't clear on some questions, but I passed and was invited to their MTV campus. Everyone was friendly. It was a bit distracting to hear laptop keys clacking as I gave my answers while they were taking notes. Within a week of my onsite, I got a canned "thanks but no thanks" message and no followup when I requested feedback.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
A lot of "design a (something common) for (an audience you're not a part of)" type questions.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Google in May 2012
Interview
recruiter contacted me based on linked in profile, emailed me to ask if i was interested. I said yes and got an interview scheduled in the following week.