A Google recruiter reached out to a professional colleague who wasn't interested in the position, but referenced me as a possibility. I sent the recruiter a cover letter and resume, which in turn earned me a phone interview (with the recruiter). That led to a writing assignment in which I was to anticipate the "Google voice" and write content that would be appropriate for internal communication. The recruiter told me the hiring manager read my submission, and wanted to move forward with an in-person interview. I was asked to come in for a peer interview in which someone else in the internal communications department would query me for 30 minutes. The peer was intelligent and likeable, and I found the questions interesting and relatively easy (he didn't throw me any infamous Google brain teasers). Immediately afterward, I emailed the recruiter and expressed a desire to know ASAP if I would be moving forward in the hiring process, and was given a very specific answer on how all of that would unfold: If they decided not to move forward, I would know within days. If they decided to move forward, I would be asked to do another four or five interviews (presumably on the same day), and if I passed that hurdle, my application would to go to the executive hiring committee. I received a phone call very quickly. A recruiter informed me that they were moving forward with other candidates, and that I would not be called back. All in all, I found the recruitment team to be efficient, likeable, and communicative.