I was contacted by a recruiter who found my profile on LinkedIn asking me if I was interested in their ITRP program . I said sure and I had to go through a phone screen, then 2 weeks later a highly technical 1 hour phone interview, and then finally an on-site interview in Mountain View 1 month later.
Let me tell you it was one of the best experiences I have had in my life. No I didn't get selected but I had such an amazing experience I had no doubts that Google would be a fantastic company to work for. 3 45-minute interviews were 1:1 and a 45-minute lunch with an employee-guide was also done but I don't think that had anything to do with the hiring process. Believe me these interviews are so conversational and easy going that time flew SO fast. I am normally at 120bpm heart rate in interviews but this one was nothing like that. I personally felt like I nailed the interview but apparently I didn't or there were just better people than me (this is Google!).
Google pampers their candidates. I stayed at a very nice hotel, got a neat leathered rental car with gas reimbursement, $35/day food reimbursement, and free food and all the beverages I wanted that day aka Redbull lol. After the interview I went to San Francisco that afternoon since I've never been there, and then in the early evening, I drove down to Pacifica which is a gorgeous coastal city and went down a bit along Pacific Coast Highway. Long story short I'm a huge auto enthusiast and that is one of the most scenic roads in the U.S. and I still smile months after just thinking about it.