I applied through other source. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Google in Apr 2010
Interview
No interview.. Google contacts me several times if i would like to apply to certain jobs they have, and when replying there is no follow-on procedure.. Especially in Europe Google seems to be hiring young post-graduates, which is not a good sign and shows a terrible lack of cultural sensitivity, let alone the ability to evaluate people skills.
From friends in the US i have heard similar stories on Google's recruitment and hiring procecss, or lack thereof, and it is rife with inappropriate self-confidence and sheer arrogance. Many of us have seen enough companies go down because of such mentality, and it has been pervading Google long enough to have become a company norm.. and that will break them up rather sooner than later.
Very self-driven, first of multiple rounds, where I had to take the initiative to arrive at the problem, constraints, approach, solutions, tradeoffs and reasoning behind it in a matter of 30 minutes.
You would have to do a hiring assessment first, then a recruiter screening follows. First round interview with the hiring manager. Majorly product sense and product improvement. The questions were not direct though.
Overall a lot of steps to the interview process. Talked to different people and had opportunities to ask questions. Many different stages which made it a lengthy process overall. Wasn't too bad.