I applied online. The process took 2+ months. I interviewed at Google (Dublin, Dublin) in Feb 2011
Interview
I applied online in November 2010. I got an email from a Assistant Recruiter last week of January 2011 that they wanted to chat with me for an opportunity, and if I was interested. I said, yes...of course. She had also asked me for suitable dates/times for an interview within the next two weeks. I gave her my availability timeline. She replied with a confirmed date for mid-February 2011.
I did a bit of homework on this initial interview, having known that this would be primarily a "information gathering" session (as she said). When I got the call, it was pretty much as I expected. The principal recruiter called, was friendly, and asked fluffy questions like "why looking for another job, why google, etc." I thought the interview went well. She was friendly, but neutral in her reaction. She promised to get back to me within a week, maximum. It hasn't been a week yet, so I'm still waiting.
What extracurricular activities have you engaged in (social, etc.)? What compensation expectations do you have, because there's no point in continuing if we can't meet your expectations?
I applied through college or university. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Google (Gurgaon, Haryana) in Oct 2011
Interview
Interview process was just awesome. Though it was phone in, setting my apprehensions aside, it went well, the interviewer kept a cool head and most importantly i was able to do be tension free only because off his cool attitude. he gave me ample time to answer questions and there was no tension as a result and in the end i did the interview well. They asked questions starting from personal habits to aptitude, quant, verbals and knowledge(regarding Google, their products and offerings)
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What would you do if a concert went awry(say the singer refused to come or a sudden engagement cropped up for the singer and couldnt do the concert)?
The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Google (Hyderābād) in Aug 2011
Interview
Resume was referred by a friend at Google. That helped me get a chance at an interview. Initial screening done over the phone to understand my background and my fit for the job. Once this was cleared, I was flown to Hyderabad for 1:1 interviews.
The interviewers usually are on time and take a lot of notes. Questions asked were on generic management, managing teams and people, project management, online advertising, How will you monetize google's assets etc?
The second interview was with a manager from a different team. Questions around how can Google compete with facebook, How can you control spam on Social Networks etc.
After that I had 2 interviews via phone with teams from MTV and Australia. Questions are similar, though some interviewers really drill you down. Two questions which we spent a lot of time on were -- 1. What are the 3 major changes you would make on any google product and 2. After you have made those changes, how will you make that a billion$ business.
Once the interviews are done, a long wait begins for the HR to communicate the next steps. This is the period of uncertainity. Though the HR does provide an update, it is mostly reactive.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
What are the 3 major changes you would make on a Google Product ? Once you have made those changes, how will you make it a billion$ product ?
