I applied in-person. The process took 5 days. I interviewed at AOL (Baltimore, MD) in May 2009
Interview
In the interview, you are asked dozens of seemingly meaningless questions. They are trying to get a feel for whether you have good reasoning and analytical skills. From their point of view, it is a very worthwhile interview. From your point of view, very little information about the job is disseminated, resulting in your not really knowing what you will do before you arrive.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you track how many unique people fit in a stadium?
I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at AOL (New York, NY) in Jan 2013
Interview
Fairly long and detailed interview process. I didn't mind it though as it helped ensure they were hiring top tier talent that fit well with the company culture. I ended up doing at least 3 phone interviews, one with a culture ambassador, and 3 in-person interview sessions where I was interviewed by at minimum 2 people per session.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at AOL
Interview
Pro: Recruiter was always quick to respond to emails and follow up with phone calls. Feedback process was quick between rounds. Process
Cons: Multiple rounds of interviews. Phone, in person, in person again (this time, across the country), phone.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Case study question: respondent was given pages of data, blank pieces of paper, and an hour to create a research story out of the data. It was then presented to 6-10 people, including a C-level employee