I applied through an employee referral. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at Google (London, England) in Mar 2010
Interview
The process took roughly 4 months end to end. A friend recommended me internally for a role which I got through to an interview. The first round was a phone interview with some basic questions why do you want to work here etc. After this had a second phone interview and was invited to a 4 hour on site interview day. When I got to the Google office I was told that the role had been changed to something completely different and that the hiring manager did this because he felt too many people applied for the role I applied for. After a discussion with him he made it clear that it was not a test and that the role had been changed to something I couldn't do and therefore probably wouldn't get the job. He then gave me the option to continue with the interviews but it would only be to get to know the company a bit better...
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How many gigabytes would you need to run Google mail. Was also asked about the products and how I would improve them.
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.
resume screening, a recruiter call, and technical or role-specific interviews. Candidates complete coding, system design, or behavioral rounds. Onsite or virtual panels assess problem-solving, communication, and leadership. Feedback goes to a hiring committee, followed by team matching and final offer discussions.