Very chill, messaged a few people and eventually got pointed to apply online.
Got invited to first round screening interview online and then had a one on one call with someone from the hiring team
Thorough but fair. Friendly but professional. I talked through my cv and they asked about my goals and motivations. I had to do a short presentation followed by questions and answers.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Google (Dublin, Dublin) in Oct 2011
Interview
Very nice process, they seem to care more whether you are a salesman and whether you are 'a google person' than really creative or innovative. Don't focus on learning about Adwords, just make sure you're able to sell yourself (or anything).
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Pitch adwords to a small flower shop in 30 seconds.