I applied online. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Google in Sept 2009
Interview
The initial phone interview was with an HR recruiter - short, not technical. The next phone interview was with an engineer from CA who didn't even know what position I was applying for. Some of the questions involved Big O notation, algorithm for determining anagrams, how many domestic flights in a given day. Google's approach in hiring people is very academic and they want to see how you think.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How many people are flying in a given day? (domestic flights)