I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Google (Zürich) in Apr 2014
Interview
Expect many interviews with a range of people. Prepare to be tested on much more than your technical proficiency as fitting into the company culture is a major consideration. if you have a connection inside the company, having them refer you is a big advantage. Google hires less than 1% of the people that submit applications online, so going through a recruiter or getting referred yields significantly better results. Interview formats will likely included: phone, video (GVC), written/technical and in person interviews. Data is king, so the more you can concrete information about, the more Googley your being.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you solve this problem? Tell me about time when you did XYZ that you highlighted on your applications or CV.