I applied to Google via a recruiter. Initial impression is good, the recruiter was really helpful and we quickly agreed on the interview date. I failed at the first phone screen, however. The phone interview consists of forgettable technical questions such as your favourite programming language, what is the difference between a compiled and interpreted languages, etc. It took about 15 minutes before I was given a simple programming exercise. I did it in 10 minutes but spent the rest of the time fixing bugs, it was really quite embarrassing. I was nervous and too was too busy speaking my mind out loud (as was suggested by many for Google interviewing tips). Another critical mistake (IMO) was when I was aksed what position I'd like to be in, I said the equivalence of "whatever is good for me". I had a few things I really wanted to do at Google but knowing that with the years of experiences I've got, it's unlikely. Sometimes it doesn't pay to be truthful!.