My interview process was slightly different (longer) than most people, due to some circumstances at the time.
First was the phone screening with a Director of Engineering, afterwhich I was cleared for a 4-hour on-site technical interview with the same director and three other senior engineers. The last time I interviewed for a job was 9 years ago, so I was understandably very nervous going into it. However, my nerves were quickly tamed as the process started. Everybody treated me very well and with respect. They looked at my huge resume carefully; two of them even cared enough to read all the way to my first job. The conversations were technically stimulating, and they were more like two-way discussions instead of tests and quizzes. Being all nervous and having to think on my feet, I occasionally stumbled or did not come up with the best solutions the first-time around. However, they always encouraged me to re-think the problem/solution in a different way, which then helped me come up with a better solution. If I honestly said that I did not have an answer for the question, they respected my honesty and cared enough to explain the answer.
The third interview was a web chat with one of the principal engineers in a different location. The experience was again very positive and involved two-way discussions. The interview was held to specifically gauge my knowledge on a specific programming language and to figure out what my technical interests are.
The fourth and last interview was with another Director of Engineering and one more software engineer. More technical questions (data structure and algorithm) from the engineer, and discussions involving technical experience and interests with the director.
Two things that stood out from the experience:
- The technical questions were appropriate and challenging at the same time, which I actually liked. To me, it means that they want the best engineers, and you would be working with some of the best talents in the industry
- Although I believe that my interviewers were some of the smartest engineers in the area, there was not a single hint of rockstar attitude. My impression was that they were nice to talk to, humble, willing to share knowledge, and treat people with respect. That speaks a lot about the individuals' and company's core values.