I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at City of Charlotte (Charlotte, NC) in July 2009
Interview
The interview process was pretty structured. The hiring manager contacted me to set up a time to have a phone interview, and after the phone interview, I was asked to come in for an in-person interview. Two people from the department interviewed me (the hiring manager and another manager from the group). The interview lasted for about an hour. I also had to fill out a paper application that asked for previous supervisors at my former jobs (so I was glad I brought that info) and my references. After that, I was asked to complete a skills test relating to software I would use on the job. It was very reasonable and not too difficult to complete. They apparently contacted my references to ask about me, and I was called the next day and offered the job. They asked that I respond back with my answer in the next day or two.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
A lot of the questions related to situational examples - tell me about a time when you had to use judgement in a difficult job situation. Tell me about the most difficult person you've ever had to work with, and how you handled the difficulty. Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something you didn't agree with... etc. I didn't get the impression anyone was trying to play good cop/bad cop or "gotcha" but in such a large organization, I'm sure the interview experiences vary widely.