I applied through university. I interviewed at Inrialpes
Interview
Just a brief interview with a few technical questions and experience. The interviewer was nice and understanding of my limited experience. The interview was more about meeting the team than testing my skills.
I applied online. I interviewed at Inrialpes (Lyon) in Sept 2013
Interview
I was first interviewed by a professor. It was more like a conversation. Professor started from explaining about the position and selling on it. I then applied online to INRIA's PhD campaign. Online applicaiton required motivation letter, recommendation letters, and CV.