I was referred to this job opening by an employee of the firm. Although this position was in a different department than my contact, having the connection essentially got me the interview. I'm not sure if I would have gotten called for an interview if I didn't have the connection, and I also probably would have passed on applying if I wasn't referred to this job specifically. It seemed they were looking for someone with more experience than I had, and preferred an MBA- a degree I do not yet have. Fortunately I do have more-than-competent technical skills, which seemed to be the most important qualification.
First I spoke with the hiring manager over the phone, and after a brief conversation, I was invited in for a face-to-face interview. I was also provided with the job requisition #, as the online application still needed to be completed for the hiring process.
I met the manager a few days later at their corporate office in midtown- I had been told that he was very nice but also very demanding, and he came across as just that- friendly but seriously professional (I thought these were all good things). He started out by having me talk about my current job and previous internships, basically running through my resume. Then he talked briefly about the job and what it entailed, and then proceeded to ask technical (mostly excel-related) questions. For a few questions he utilized a dry erase board to illustrate spreadsheet data and formulae. After he was satisfied with my answers, we spent a lot more time talking: about the position, his department, the lines of business they support, the corporate structure etc. He also asked me what I could see myself doing twenty years down the road. He told me a little bit about his career as well. At the 'end' of the interview, I was asked what questions I had. This happened quite a few times, and I eventually went blank with what else I could ask. I said something to the extent of, 'I think you did a great job covering what I was going to ask, so I think I'm all set regarding questions.' He seemed happy with our interview, and told me he'd be in touch. The interview probably lasted about 2 hours.
About a week had passed when I received a call from someone in HR to schedule a phone interview. This particular interview never actually happened due to a scheduling conflict with the interviewer.
The recruiter got in touch with me a few days later to go over information I had provided, which basically turned into an interview itself. After the weekend had passed, the hiring manager called and offered me the position. I asked for a small amount of time, and verbally accepted shortly after.
The next day a recruiter called me and set me up with someone from the on-boarding team. My offer letter was forwarded via email, along with detailed instructions for on-boarding.
On-boarding included the following:
I-9 Form- filled it out online and then had to show original identification docs to an HR rep
Drug test- went to a local LabCorp with the form they provided
Background check- filled out an online application and was fingerprinted
Employment paperwork- mostly all filled out online
I was cleared to start about two weeks after I received my offer letter.