It was easy. I met with the hiring advisor for coffee and the branch manager a week later for a second interview. The conversations were pretty casual, just getting information on my background.
I applied online. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at Morgan Stanley in Jan 2010
Interview
The interviews were 3 steps: 1 on 1 with branch manager, 1 on 1 with partners, and group interview with team staff.
The branch manager was a pretty canned interview; questions about professional background, how to handle specific challenges, what your friends would say about you, and what are ideal work conditions.
Interviews with partners were very casual. They were trying to gauge personality and what makes you tick. Specific questions about skill set and work experience.
Interviews with staff was mostly about skill set and work experience. What software experience do you have, etc.