I applied online. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at Netflix (Los Gatos, CA) in Feb 2012
Interview
At least for professional positions at the headquarters office, the recruitment process is fair, friendly, and efficient. To protect confidentiality I will not reveal any specific questions asked, but they ranged the gamut from infrastructure architecture and design to simple programming "quizzes".
I submitted an application online and was quickly contacted by a recruiter who did an initial phone screen and then scheduled an hour long video conference with an engineer. Following that, a second video conference was scheduled with the hiring manager.
Netflix then arranged a flight out to California for on site interviews, and handled the travel arrangements very well (booking my preferred airline and flight times and arranging a very nice hotel near the office). The on site interviews were of average difficulty and typical of engineering positions at large companies. It is clear that Netflix takes their culture very seriously -- review the slide decks. Make sure to ask plenty of questions regarding their policies to ensure you are comfortable with things before proceeding. Ultimately Netflix decided I was not the right fit, and having been through the process I tend to agree.
I wish they had done a better job identifying a mismatch in backgrounds before the on-site interview, but came away from the process impressed at their efficiency and professionalism. Read the glassdoor reviews and culture deck before proceeding, but the interview process was great.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about your background. (Specific technical questions ommitted).
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Netflix in July 2011
Interview
I had a phone screen and an onsite interview.
The onsite interview was with five engineers and 1 HR representative. The interview was not too technical. But I was rusty. It was my first interview in a while. Expect questions on the basics of software development - coding, algorithms, data structures etc. The interviewers were polite, professional and cordial.
Do read the Netflix culture powerpoint slides which are on the internet.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
One of the engineers described the inner workings of a product and asked some detailed questions.