I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at US Navy (West Palm Beach, FL) in Aug 2012
Interview
Long medical, background, and education checks. Initial interviews with a recruiter followed by application through the Military Entrance Processing centers. Obviously there were drug tests before hand and also screening for tattoos. This is for basic entry into the Navy. Higher clearance levels require more thorough screenings.
It was amazing! Make sure you are ready to leave your safety net and explore new adventures. The physical test is not as easy as you would think. There are a lot of other people from all over the US that you will see as well.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at US Navy
Interview
none. Go in and sign up. Take an ASVAB and get a job. No experience required. Go to bootcamp training. Take follow on training. Report to command. Perform job. Get paid. Take a test annually and advance to next paygrade.