All communications were through email; from sending in my resume, to setting up the interview. The only phone call I had was when the offer was made.
The interview was an all-day affair from 9am to ~4pm; and consisted of interviewing with 4 people. The first was a discussion with the hiring manager which was a smooth discussion discussing grad work and confirming the alignment of my degrees with the expectations of the job.
Then I had three technical interviews by senior engineers who had no background in my field of study. Each interviewer presented some general problem solving questions; nothing difficult, but nothing that can be prepared for. I was given a tour of the office and met with a couple of people that I would be working with.
As it was my first job, the process seemed normal; however, in hindsight there are a couple of red flags that I should have seen. If I were to experience any of these again, I would never accept a position with the company.
Red Flag 1. I drove 3 hours for the interview and there was never any mention of reimbursement for gas or mileage. It's the only interview I've had where I've never been reimbursed for travel.
Red Flag 2. I was on my own for lunch. Not only did they not buy me lunch, they didn't even accompany me as part of a personality interview. I was just cut loose for an hour. Again, the only interview I've had where this has happened.
Red Flag 3. I was never given the opportunity to ask questions. I was grilled for 4 hours and never had a chance to ask anything! Each technical interview ended when the next interviewer interrupted, or the last guy realized his time was up. It speaks volumes to how a company values prospective employees when they don't give the interviewee a chance to do some digging.