Slowly is how I would describe the process for me.

Right after my PhD, I applied with an open application. I was told that there were no positions. Again, I tried to apply through an agency. ASML told them that they could not let me apply twice for the same job.

Weeks went by and ASML contacted me directly about positions that became available and asked about my interest. I confirmed my interest and two weeks later they scheduled a date for my phone call (a week later).

The phone call was with a group leader (he called ten minutes late) and lasted only twenty minutes instead of the planned hour. It was more of a formality to determine if I was worth inviting for a real interview.

Weeks went by. A real interview was arranged.

In total there were four interviews of one hour each, continuously from ten in the morning until two in the afternoon. One with a potential group leader, one with a potential team leader, and one with a potential colleague. The last one was with someone from HR. The first two felt like an informal technical conversation with technical people. The third felt as if it was based on 'how complete are you and can we work well together'. The last interview was what you can expect from a more professional interviewer, with ambiguous questions... 'Are you nervous? You seem nervous.'

I received good feedback on the interviews and asked when they would let me know about the position. I was told within two weeks.

Three weeks later, my frustration got the better of me and I called to ask about the status. They immediately said yes and this set the ball rolling for them to hire me, but they hired me on a flexible contract and not directly as was indicated.

The last of the four conversations with the HR man, who asked four strange questions. The trickiest was: "If I were to ask you what 'the truth' is, what would you answer?"