I would suggest that anyone who wants to apply have someone within the company refer you. For one thing they'll be able to guide you through the process better

I would suggest that anyone who wants to apply have someone within the company refer you. For one thing they'll be able to guide you through the process better and (hopefully) set your expectations correctly. I want to underscore this. I have two friends (who didn't know each other), one who works at Google, another who applied at Google. The applicant had a similar experience (though he had two sets of phone interviews, since he wasn't in town), and he didn't get an offer. My Googler friend, however, was able to provide very good feedback, and the applicant walked away feeling motivated to try again in 6-12 months.