A recruiter from the Nicholas Charles Company first contacted me about the position via email. After a few phone calls with that recruiter to gauge my interest and compatibility, I was instructed to fill out the official SLB online application while he forwarded details of our interaction to an internal recruiter. Within a week, I received an email from SLB requesting a phone interview that week.
The phone interview consisted of fairly basic questions about leadership experience, ability to step out of comfort zone, difficulty dealing with pressure/how you have handled stressful situations in the past. Be sure to ask thoughtful questions about the company! Keep in mind that you are also trying to see if it's a fit for you.
Within three days of the phone interview, I received an email inviting me to a second round interview session. About a week later, I got an email assigning me to a presentation group, and shortly after, they sent tickets and travel information.
It seems likely that if the company is a good fit for you, the second round interview will be a blast. You do miss out on a good amount of sleep, but if you're prepared for it, the process isn't nearly as grueling as some say. You sit through hours and hours of presentation about the company, segments, benefits, lifestyle, etc. You deliver the presentations -- stay cool and collected -- it's okay not to know everything. Most people getting into this line of work have limited exposure to the details anyway. You get into groups to perform some kind of engineering task (eg. given limited number of supplies and asked to build the most effective ____). This is a great time to show your team-work attitude. I think it reflects well to be cooperative and positive without being afraid to speak out when you have better ideas. Then again, teams work well with different kinds of personalities too, and as long as you know how to get along and make progress, you'll do well. They'll feed you well and send you to your hotel room, which you will likely be sharing with another candidate. This interview is not competitive. We all got along and a bunch of us got really close!
The next day, they will bring you out to an SLB site, introduce you to other SLB engineers who will give you a tour and host a closed-door discussion so they can answer your questions candidly without the recruiters around to make notes. You will also be brought out to one of the nearby operations to see everything in action. Ask questions. (Good general rule for the whole interview.) You will probably be really tired by the time you get back to the hotel, but there will still be one-on-one exit interviews where you submit all the paperwork they have you fill out during your stay. After this, they take you out to a nice dinner, and then everyone typically goes out to the bar together (all on SLB's tab). Be social -- as you'll see, SLB engineers tend to be fun, open-minded and friendly. It's a really great time.
I was told I would hear within a couple of weeks, but it took a little over three weeks to finally receive the offer.