I responded to an online job posting. Within 2 weeks I was asked to update my information. Less than a week after that, I was contacted for an interview in the DFW area to take place the following week. All my dealings up to this point had been with an office in Los Angeles, I believe. Air travel was provided.
The interview was with two ground school supervisors. It consisted of about 20 minutes of what if and have you ever questions. This was followed by a prepared 20 minute mini-class on a topic of my choice using PowerPoint. I was shown a page of job requirements and physical demands. Many of the items (Can use overhead slide projection equipment) were outdated. I was excused for 5-10 minutes then told that I would be getting a job offer shortly.
I got the job offer within a week and told to report to an American Airlines base that was within a couple hours drive for a physical. The physical consisted of a medical questionnaire, fingerprints, and drug test. A week later I was cleared and given a class date the next week. Total time from application to start date about 7-8 weeks.