The process took 2 days. I interviewed at US Army in Dec 2009
Interview
It was a very informal process in the Army Reserve. I simply sent my superiors a resume and the Army equivalent, had two phone interviews and that was that. I was up front and honest with them about my career goals and they appreciated that and said they were willing to work around them with me.
I applied online. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at US Army (Fort Bragg, NC) in Feb 2010
Interview
Applied for the job via the company website in Dec 2009. Recieved an e-mail that resume and application was received the same day. Had a phone call in January 2010 that DFMWR was interested in doing an interview with me. Went to the first interview by the Branch Manager which was successful. Was called for 2nd interview two days later with the immediate supervisor. That was successful and was offered the position a few days later.
Bonus points: your personality and how you can fit the team plus get along with others is heavily weighed. They weren't just looking for someone who knew the job (though knowing the job is very important).
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at US Army in Jan 2008
Interview
Volunteering to join the army wasn't hard, if you have any medical issues that may present a problem during the enlistment process make sure you have adequate paperwork to prove otherwise. If you use or used drugs prior to your decision to enlist, keep in mind you will be in a position where you will not be able to anymore otherwise severe consequences can and will probably occur as a direct result of using drugs. There is a Zero Tolerance policy, which means that if you are caught using drugs you will be chaptered out of the military for bad conduct, and even if you are somehow able to stay in, you will always have it in your record and will be the lowest rank again. Bottom line, it's just not worth it. MEPS sucks to go through to enlist, but it's not the worst thing. A lot of the civilians, and even military, that are in-processing you into the military show lack of care for their job and have no problem treating you like you're just a statistic.