Companies may employ different processes to interview and hire candidates. What process is best for you depends on your situation. However, an effective interview process typically includes the following stages: A preliminary phone interview: Interviewers conduct a preliminary phone interview to understand whether a candidate possesses the required skills for the job. This can save time and effort spent on interviewing all candidates face to face and help streamline the pool. An appropriate skill test: A skill test is a good way to determine whether candidates can perform a job efficiently. There may be different kinds of skill tests to evaluate your personality or your suitability for a role. An in-person interview: To get an in-depth understanding of a person's background and abilities, interviewers often have to conduct an in-person interview. Interviewers can also inform the candidates about the work style and culture followed by the organisation or company. A group panel interview: In this stage, the panel may be comprised of people with different areas of expertise. Each panel member may ask you questions pertaining to a particular domain. Presentations: Interviewers can also ask candidates to prepare a slideshow, video or physical presentation that best illustrates their skills and abilities.