Screening interview: Sometimes companies start the interview process with a screening interview to determine which candidates have the desired and necessary qualifications for the job. Employers occasionally replace this step with more of an open interview, sometimes referred to as a group interview. Companies typically conduct open interviews at an open hiring event, where they interview multiple candidates at the same time. Phone interview: Companies often use phone interviews as an initial way to narrow the number of applicants and identify candidates who they would like to invite for an in-person interview. Though this is the case for most jobs, interviewers hiring for remote positions often have to solely rely on video or phone interviewing to recruit ideal candidates. Skill assessment: Some positions may require that you take and pass a test that is designed to evaluate the technical abilities required for the job in question. For example, an employer might ask a candidate applying for a writing position to take a grammar test or write a test piece. First interview: The in-person interviews usually begin with a one-on-one interview with the hiring manager. During this initial meeting, the interviewer typically asks questions about the candidate's qualifications, skills, work history and relevant experience. Second interview: After the initial in-person interview, the meetings tend to get more in-depth to further examine a select few candidates and determine which ones are real contenders for the job. Second interviews sometimes serve as an additional meeting with the same interviewer, or they can serve as a day-long meeting that involves multiple interviews with various members of the staff, such as executives, staff members and supervisors. Third interview: While this step is somewhat rare, companies sometimes use three or more interviews before selecting a candidate. These meetings often involve an opportunity for current employees to meet the prospective new hire.