Interviews are typically broken down into these 5 stages of the interview process: Introductions Small Talk Information Gathering Question/Answer Wrapping Up Understanding the steps in the interview process will help your company standardize its interview process; leading to better, more qualified hires over the long term. Why is this the case? Standardizing your interview process helps interviewers and recruiters make fairer comparisons between candidates, as each candidate will be subjected to the same interview process. Below is a more detailed breakdown of every stage in the interview process.