I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Northwestern Mutual (Morristown, NJ) in Sept 2013
Interview
Process consisted of three interviews. I was called in to the first interview when one of the recruiters found my resume on career builder. The first interview assess your personality, you meet with the recruiter who called you in. They explain the process in very general terms and explain the rest of the interview process. You then get called back for the second interview with the head of the company/associate company who explained how tough the position is, what to expect and what is expected of you in much more detail. Once that interview is over, you must make a 100+name list of people you know in the surrounding area. This list is called your "Warm Market". They are the ones you are going to call and try to get advice from, get leads/referrals from, and maybe even sell to if there is a need. They make you create the list to see if you are going to be a massive cold caller, or work more with referrals, which has a greater chance of success. Once you have created the list, you are called back for the third interview where they take you through the training process, when you could start, and examine your warm market. If they would like you to join, they offer you the position right there and then and you can either accept or ask for a couple days to decide.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
There were two questions.
The first was why do you want to work here?
The second question was: Are you ready to work extremely hard, with no supervision, for the first five years of doing business without knowing if you are going to make a healthy living from it?
There were four or five interviews, if you count the meeting with my future mentor. There were also a few personality assessments. Lots of paperwork. The finance industry is tightly regulated.
The first interview was easygoing and went fairly well. We talked a little on myself and what northwestern was all about. Because they wanted to see how I could fit in to their team and what I would bring.
I interviewed at Northwestern Mutual (Greenville, SC)
Interview
The process was smooth and straight forward. A lot of behavioral based questions, but relaxed and low stress. First phase is a phone screening followed by a teams or in person meeting.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about the most influential person in your life?