I applied through college or university. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Northwestern Mutual (Atlanta, GA) in Jul 2008
Interview
I applied thorugh my college career website and got a call within a couple of days. I talked to the recruiter on the phone about taking a personality profile on the internet. The test is pretty much 40 questions getting at the same thing: are you willing to call your friends and family to sell our products. If you really want the job say of course...but if its not true you are going to have a hard time making a livable wage(100% commision). They recommend I have atleast 200-300 people I could call to try and sell to. Next I met with a recruiter in person at their office. It went well she asked me questions like "who do you go to for advice, my leadership experience, situations where i had to overcoming adversity, selling experience.
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?