I applied through college or university. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at Northwestern Mutual (San Diego, CA) in Feb 2014
Interview
I submitted a resumé at my University's career fair and got a call back completely at random about a week later. I wasn't expecting the phone call, much less a thirty minute conversation about where I grew up and where I wanted to work, but nonetheless they set me up for an official interview with their recruiting manager--even though I remembered nothing about the company when they called.
The recruiting interview was meant to be in person, but I wasn't able to make it into the office so we set up a phone call. All very basic questions, easy to talk to and no curve balls with a focus on myself instead of the offered job. I then got a call back from the first interviewer and explained that she wanted me to start filling out worksheets basically telling them how many friends I have in the area. It was a strange task and they gave me only 18 hours to do it and got frustrated when I explained that I was traveling and wouldn't be able to. I called them back the next day and told them I was no longer interested in the position, but still have good feelings toward the rest of the company.
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?