I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Northwestern Mutual
Interview
Brief phone call with recruiter which led to an in-person Phase I interview. The interview lasted a bit over an hour. They wanted to see if you'd be a comfortable fit for 100% commission base position, in which you are also responsible for all other expenses. They went over how their system works and what to expect. After the interview filled out two exercises, one is a test to see how well you'd do, another is to list adjectives you feel describe yourself. I had a pretty good idea that I did not want this position after this interview and was not offered a slot for a second phase interview as well. I thought it was extremely rude and insensitive that they would ask you personal questions, what your family does for a living, and in the second phase interview go over your personal assets and wealth with them. If they are trying to show how it works at-least use a made up situation, they have no right in knowing what your current wealth is, thats an invasion of your privacy.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Q: What do you know about this company? Why did you choose us?
Very professional and provide a deep background and understanding of the company. The recruiters are very friendly and help guide you through the interview process. Is a multi-step interview process including surveys and questionaries.
I applied online. I interviewed at Northwestern Mutual (San Diego, CA) in Jun 2026
Interview
The interview process is smooth, they get back to you relatively quickly. I completed the first 3 rounds within a week but they did reschedule my 4th interview after confirming. Nothing bad to say yet honestly.
I went through three rounds. You have an initial screening, a one hour interview with an advisor, then meet with a partner in-person if possible. Very detailed, and they bring up cultural test results and financial projections.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Who is someone in your current network that could benefit from this?
Financial Advisor applicants have rated the interview process at Northwestern Mutual with 2.4 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 55% positive. To compare, the company-average is 56.8% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Financial Advisor roles take an average of 17 days to get hired, when considering 729 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Northwestern Mutual overall takes an average of 20 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Northwestern Mutual as a Financial Advisor according to 729 Glassdoor interviews include:
One on one interview: 24%
Phone interview: 19%
Personality test: 11%
Background check: 9%
IQ intelligence test: 9%
Skills test: 7%
Presentation: 7%
Drug test: 6%
Group panel interview: 5%
Other: 3%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -