Everything was pretty simple. I applied through an online advertisement (indeed, monster, etc.). I was contacted about three days later to set up a phone interview. I scheduled my initial phone interview for a week later (the interviewer was very accommodating in terms of my schedule). It was supposed to be 45 minutes, but I completed it in about 30 minutes. It was really basic STAR questions combined with a little basic financial knowledge (what is a stock, bond, mutual fund, money market fund, ETF, etc.). You will receive almost immediate feedback and will be asked to interview on-sight. Depending on the time of year and position, you will most likely be interviewing in a hiring cycle, which takes place every Friday (or Wednesday, depending on the time of year).
The on-sight interview was pretty simple and straightforward. I never felt like I was going in completely blind. My recruiter definitely helped me prepare, but make sure everything you know is pretty versatile. Understand the company and culture (service to clients, crew, and community). Once on-sight, the process is around 2 hours. We were split into two groups, A and B (other people, about a total of 20-30, were interviewing as well). One group will be interviewed and get a very brief tour while the other will listen to a presentation and have the opportunity to ask questions about the position, benefits, etc. After an hour, you swap. It took place in their cafe where we were split into individual tables, some with one interviewer, while others, like myself, had two (one was shadowing the interviewer to prepare themselves for the role). The interview was pretty relaxed and the questions are not too really difficult. Most are kind of common sense. After researching the company, you should be able to tell what is appropriate to say. The interview took about 45 minutes, with you having 15 minutes to ask questions. I think it is best to use as most of those 15 minutes as possible in order to show interest. After the two hours are up, you are free to leave and you will hear back from them between one to two weeks. It should be noted that you are not competing with each other. They are just trying to feel you out and see whether you would fit well within Vanguard's culture. If they want you, they will find a position.