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 -
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Northwestern Mutual (Washington, DC) in Jan 2015
Interview
The initial interview with the recruiter will be more like a conversation and you will have an opportunity to ask them questions. I would highly recommend asking them about the training program/process as it is very vague on their website. It lasted about an hour and the recruiter explains your role in the company and the options you have as far as office location. They explain that their business model has you reach out to your own networks and recruit clients instead of cold calling or knocking on doors.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What are you looking for in a future career and why do you want to work at Northwestern Mutual?
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?