I was brought into the business from a friend and high school classmate who had been with Northwestern Mutual for one year. I really had no idea what to expect, but my first overall interview was over the phone with the Director of Recruitment (glorified name) and she kept speaking to the importance of generating commissions for yourself. Basically stating over and over that people should get directly rewarded for their hard work. (AKA 100% commission) I was interested because I minored in finance at college and this would be a starting point for my career in the investment arena. After the initial phone interview I was invited for a second interview to the Lombard office to meet with the director of recruitment. She was a very nice lady who again emphasized that this would be 100% commission. She liked me so they invited me back for a second face to face interview with the field director. The field director was much more professional and wanted to make sure I had knowledge of the company and how great Mother Mutual is. I agree that I should have known more about the company, but it turned out to be career move. Then I was invited back to a third interview to meet with the managing partner of the Lombard office. He had a presentation in a small binder ready for me and explained how compensation works, benefits, and overall what it is going to take to be successful at this office. That was it and the whole process besides the phone call took about a week. (Monday through Friday)

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.