20 Principal Financial Group Interview Questions and Answers

When you go to a job interview, you can expect to be asked a variety of questions. But if you’re interviewing for a position at Principal Financial Group, you may be wondering what kinds of questions you’ll be asked.

Principal Financial Group is a global financial services company with a wide range of products and services. As a result, the company is looking for candidates with a wide range of skills and experience.

In this article, we’ll give you a sampling of the types of questions you may be asked in a Principal Financial Group interview. We’ll also provide some tips on how to answer them.

Principal Financial Group Interview Process

The interview process at Principal Financial Group is lengthy, difficult, and overall not a great experience. It can take up to two months to hear back from the company after applying, and the interviews themselves are very challenging. Many of the questions are behavioral and require specific examples, and the interviewer often interrupts or cuts off candidates. The overall atmosphere is very competitive and stressful, and it can be difficult to stand out among the other candidates. However, if you are able to impress during the interview process, the rewards are great. The company offers a competitive salary and benefits package, and employees report high levels of satisfaction with their work.

1. Why do you want to work at the Principal Financial Group?

This question is a great way for the interviewer to learn more about your interest in their company. They want to know what attracted you to this role and how much research you’ve done on the organization. When preparing for this question, make sure to read through the job description thoroughly. This will help you understand what they’re looking for in an ideal candidate. In your answer, try to highlight some of the skills or experiences that match up with what they’re looking for.

Example: “I’m very interested in working at Principal Financial Group because I think it’s an amazing opportunity. I have always been passionate about finance, so when I saw this position open, I knew I had to apply. I am confident that my background and education would be a great fit for this role.”

2. How would your previous experience help you in this role?

This question can help the interviewer determine how your previous experience relates to this role. Use examples from your past that show you have what it takes to be a principal financial group manager.

Example: “My previous experience as an investment advisor has helped me understand the importance of helping clients make smart decisions with their money. I’ve also learned how to communicate complex information in ways that are easy for my clients to understand, which is important when working with employees who may not have extensive knowledge about finance and investments.”

3. Explain a time where you had to work with minimal supervision and how did it go?

This question is a great way to see how you work independently and with minimal supervision. It’s important for principals to be able to delegate tasks, so it’s beneficial if they can show that they have experience doing this in the past.

Example: “In my current role as an accountant, I am responsible for managing multiple projects at once. This means that I often need to prioritize which projects are most important and when I should complete them by. In the past, I’ve had to manage large teams of accountants who were working on different projects. I was responsible for delegating tasks and making sure everyone knew what their responsibilities were.”

4. What is your experience working for financial companies?

This question can help the interviewer determine your experience level and how it relates to the position you’re applying for. If you don’t have any financial company experience, consider talking about a similar role that helped prepare you for this one.

Example: “I’ve worked in finance my entire career, starting as an accountant at a small firm before moving up to senior accountant at a larger company where I was responsible for overseeing multiple departments’ finances. This experience taught me how to manage large teams while still ensuring accuracy of all financial records.”

5. Tell me about a time when you were under immense pressure, what was the situation and how did you handle it?

This question is a great way to assess your problem-solving skills and ability to stay calm under pressure. When answering this question, it can be helpful to describe the situation in detail and explain how you used your critical thinking skills to solve the problem.

Example: “When I was working as an assistant principal at my previous school, we had a teacher who was struggling with their teaching methods. The students were having trouble understanding the material, and the teacher wasn’t sure what to do about it. I met with the teacher and helped them develop a plan for improving their teaching style. We also worked together to create a lesson plan that would help the students understand the material better.”

6. Can you tell me about a bad decision you made in the past, what happened and what did you learn from it?

This question is a great way to show your potential employer that you are willing to learn from past mistakes. It also shows them that you’re honest and humble, which can be important qualities in an effective leader. When answering this question, try to choose a mistake that you’ve learned from and have worked hard not to repeat.

Example: “In my first year as a principal, I was so focused on making sure the teachers were happy with their classroom supplies that I forgot to make sure they had enough money for field trips. One day, one of my teachers came to me asking if we could go ahead with our planned trip to the zoo because she didn’t have enough money to buy tickets for her class. I realized then that I needed to find a better balance between spending money on supplies and saving money for field trips.”

7. Do you have any experience with retirement planning?

This question can help the interviewer determine if you have any experience with financial planning and how it relates to retirement. If you do, share your experiences and explain how they helped you develop your skills in this area. If you don’t have any direct experience, you can talk about what you’ve learned from others who are experts in this field.

Example: “I have a friend who is an expert in retirement planning. I asked her for advice on my own retirement plan when I was 30 years old. She told me that I should start saving now so that I could build up my funds by the time I retire. I started putting money into a 401(k) account every month and increased my contributions as I got raises at work. Now, I am able to save enough to live comfortably after I retire.”

8. If hired, how will you make sure that you don’t miss deadlines?

This question is an opportunity to show your ability to prioritize tasks and manage time effectively. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention a specific example of how you managed multiple projects at once or how you organized your schedule to ensure that you met deadlines in the past.

Example: “I have been working as a principal financial advisor for five years now, and I’ve learned that managing my time well is essential to ensuring that I meet all deadlines. For instance, when I first started working here, I had three clients who needed help with their investments. One client wanted to invest in stocks, another wanted to put money into bonds and the third wanted to put their money into real estate. I knew that if I didn’t organize my day properly, I would miss important deadlines.”

9. We think it’s important to concentrate on areas of consideration before making big decisions. What are some things you consider when making a major decision?

This question can help the interviewer understand how you make decisions and whether your process aligns with their company’s values. Use examples from past experiences to show that you’re a decisive person who thinks through important choices before making them.

Example: “I think it’s important to consider all of my options when making major decisions, so I always take time to research different approaches and weigh the pros and cons of each one. In my last role as an assistant principal, I had to decide between two candidates for a teaching position. After researching both candidates’ credentials, I decided to hire the candidate who was more familiar with our school district.”

10. Tell me about a time when you improved upon an existing system.

This question can help an interviewer understand your ability to innovate and create new processes. Use examples from previous work experiences or school environments where you implemented a change that improved the overall system.

Example: “At my last school, we had a lot of students who were struggling with their math skills. I noticed this was affecting their performance in other subjects as well. So, I created a program for after-school tutoring sessions to help these students improve their math skills. After implementing this program, I saw a significant improvement in test scores among those students.”

11. Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer or coworker.

This question can help interviewers learn more about your interpersonal skills. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention a specific situation and how you handled it.

Example: “I once had a coworker who was very negative. They would often complain about their work and the company in general. I tried my best to ignore them, but eventually they started spreading rumors about me. I talked with my manager about the issue, and we decided that I should speak with the other employee. I told them that if they continued to spread rumors about me, I would report them to HR. After that, they stopped talking negatively about me.”

12. Would you be comfortable selling financial products over the phone?

This question can help the interviewer determine if you have experience in a role that requires you to sell financial products over the phone. If you do, they may want to know how comfortable you are with this type of selling and what your previous success was. If you don’t have any experience selling over the phone, you can explain why you would be willing to learn this skill.

Example: “I’ve had some experience selling financial products over the phone, but I’m always open to learning new skills. In my last position, I helped customers choose their investment options by asking them questions about their goals and risk tolerance. This helped me understand which types of investments were best for each customer. I also used my knowledge of the company’s product offerings to help customers find the right fit.”

13. What skills or qualities do you possess that could help you excel as a financial advisor?

This question can help the interviewer determine if you have the skills and qualities that are most important for this role. Use your answer to highlight a few of your strongest skills, such as communication or problem-solving abilities.

Example: “I am highly organized and detail-oriented, which helps me manage my clients’ accounts efficiently. I also enjoy working with people and helping them achieve their financial goals. These skills make me an excellent advisor because they allow me to provide personalized service to each client while ensuring they meet their objectives.”

14. What type of software development projects have you worked on?

The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your technical skills and how you apply them in a work setting. Use your answer to highlight the most important software development projects you’ve worked on, including any that helped your company save money or increase revenue.

Example: “In my last role as an IT director for a small business, I implemented new security measures to protect our data from hackers. These measures included installing firewalls and antivirus software on all of our computers and servers. We also installed biometric locks on our server rooms so only authorized employees could enter. This project was very successful because we didn’t experience any cyberattacks after implementing these measures.”

15. What is the most complex project you’ve worked on? What tools did you use for testing?

This question can help the interviewer understand your ability to work on a team and manage projects. Use examples from previous jobs that highlight your communication skills, problem-solving abilities and teamwork skills.

Example: “At my last job, I was tasked with creating a new budgeting system for our company. The project required me to research different software programs and create a plan for implementation. I worked closely with my manager to determine which program would be best for our company. We decided on a program that could integrate with our existing financial systems. After testing the program, we implemented it across the entire company.”

16. What is one thing about our company you find interesting?

This question is a great way to show your interviewer that you’ve done some research on the company and are genuinely interested in working for them. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention something specific about their culture or values.

Example: “I find it interesting that Principal Financial Group has such a strong commitment to diversity. I read an article recently where one of your executives talked about how important it is to have a diverse team because it helps with problem-solving. It’s clear from reading that article that you value diversity as much as I do, which makes me excited to work here.”

17. Do you have experience with building out applications in different languages?

This question can help the interviewer determine your experience with working in a team environment and how you apply your skills to complete projects. Use examples from previous work experiences to highlight your ability to collaborate with others, solve problems and meet deadlines.

Example: “In my last role as an IT specialist, I worked on several applications that were built out in different languages. For example, one of our clients needed a new website that was bilingual. In this case, we had to build out the site in both English and Spanish. We also had to create a database for each language so they could be translated later. This process took some time, but it was important to ensure the client’s needs were met.”

18. What is your favorite programming language?

This question is a great way to see if you are familiar with the company’s programming language. If they ask this, it’s likely that they use one or more of these languages in their work and want to know if you can learn them quickly. Your answer should include which language you like most and why. You can also mention any other languages you’re familiar with.

Example: “My favorite programming language is Python because I find it easy to read and understand. It’s also very versatile, so I can use it for many different applications. I’ve used Python at my last two jobs, but I’m also comfortable using Java and C++.”

19. Have you ever sold any financial products?

This question is a great way to see if you have any experience selling financial products. If you do, the interviewer will likely want to know more about your sales process and how it helped customers. If you don’t have direct experience selling financial products, you can talk about other ways you’ve helped customers make important financial decisions in the past.

Example: “I haven’t sold any financial products directly, but I have worked with clients who were looking for advice on their investments. In these situations, I would help them understand all of their options so they could make an informed decision. I always made sure that my clients understood what each investment option was before making a final choice.”

20. What is your experience with managing client relationships?

This question can help the interviewer understand your experience with managing a team and how you interact with clients. Use examples from previous work experiences to highlight your communication skills, problem-solving abilities and leadership qualities.

Example: “In my last role as an investment advisor, I had a client who was looking for advice on their retirement savings plan. They were unsure of what they should invest in and wanted to know more about our company’s financial products. I spent time explaining the different types of investments we offered and helped them decide which ones would be best for their needs. The client ended up investing in one of our mutual funds that met their long-term goals.”