Principal Financial Group is one of the largest global financial services companies, offering insurance, retirement, asset management, and investment products and services to businesses and individuals. With over $650 billion in assets under management and presence in over 80 countries, Principal is a highly reputable employer.
Landing a job at Principal can transform your career. But first, you have to clear the interview process, which can be daunting given Principal’s prestige and high bar for talent.
In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss:
- Overview of Principal Financial Group
- Most common interview questions at Principal
- Detailed tips to answer the top questions
- Questions you can ask the interviewer
- How to prepare for the interview
Let’s get started!
About Principal Financial Group
Before we dive into specific interview questions let’s brush up on some key facts about Principal
- Founded in 1879 and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa
- Employs around 18,500 people worldwide
- Ranks 206th on the Fortune 500 list
- Listed in the S&P 500 Index
- Total revenue of $16 billion (2021)
- Leading provider of 401(k) and other employer-sponsored retirement plans
Now that we’ve set the stage let’s look at the kinds of questions you’re likely to encounter when interviewing at Principal.
Most Common Interview Questions at Principal
Based on insider tips and online resources, here are some of the most frequently asked interview questions at Principal:
1. Tell me about yourself.
This open-ended question is common in most interviews. Principal hiring managers want to see how you structure your pitch, what aspects of your background you focus on, your communication skills, and alignment with the role
2. Why do you want to work at Principal?
Interviewers want to gauge your genuine interest in the company. Ensure you’ve researched Principal’s mission, values, culture, and competitive edge before your interview. Highlight aspects that resonate with you.
3. What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Another standard question, this one helps interviewers evaluate your self-awareness and growth mindset. Discuss relevant strengths backed by examples. For weaknesses, share areas you are actively working to improve.
4. How do you prioritize work when everything seems urgent and important?
This behavioral question tests your time management abilities, composure under pressure, and decision-making skills – all critical for success at Principal. Share how you approach prioritization using a structured methodology.
5. Why should we hire you over other candidates?
The aim here is to compel you to summarize your key differentiators – the specific skills, achievements, and qualities that make you the best fit for the role and Principal.
6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Principal wants motivated yet realistic candidates with a vision for professional growth and development. Demonstrate ambition while aligning with company needs.
7. What questions do you have for us?
Come prepared with thoughtful queries that show your engagement. Ask about things like company culture, growth opportunities, leadership philosophy, and training programs.
Now let’s look at tips to master these critical questions.
How to Best Answer Common Principal Interview Questions
Here are strategies to craft winning responses to key Principal interview questions:
1. Tell me about yourself
- Structure your pitch logically starting with relevant background like education or past roles
- Focus on experiences that showcase skills needed for the role
- Quantify achievements or impact where possible
- Keep it concise and highlight your unique value
2. Why Principal?
- Show you’ve researched Principal’s mission, culture, and community initiatives
- Discuss aspects of the work culture or values that personally resonate with you
- Demonstrate genuine passion for the company beyond compensation or benefits
3. Strengths and weaknesses
- Pick strengths relevant to the role e.g. attention to detail for accounting roles
- Give specific examples of how you’ve applied these strengths to succeed
- For weaknesses, share soft skills you are developing like public speaking or delegation
- Emphasize your commitment to self-improvement
4. Prioritizing urgent tasks
- Outline your methodology for prioritizing using criteria like importance, urgency, and effort required
- Share an example of a time you pragmatically prioritized multiple urgent deliverables to meet tight timelines
- Emphasize stakeholder management, flexibility, calmness under pressure
5. Why should we hire you?
- Demonstrate what makes you stand out vs. other candidates
- Quantify achievements, impact, or unique skills as much as possible
- Show how your strengths directly match Principal’s needs and role requirements
6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
- Convey ambition to take on more responsibility and deliver greater business impact
- Relate your goals to opportunities at Principal like leadership development programs
- Balance organizational priorities and needs while advancing your career
Questions to Ask Your Principal Interviewers
The interview is also a chance for you to assess whether Principal is the right employer for you. Here are some questions you can ask:
- How would you describe the work culture and leadership style here?
- What qualities do you look for in top performers at Principal?
- What opportunities are there for professional development and mentorship?
- What are some of the challenges facing your team/department currently?
- What do you enjoy most about working at Principal?
How to Prepare for Your Principal Interview
These tips will help you get interview-ready:
- Research Principal’s website, news, Glassdoor to gain company knowledge
- Review the job description and understand role requirements
- Study your resume and key accomplishments relevant to the role
- Practice answering questions out loud until responses flow naturally
- Prepare stories of professional successes and challenges
- Review industry news and brush up on relevant skills and technical knowledge
- Plan questions you want to ask the interviewer
Being thoroughly prepared will help you feel more confident tackling any questions that come your way! All the best for your Principal interview.
The Principal Financial GroupAsset Management
Based on the Interview Insights at this company, the Interview Experience is a score between 1 star (very bad) and 5 stars (very good).
The number in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the mean of all these scores. If you move your mouse over the different parts of the doughnut, you’ll see exactly how each score was calculated.
The title percentile score is based on an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates that is applied to the whole Company Database. This is done to account for companies that don’t have many interview insights. For easy explanation, when a business gets more reviews, the belief in its “true score” grows. This makes it move closer to its own simple average and away from the overall average of the dataset. 3. 4.
Based on the Interview Insights at this company, the Interview Difficulty is a score that goes from “very difficult” (red) to “very easy” (green).
The number in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the mean of all these scores. The higher the number, the more difficult the interviews on average. This doughnut has different parts that, when you move your mouse over them, show you the 20% breakdown of each score given.
The title percentile score is based on an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates that is applied to the whole Company Database. This is done to account for companies that don’t have many interview insights. That is, as a business learns more, it becomes more sure of a “true score,” which moves it closer to its own simple average and away from the overall average of the data set. 2. 6.
Based on reviews at this company, the 20% of interns getting full-time offers chart is meant to give you a good idea of how the company hires people.
The number in the middle of the doughnut pie chart is the mean of all these scores. This doughnut has different parts that, when you move your mouse over them, show you the 20% breakdown of each score given.
It uses an adjusted score based on Bayesian Estimates to account for companies that don’t have many reviews, which is how the percentile score in the title is found. To put it simply, when a business gets more reviews, the “true score” becomes more likely to be accurate. This makes it move closer to the simple company average and away from the average of all the data. 24%.
Employer Interview with Principal Financial Group
FAQ
What questions are asked in a principal’s interview?
Does principal financial drug test?
What makes you the best candidate for principal?
What is the work life like at Principal Financial Group?
The financial field can sometimes be chaotic and stressful for analysts working on high pressure deadlines and the work life at Principal Financial Group is no different. To test how you will perform in these situation if hired for this role, your interviewer will be looking to hear about a time where you did just that.
What should I look for when interviewing at Principal Financial Group?
Your answer should also involve solid research into the culture of Principal Financial Group and the details of the role you are interviewing for. Some important things to touch on are your ability to promote a team atmosphere and your ability to delegate responsibilities when necessary. 5.
How to be a great team player at Principal Financial Group?
In the financial world, teamwork at an organization is the key to success and life at Principal Financial Group is no different. As you talk about your abilities and experiences in being a great team player, try to highlight certain themes like building trust, gaining respect and being a subject matter expert as part of a larger team.
How do I contact the Principal Financial Group for questions?
If you are aware of a situation of suspected fraud, criminal activity, ethical concerns or questionable business practices affecting you and any of the companies of the Principal Financial Group, you can contact us in a variety of ways. Call the Ethics Hotline Call 866-858-4433.
