After I submitted my resume online they contacted me a couple days later and set up a phone interview. The phone interview was pretty easy. It lasted about 25 min and included a couple questions about Vanguard and its structure (Client Based Structure) and then a couple behavioral based questions such as "tell me about a time you had to think outside the box." After the phone interview, if you pass, they immediately ask to set up an in person interview. All interviews are done on Fridays so plan accordingly.
The in-person interview process was by far the most in depth one I have had thus far. There were 12 people, including myself, that were interviewing for the job. The day started with an initial presentation on Vanguard and who they are. Candidates were asked to share their knowledge of what they know about Vanguard. The floor was then open for any questions. While I do believe its good to have questions to ask to show your interest, don't force it. Some people were asking questions about how to transfer to other departments later, which came across as somewhat arrogant considering they haven't even gotten this job yet.
After the initial gathering we split off to do our interviews. The interviews took place in the cafeteria and everyone was given their own separate table where interviewers then came to greet them. My first interview involved a case study. It essentially gives you a story about a client that wants to do a certain transaction, but has a couple problems pertaining to this transaction which makes it unable to be completed. Your job is to identify all the problems and prioritize what should be fixed first, second, third, etc. Then there was a question of what characteristics are needed to adequately address the issues presented. There were 5 questions total I believe, but I can't recall all of them; you have 15 minutes to read and answer so work quickly/efficiently. Since this takes place in the cafeteria where a lot of other people are talking, be prepared to work with substantial background noise.
The second part of the first interview included a mock phone call with the same client from the case study. In this scenario it is your job to listen and address the concerns of the client. They will include a specific life event in this mock interview and it is imperative that you acknowledge it and be empathetic. Additionally, in my mock phone call the client asked for suggestions on investing. They said they are more conservative so I recommended a couple mutual funds. After the end of the phone call the interviewer asks what you would do differently in the mock, and then asks you to rate your performance out of 10.
The second interview involved about 10 behavioral based questions, which as others stated on this site, must be answered in STAR format. Please prepare yourself accordingly for these. Use all the different questions supplied on this site to help you. That's what I did and it really did make me feel comfortable answering during the interview. Make up experiences if you have to, just make sure you remember!
After the interviews, we reconvened in the same room where the initial presentation took place and went over the benefits offered at Vanguard. After that final presentation we were free to leave. Go into this interview confident and trust the preparation you did; that is the best advice.
