19 first-hand experiences · See open roles at New York Life Insurance
New York Life runs two visibly different hiring tracks, and candidate accounts split cleanly along that line. Corporate and investment roles (actuarial, corporate finance, real estate debt/equity, asset management, IT, operations) follow a short, fit-heavy loop: an HR or recruiter phone screen, one or two conversations with the hiring manager and the head of the group, and only light technical probing, with an investment-side internship occasionally adding a stock-pitch presentation. The commission-only agent / financial professional track is not really an interview at all in the corporate sense: candidates describe being cold-called after applying, sitting through a general-office session in which a partner or sales manager explains the commission structure and the company's story, completing an online personality questionnaire, and being given homework such as listing personal contacts and collecting referrals, which multiple people describe as a recruiting pitch and a screen for who can sell to their own network.
These 19 writeups cover insurance sales, finance, actuarial and other roles, US only, NYC-heavy. All of them were posted under a pseudonym (Reddit, GeeksforGeeks or forum handles), so we could not verify the authors’ identities.
Most frequently reported · Behavioral(13), Career motivation(12), Resume deep-dive(10), Personality test(5), Domain knowledge(4)
For the financial professional (agent) track, New York Life describes a four-step recruiting journey rather than a competitive interview loop: an introductory conversation with a recruiter about the role, background and career goals; an assessment step in which the candidate fills in an online questionnaire and the recruiter reviews the results with them; onboarding, where the candidate meets a support team, attends information sessions and obtains the required licenses; and finally appointment. Recruiters are attached to a geographic General Office and are presented as advocates and mentors.
Read New York Life Insurance’s own hiring page →338 open roles in our index · advertised pay floors run $74k-$137k (median $100k, from 294 postings that state pay).
Behavioral·Resume deep-dive·Past projects·Domain knowledge·Personality test·Career motivation·Stock pitch·Financial statements·Networking and referrals·Commission structure
Not selected1 round
A single phone conversation reached through on-campus recruiting that worked through the resume, leaning on prior internship experience, plus behavioral questions and some questions about the insurance industry itself.
Covered · Resume deep-dive, Behavioral, Domain knowledge
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (intern, Insurance, New York) on wso · 2018-09-01
Not selected2 rounds
An online application led to a first-round call with someone from the strategy team that was essentially all behavioral, with the interviewer spending time answering the candidate's own questions.
Covered · Behavioral
A follow-up one-on-one conversation in the same fit-driven vein. The candidate rated the overall difficulty as easy and did not receive an offer.
Covered · Behavioral, Resume deep-dive
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (student, Investments, New York) on wso · 2019-10-01
Received an offer3 rounds
An introductory phone call after applying online, described as not especially difficult.
Covered · Behavioral, Career motivation
A one-on-one conversation covering background and fit.
Covered · Behavioral, Resume deep-dive
The final stage was a slide-deck presentation to the team pitching a single company or stock and arguing why the team should invest in it.
Covered · Stock pitch, Investment thesis
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (intern, Insurance, Los Angeles) on wso · 2020-08-01
Received an offer2 rounds
The candidate applied online, got an automated email immediately and was called by a partner to schedule a meeting. At the general office the conversation was brief and the partner did most of the talking, walking through how agents are paid and how the commission system works rather than probing the candidate.
Covered · Commission structure, Career motivation
The partner then invited the candidate into a roughly two-hour group compensation meeting that covered basic life insurance industry knowledge. A personality test and background check were also part of the process. The candidate noted they were asked very few questions of their own, which reads as a recruiting pitch more than a screen.
Covered · Commission structure, Domain knowledge
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Retirement, New York) on wso · 2014-03-01
Received an offer2 rounds
A recruiter-sourced process spread over one to two months with three interview steps and assigned homework between them, plus a skills test, a personality test and a background check.
Covered · Networking and referrals, Personality test, Sales roleplay
The heaviest piece was a personal-market exercise: start with a handful of friends, have them complete a survey, and get them to refer further contacts. The candidate understood it as a measurement of how well they could network and generate referrals, which is the basis of how the agency channel does business.
Covered · Networking and referrals
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Sales, Bakersfield) on wso · 2014-02-01
Not selected1 round
Called within a few days of applying online and interviewed one-on-one at the Eagle Strategies office, New York Life's investment advisory arm. The interviewer repeatedly stressed that personality is what matters, and the candidate was told that knowing business owners is a strong plus. A personality test and background check were part of the process. A second interview was offered but the candidate relocated instead.
Covered · Behavioral, Personality test, Networking and referrals
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Eagle Strategies, Los Angeles) on wso · 2013-08-01
Received an offer3 rounds
The process began with an online personality questionnaire completed before any human contact; the hiring manager reached out afterwards.
Covered · Personality test
An in-office one-on-one where the hiring manager walked through the resume, introduced the role and the company, and asked behavioral questions about past experience.
Covered · Resume deep-dive, Behavioral, Past projects
The second meeting was less evaluative and mostly explained the rest of the hiring and onboarding path.
Covered · Career motivation
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (intern, Insurance, New York) on wso · 2015-06-01
Not selected2 rounds
After cold-emailing a local advisor the candidate was referred into the nearby general office. The meeting ran long but the interviewer did most of the talking, first about his own background and then at length about New York Life's culture, using company pamphlets and rating literature comparing the firm to competitors.
Covered · Resume deep-dive, Career motivation
The candidate was sent away with a personality exam to complete before the next meeting, which the interviewer described as a major part of the initial screen. They were told days later that the office wanted someone more experienced.
Covered · Personality test
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (intern, Financial Services, Bala Cynwyd) on wso · 2014-04-01
Not selected2 rounds
Contacted about two weeks after a campus career fair. The one-on-one covered what the candidate knew about the company, what kind of opportunity they were after, their experience and when they could start.
Covered · Career motivation, Domain knowledge, Shift availability
The manager then had the candidate sit an online personality test in the office. No offer followed.
Covered · Personality test
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Sales, Philadelphia) on wso · 2014-11-01
Received an offer3 rounds
A short five to ten minute HR call after an employee referral, covering the basics such as background and why commercial real estate.
Covered · Behavioral, Career motivation
Almost entirely behavioral, focused on the candidate personally and on their interest in commercial real estate.
Covered · Behavioral, Career motivation
A similar conversation with the director of the group; an offer arrived the following week. The candidate characterised the whole loop as being about fit and personality rather than technical ability.
Covered · Behavioral
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Real Estate, New York) on wso · 2015-07-01
Received an offer2 rounds
An initial call with an internal recruiter after applying online.
Covered · Resume deep-dive
An office visit with back-to-back one-on-ones, first with a director and then with the head of the group. The whole process ran one to two months.
Covered · Behavioral, Past projects
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Real Estate, New York) on wso · 2020-03-01
Received an offer3 rounds
A standard HR screen following an employee referral.
Covered · Resume deep-dive
A phone conversation with the hiring manager about background and the role.
Covered · Behavioral, Past projects
Two in-person interviews with the same hiring manager and the head of the group. The candidate described the whole thing as straightforward and it took roughly three weeks end to end.
Covered · Behavioral, Past projects
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Information Technology, New York) on wso · 2015-06-01
Received an offer2 rounds
A recruiter called after an online application and asked standard background questions.
Covered · Resume deep-dive, Behavioral
The hiring manager explained the position and asked why the candidate thought they would be a good fit. A drug test and background check followed, and corporate HR called with an offer about a week later. The candidate declined.
Covered · Career motivation, Behavioral
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Administration, Sleepy Hollow) on wso · 2015-06-01
Received an offer1 round
Applied through the university careers site and was invited to an on-campus interview that the candidate estimated as roughly four-fifths behavioral (resume walkthrough, tell-me-about-a-time, why finance) and one-fifth technical, including how the three financial statements link together. The offer came about a week and a half later.
Covered · Behavioral, STAR stories, Financial statements, Career motivation
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Public Finance, New York) on wso · 2019-08-01
Received an offer2 rounds
A first phone screen with HR sourced through on-campus recruiting.
Covered · Behavioral, Career motivation
A second phone conversation with the manager the intern would report to. The candidate reported that essentially every question was about fit, prior work experience and career goals rather than technical content.
Covered · Behavioral, Past projects, Career motivation
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Corporate Finance, New York) on wso · 2016-12-01
Not selected1 round
Two phone conversations, both with junior-level analysts, that the candidate found easy: mostly basic behavioral questions and resume discussion. Their one warning was to have a well-formed answer to why New York Life specifically.
Covered · Behavioral, Resume deep-dive, Career motivation
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Asset Management, Jersey City) on wso · 2021-01-01
Received an offer1 round
A single recruiter-sourced group interview in which roughly half the time went on walking through the resume and the other half on the interviewer explaining the responsibilities of the job. A background check followed.
Covered · Resume deep-dive, Domain knowledge
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Private Wealth Management, New York) on wso · 2018-09-01
Not selected1 round
Two phone interviews reached through an employee referral, both mostly fit questions. The candidate found the second harder mainly because it was never clear which specific team or role they were being considered for.
Covered · Behavioral, Career motivation
Shared by Anonymous WSO submission (Research and Development, New York) on wso · 2014-03-01
Outcome not shared1 round
The poster, who was job hunting and had never sold financial products, was cold-called by a New York Life agent and invited to what was framed as a short thirty-minute information session. They went in with no expectations, came away more positive than they expected, and had a second-round meeting scheduled for the following week. They came to the forum to ask experienced agents whether the pitch was realistic.
Covered · Career motivation, Commission structure
Shared by insurance-forums.com thread "How's Your Experience with New York Life?" (original poster; author handle stripped by the archive) on blog · 2016-08-08
These guides summarize public, first-hand interview experiences shared by candidates. They describe the shape of each loop and the topics that came up, not a leaked question bank, and every experience links back to its original source. Processes change often; treat this as directional prep, not a script.