The process of getting hired on with them was no easy task. First, there's the online application followed by a timed two-part personality/intelligence test full of those wonderful math word problems and vocabulary skills (do you know the definition of the word ignominious?). Now The Hound is a fairly intelligent creature, but this test had my brain hurting, and half way through calculating the distance between trains A and B (both of which left the station at the same time on Tuesday, on opposite sides of the hemisphere, in the rain), the test shuts down. I ran out of time, still having a few questions left unanswered. Imagine my surprise when the recruiter called me the next day.
He was a nice enough fellow, did a thorough job of explaining what the position meant and who they were looking for to fill it. Our conversation turned to a few questions about job history, strengths and weaknesses, and motivation for wanting to join the firm, and after 30ish minutes I was scheduled for an interview with one of the sales managers the next day.
Dressed for success, I arrived early to a beautiful building where security showed me to a waiting area as they let the manager know I was there. There was a television on the wall that was playing the never ending commercial for the company and before I could get settled into the couch the sales manager arrived and we proceeded into a small meeting room.
The manager was not at all what I had expected. Walking into a firm that has been around for over a hundred years and manages a zillion dollars in assets I was expecting to meet an older gentleman, a Tommy Lee Jones maybe, and instead I shook hands with a kid who looked like he was fresh out of high school. He reviewed my resume and there were a couple of "tell me about a time when..." questions (Interview 101 stuff, really), and after he explained the sales aspect of the job and how leads are generated.
This is where he asked me to do a simple role play with him. He would play the previous Ameriprise client, and I would play his new advisor, and I am simply calling to set an appointment for a good time to call him back and discuss his finances. Easy enough, right? So about 5 seconds in, he hits me with the "I'm all set" objection, (the same as no thanks, I'm not interested, or go **** yourself at other sales rooms). I take the path of least resistance, thank him for his time and release the phony phone call. This was incorrect! We try again after a little coaching from my pimple popping future boss, this time including the key phrase "I'm glad you're happy with your current situation. What do you like most about it?" Bingo! After a little digging, the fake appointment was set, and that was the end of the interview.
Leaving I was a little unsure of my performance in there. The kid had a blank look on his face the entire time, couldn't even get him to crack a smile, and there was no definite decision made as to whether or not I was hired.
I got the call back from the recruiter the next day who extended me the job offer and I was to begin training 2 weeks later. This is where the real work took place. First, the U-4 requires 10 years of employment history. Ha! There was an employment verification agency checking on all of these too, so you know your Hound had to pull some tricks to get past this part. Then I was still not technically hired for the next 10 weeks until I passed the Series 7, Series 66, and State Life/Health license exams.
The Hound finished at the top of his class, and out of the 20+ people that were hired only 4 of us made it to the sales floor. My job was done and I moved on shortly after. The idea of a 60+ hour work week spent on the phone wasn't my idea of paradise, but for the up and coming financial advisor it might be.
Get ready for a lot of self study, a lot of continuing education classes on products and selling, and a whole lot of time on the phone. The closing process to make a deal there is scheduled to take anywhere from 10-28 days, with about 4 separate conversations with a client before a transaction takes place. The average tenure of an advisor there was less than a year, partly because this was a new facility they had just opened up, and partly because the culture is that of the young up and comer, with only a handful of people there above 30 years old. I still see the ad all the time, and I hope this has given you some insight about the hiring process. I wish you luck my friend. Every dog has his day, maybe today is yours.
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