Candidates describe Principal Financial Group software engineer interviews as a mix of behavioral questions, project walk-throughs and practical coding, with OOP and design thinking recurring. Formats differ by level, from intern to senior.
$86K
Avg. Base Comp
$103K
Avg. Total Comp
Not reported
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
Candidates describe a process that varies by level. Intern candidates report a recorded HireVue-style behavioral stage followed by a live video or in-person interview. Experienced candidates describe a recruiter or phone screen and then one or more technical conversations. One AWS/Python candidate went from a recruiter call to a hiring manager session and then a technical panel.
Object-oriented design is the most repeated technical theme in the intern reports. Three candidates describe OOP questions: the four pillars, designing a real-world object, or implementing a feature using OOP principles. One intern was also given a hard 2D array problem and asked to write working code. Another candidate says the interviewers cared more about reasoning than a perfect first attempt.
Experienced candidates describe more open-ended questions. One was asked to design a cloud solution for emails, photos and videos across industries, with follow-ups that probed hands-on experience. An AWS/Python candidate was asked short questions on IAM and S3, then algorithms, data structures and SQL in a panel alongside project discussion.
Behavioral prep matters too. Candidates mention questions on why Principal, past challenges, working with a difficult colleague, changing approach after feedback, and weaknesses. Tone varied widely: most describe friendly interviewers, but one reports an abrupt hiring manager. Have concrete project stories ready and practice talking through your reasoning out loud. Outcomes were mixed, with offers and rejections across levels.
Synthesized from 8 candidate reports by our editorial team.
Had an interview recently?
Share your experience. Unlock the full guide.
Real interview reports from people who went through the Principal Financial Group process.
I started with a phone screening that felt pretty standard—we talked about the role, the location, and went over my background. The recruiter was friendly and seemed genuinely interested in learning about my career trajectory. After that cleared, I moved into the technical round, which was where things got interesting. It was a mix of behavioral and technical questions, so I wasn't just coding the whole time. There were the expected behavioral ones like "What's your weakness?" but they also threw some really broad, open-ended questions at me that felt designed to see how I'd think through a complex problem. One question stuck with me: they asked how I'd approach designing a cloud solution from scratch that could handle multiple data types—emails, photos, videos—and be usable across different industries and professional backgrounds. It was vague on purpose, I think, testing whether I'd ask clarifying questions or just start talking. The interview had this feel of them trying to dig into my actual experience rather than just testing leetcode skills. They'd follow up and press on my answers, trying to catch inconsistencies or probe deeper into what I actually knew versus what I'd just memorized. It was thorough, maybe a bit intense, but I appreciated that they weren't just running through a checklist. The whole process felt less like a personality hire and more like they were trying to get a real sense of how I'd handle ambiguity and complexity in a real-world scenario.
Prep tip from this candidate
Prepare for open-ended system design questions where the requirements are intentionally vague—they'll test how you ask for clarification and break down a large problem. Be ready to defend your technical decisions and expect follow-up questions that probe your actual hands-on experience rather than theoretical knowledge.
Share your own interview experience to unlock all reports, or subscribe for full access.
Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Principal Financial Group
What do you tell an interviewer when they ask you what your strengths and weaknesses are?
| Question | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Highest Salary | |
| Employee Salaries | |
| Bagging vs Boosting | |
| Random SQL Sample | |
| P-value to a Layman | |
| Size of Joins | |
| Hurdles In Data Projects | |
| Type-ahead Search | |
| Cyclic Detection | |
| Three Zebras | |
| Precision and Recall | |
| Success Measurement | |
| Target Indices | |
| RAG Strict Source Control | |
| Transformer Encoder Layer | |
| Duplicate Rows | |
| Modifying a Billion Rows | |
| Type I and II Errors | |
| Same Characters | |
| Swap Variables | |
| Integer String Addition | |
| The Longest Journey | |
| Employee Benefits Outreach | |
| Triangle as Binary Array | |
| Why Do You Want to Work With Us | |
| Drink Production Allocation | |
| International e-Commerce Warehouse | |
| Shortest Path Algorithms | |
| Stakeholder Communication |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Experienced candidates describe an initial recruiter or phone screen covering background, the role and location. It lasted roughly twenty minutes in one account. Expect questions about your experience and motivation.
Four intern candidates describe a recorded video stage with behavioral questions such as why Principal, recent projects and past challenges. Several say they could retake answers. Durations ranged from about one and a half to two hours. Experienced candidates did not report this step.
This stage varies. Interns report OOP concepts, a feature or object design, and in one case a hard 2D array coding problem. Experienced candidates report an open-ended cloud solution design question, or a hiring manager round with short AWS questions on IAM and S3. Interviewers often probe project details and hands-on experience.
One AWS/Python candidate describes a technical panel on algorithms, data structures, SQL and projects after the manager call. One intern describes a brisk in-person round of about 30 minutes within a full day of sessions, with a dinner the night before. Not every candidate reported this stage.
Outcomes in the reports are mixed. Several candidates received offers, one about a week after the interview. Others did not receive an offer, so timing and result may vary by team and level.
