Hi-Line Regional Manager Interview Questions
& Process

It started with a phone call to the number on the application. I spoke with the hiring manager who asked me to send my resume. Then, I was connected with the District Sales Manager for the territory I applied for. We chatted for a bit, I got my questions answered, and then moved on to the next phase, which involved some pretty intense testing. After that, I had a conversation with someone currently in the role I was applying for, which gave me a better understanding of the day-to-day responsibilities. The following week, I spoke with both the DSM for my territory and another DSM from a nearby region. They liked my test results and had me complete more paperwork for an extended interview. This involved a territory manager experience, which I understood to be similar to a job shadow to assess alignment with the role. Unfortunately, management decided not to proceed because I lacked prior sales experience. I was very disappointed because the job posting and everyone I spoke with indicated that sales experience wasn't a barrier and that they provided excellent training. It was mentioned multiple times that this role was more customer service-focused with a sales component that they could teach. I appreciate the time many people took for detailed conversations and hope management will be more transparent about sales experience expectations on both the application and with managers.

I applied online and was contacted quickly to set up an interview. The recruiter was very nice. I'm not sure how to describe their business model. You'd be a W2 employee but have to lease and pay for a company-branded truck/van from their leasing company. You pay for the truck/van monthly, but can't deduct the payments because you're paid as an employee, not a corporation. So it's a company-to-employee relationship. The job is entirely mobile. They reimburse miles for the first year, but after that, you pay for your own miles, even though you're still a W2 employee. You also need to pay for your own cell phone. They offer back-office support and a tablet. We didn't discuss truck/van maintenance costs, but you should definitely ask about that if you're making payments. They say they're debt-free, maybe because they shift almost $5M in fleet expenses to employees?

I get why they only require a high school diploma now. It seems they are looking for someone to just fill parts bins and travel around, not someone with actual sales experience. The three goals they mentioned sound achievable, but they have a lot of clauses to protect themselves. We'll do a deep dive into the financials. Need to have good products and the right concept. Need upfront money to secure business.