Monarch Distributing Interview Questions
& Process

The application process was easy to do online. They followed up with emails or phone calls. The whole process felt welcoming and well-organized. The questions asked were open-ended, which made it easy to have a conversation. They got back to me in a timely manner.

I wanted to hold off on telling my current employer about my job search until I had an offer in hand. My reasoning was that if they knew I was looking elsewhere, it would probably mess with my scheduled shifts and make my time there really unpleasant until I eventually left. Monarch made it clear they wouldn't move forward with considering me unless they got the green light from my current employer.

This interview process felt super long and old-fashioned, which was weird for a company this big. First, I had to do an online skills test on Photoshop and Illustrator 8, which is ancient software. Then, the recruiting manager called to schedule a chat. She interviewed me to see if I was a good fit for the company and their 'culture', emphasizing Monarch's 'high hiring standards'. She asked me to talk about myself, but didn't ask anything really deep. I quickly showed her my portfolio. She mentioned the creative director wanted to meet but needed to run my background check first. I met with the creative director, who seemed great – sharp, forward-thinking, talented, and really dedicated to high-quality work. We got along well. I gave a presentation to him and then left. The next day, I got a link for another assessment. It had a Microsoft Word proficiency test, then a sales-related part with lots of percentage math that I didn't understand. After that, there was a SAT-style word test and a personality test, taking about 2 hours. The questions were pretty standard, with vague statements aiming to reveal your personality, like asking if you worked harder or the same as others in your last job. I just answered honestly, though the questions felt open to interpretation. After that, the recruiting manager and creative director (who again stressed Monarch's high hiring standards) had to create a report for the CEO, who's apparently very selective. They do a thorough check: credit, college, driving records, past employers, references, and multiple tests. In total, I spent about eight hours on this. The actual interview with the person I'd be reporting to was good, pleasant, and relevant. The rest felt like a waste of everyone's time and resources, but again, they have high hiring standards.

It was super laid back, which I really liked. The vibe was chill and they just wanted to get to know you better. They did ask about my sales background, my interest in Monarch, my pros and cons, and a story about when I took the lead or did extra.