👀 IXL Learning APM: Application to Offer – iykyk

Harvard, Grad School, & Product Management

Hi there 👋 — Who are you and what’s your background?

Hi, I'm Caleb! I grew up in Seattle and did my undergrad at Harvard with a major in Statistics and a minor in Computer Science. I originally started working at IXL Learning as a software engineering intern after graduating (with plans to go to Grad School) but a bit into my grad program, I decided that it wasn't the right fit for me and re-interviewed at IXL to become an APM. I'd always wanted to explore the product route, but never had a good opportunity to do it or never heard back from companies that I was interviewing for, so this was a really good opportunity for me.

Some context about the company: IXL Learning is an education technology company. It's been around for quite a while, but we're growing super quickly right now. Currently, I'm working on the Teacher and Classroom Experience team, and it's been really exciting because we're adding so many features. The APM team is also a really smart, cool, fun group of people to work with.

Rotations & Program Structure

For those who are unfamiliar, how is the program structured and run?

So the APM program originally wasn’t a rotational program and APM’s were put on more consistent teams, but it’s slowly becoming a rotational program. The next set of incoming APMs are going to have a broader range of experiences compared to previous cohorts, rotating into different experiences roughly every 6-9 months.

During the program you’ll generally be working with a more senior PM, and embedded in a specific product team of five-eight engineers, a couple of QA people, and a design team. As an APM at IXL, task-wise you're doing a lot of the same stuff a “full fledged pm” would do, but with a lot of guidance.

The type of work you're doing ramps up really quickly too, and it makes you feel like you're making a lot of impact at the company as an APM!

Daily Tasks as an APM

Is there anything the program landing page doesn't tell us about the APM program?

While in general I think the landing page is pretty clear, I would say not all daily tasks are strictly product management related, but also include work with the engineering manager or lead engineers to figure out things like sprint planning and prioritization.

There’s also a section on the website about gathering requirements and clarifying goals for new projects, and while it seems kind of like a small bullet, that's actually the bulk of what I think people on the IXL Product Team do. We speak to a lot of different stakeholders, teachers, users, and customers to try to better understand what their needs are and bringing that solution to the market.

On top of that, APMs at IXL also generally come from a pretty well-rounded, but skewing technical background. A lot of my peers do have some sort of STEM background or have experience working with software or working on software, and I believe that it translates really well to being an APM and connecting with the technical side of things.

Standing Out as an Applicant

What do you think made you stand out as an applicant and is there a recruitment strategy that nobody is doing right now, but should be?

I think it helped that I already worked at IXL as an Intern prior to applying to be an APM, and that my background also leaned towards education technology since I was involved in several education non-profits during college.

Another thing is that while IXL may be principally a Tech Company, I think it was helpful that I had a healthy balance between my interest in IXL as a tech company along with an interest in the user and where the product fits into education. IXL tends to attract more mission-driven individuals, and my interests in Ed-Tech and ability to advocate for the needs of the teacher, users, students, and admin were definitely helpful throughout recruiting.

Interview Structure & Process

Can you describe the interview process and what it looked like for your role?

While the current process may have changed, this is what my interview process included:

1. General screening interview

2. Take-home test

3. On-site interview with a couple rounds involving different PMs and managers

Salary Expectations

What is the average starting salary for program participants and what does the salary progression look like once you’ve graduated from the program?

Overall, the average starting salary and progressions are both pretty comparable and competitive with other companies in the area.

I would say though, another benefit of working at IXL is that, even as a new grad, you get a lot of chances to meet with a lot of really important people. You get regular chances to meet with cool stakeholders and people like the VP of Product, COO, and CEO.

Future Plans

What’s your next play after graduating from this program?

So technically the APM program doesn't necessarily have a time limit, and so we're not necessarily expected to make a hard choice on whether or not we want to stay after two years. At IXL you're kind of like a PM in training where the company is trying to build your skills and hope that you enjoy your time to stay for however long you want to stay.

As for future plans for me, I’ve personally been enjoying my time at IXL a lot and I've been learning a ton, so I’m very happy with that. I also like my team, my manager, and other APMs, so I see myself staying at IXL and continuing to learn!