IXL Learning Interview Questions
& Process

Super smooth and communicative process. Had recruiter calls between each round to check on progress. Scheduling was fast and efficient. They covered transportation for the onsite super day. One round involved having lunch with current APMs, which was a good way to experience the culture. The entire process was completed in under two months.

So I had a few chats with different teams, pretty standard stuff, about 30 mins each. Mostly just talking, not like a hard interview. They asked about my background and also told me about the company and how teams connect, which felt good early on. I knew the title was a bit of a step down, but I was fine with it 'cause I liked the company. Then came the 'take-home test.' They said 2 hours, but really it took like 3-4 times that to do a good job. The tasks were also way too much for someone at this level. This made me think they were confused about what they were hiring for. I asked for more info since I was qualified for a better role. They said it was an associate role, though. I tried to stay positive and ask questions about the role's requirements vs. title/pay, but it didn't go anywhere. One last interview with a senior person wasn't very welcoming to my questions. That was it for me. Not sure if they hired for this role, I think they might have just rewritten it to be a manager role instead.

So I applied for a Product Manager job and the whole thing was a mess. They decided to down-level me to Associate PM without saying why. It took the recruiter ages to get back to me, like 2-3 weeks between each part, so it took way over a month. First, I had this chat with a PM, then a big take-home where I had to really dig into product stuff and write a bunch. I put a lot of effort into it, but then just got a standard rejection email, no feedback at all. For a company that talks about learning, it was pretty disappointing how they didn't communicate, give feedback, or respect my time. Honestly, it felt like they were just trying to see how long I'd stick with it, not really check my product thinking. A cool mission doesn't make up for a bad interview.

Got a call from a recruiter who was professional and kind. After talking, I had an interview with the hiring manager, which went well. About a week later, I was asked to give a 30-minute presentation to a small group, followed by 3 30-minute 1:1s. I spent over 12 hours making a PowerPoint from scratch about the product. I could access the content dashboard but wasn't told to do a live demo. My presentation was flawless and covered everything needed and more. However, during the first 1:1, they said they were disappointed I didn't demo live, which shocked me as it wasn't an expectation. They then grilled me about why I left previous jobs, not about why I wanted to work there. The other 1:1 was normal, and I felt good about my chances. After waiting over a week, I found out I was rejected, along with another candidate. This lengthy project phase wasn't new. I found the vetting process inconsiderate and unprofessional. In the end, I was held up for nearly a month, did unpaid work, and didn't even know I was passed up until a week after the final interview.