👀 HubSpot APM: Application to Offer – iykyk

UCI & My PM Journey

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

Hi, my name is Anika Tasnim and I am currently based in Southern California. I received my bachelors in Business Information Management from the University of California, Irvine in 2022. My background is in product marketing and development, research, and I have academic experience in the overlapping fields of technology, business and design.

Ultimately, I gained an interest in product management through two significant experiences:

1. Networking with mentors through Product Association @UCI

2. Leading/creating my own paid collective of 12 students who were dedicated to researching and developing new strategies to produce socially just and equitable policies/curricula on campus. Through my collective, I got to work with the student body and address their specific needs, similar to how you solve for the customer in a product role! There was a lot of research and surveying the student population to locate what exactly the existing issues were, how different policies and courses could help them be more connected to their fields and simplify their lives. The policies that are being proposed have to do directly with student feedback, professor outreach, and coming up with solutions that are feasible for the university as well.

Although I did not take a traditional route into becoming a PM, my passion for utilizing my creative and technical skill set while making data driven decisions to solve for the customer brought me here. Luckily, there are no true “traditional” paths to PM’ing!

Program Structure

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

It’s designed for early career professionals who are interested in product management, whether or not they have experience as a Product Manager (PM), or have worked in the tech industry before. This program is offered as a spring co-op, summer internship, and fall co-op. During your internship you are placed in a team usually consisting of a tech lead, designers, and product managers.

Collaborative Culture, Autonomy, & Recruiters!

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

Culture: Although the program landing page does a great job of giving an overview of the program, I was surprised that my team treated me like a full-time employee and gave so much autonomy over my project while providing helpful spaces for collaboration and feedback. It is rare to be working on something new and be in a new environment and not feel overwhelmed like I have in the past. This speaks to the work environment that HubSpot has created so intentionally. HubSpot’s open door policy was also apparent in a remote setting as well. I have been able to reach out and make connections with anyone at the company through slack and there are not a lot of barriers/boundaries in order for me to do so. A lot of companies share that they have a strong company culture, but HubSpot has been very intentional about the steps they take to make sure it actually comes into fruition for the people that work here.

Amazing Recruiters: The recruiters at HubSpot are amazing! They are fully there to support you and discover your strengths. The consistent communication between the recruiter and I really helped me succeed during the interview process. They are extremely transparent about the details of the process and a great resource for you to be successful.

Trying New Things = New Stories

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?

A lot of people in their undergrads put a lot of pressure on aligning every opportunity they seek with their future career goals. I think what made me stand out is that everything I did in my undergrad was experimental and things I was passionate about, therefore it helped me create stories that were meaningful and interesting.

Focus on doing all of the things that you are passionate about and ones that help you tell a story about who you are and how you have grown. The experiences that I spoke about the most during my interview and recruiting process were all experiences that were advocacy related, self-projects, etc.

Salary Expectations & Progression

What sort of salary should program participants expect, and what does the salary progression look like once you’ve graduated from the program?

HubSpot offers a competitive compensation package for interns with an hourly wage, sign-on bonus, and access to all of the benefits accessible by all the company’s employees. If offered a full time position, HubSpot adds on to the compensation package by adding RSUs and they review your compensation yearly so there are a lot of opportunities for salary growth.

Future Plans/Return Offer!

What’s your next play after graduating from this program and how has this program impacted your 5-10 year career plan?

I have been given a return offer to HubSpot as a full time APM. I am currently working on a team under the CMS Hub and hope to grow within this role to become a PM -> SPM!