After I submitted an online application, they sent me a job skills test (formatting .docs to match PDFs) and gave me three days to do it. A day after I turned it in, I got a request for a 20 minute phone interview, which happened less than a week later. The interviewer (a Book Development Associate herself) was very friendly and polite, and didn't ask anything out of the ordinary. I had a second phone interview about a week after that, with someone in a more managerial position, who also didn't ask me anything I didn't expect. My in-person interview was scheduled for about a week after that. Throughout all of this, they responded to me very quickly--the longest wait time for a response was probably a day and a half, which I took to be a very good sign. My in-person ("on-site") interview went well as well; I filled out a paper application, spoke with two BDAs (one of whom was my first interviewer), dld a paper-and-pen edit of an online textbook page, and then had a long talk in the office of my second interviewer. Basically all three of them asked the same questions--why do you want to work here, tell me about your background, etc.--and in the last interview they also did a quick lesson on Dreamweaver/HTML and then asked me to recreate what they'd just shown me, to see how I was at on-the-spot learning. The on-site interview lasted for a little under three hours. At the end, I was told that I would hear back from them within a week and a half, since they had only one more candidate to interview, but the interviewer hinted at positivity. When I didn't hear from them in two weeks, I emailed them just to check in. Two days later I got a response thanking me for my patience and letting me know that they were still deciding. I didn't hear from them again until a month after my on-site interview date, when I got an impersonal form email letting me know that my "background and qualifications [were] not fit for [their] needs at this time."

The whole interview process consisted of two phone interviews (roughly a week between each one) and an on-site interview with two skills tests and a separate 1:1 interview with two individuals (the same ones who conducted the phone interviews). The company's suite is essentially a plethora of cubicles with some offices lining the sides. One of my 1:1 interviews was conducted in the company's library room, and the other was conducted in one of the manager's offices. The interviewers were generally friendly. The on-site interview lasted approximately two to three hours. My advice to future interviewees would be to exclude (on your resume or during the interview) any work experience that is not directly related to the position in question. If you include non-related experience, this may lead interviewers to think you are not fit for the position, or that you would be happier doing something else (ie, overqualified). Also, prepare for such questions as: "What do you look for in a company?" "What are three words you would use to describe yourself?" "Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?" "What makes you stand out from the rest of the applicants?" "What leadership qualities do you possess?" "What attracts you the most to this position?" and last, but not least: "What are your salary expectations?" Regarding this last question, it is difficult to research salaries for some of IXL's positions because they are not common positions nationwide. However, during the interview I was told that new associates should expect to start in the $38K range. New employees also undergo periodic 3-month and 6-month reviews to review progress and whether or not they are a good fit for the company. The company is currently in expansion mode and is seeking individuals who will stay for the long run. If you cannot convince them that you plan on staying with the company for the long haul, they will most likely find another candidate who will.