Why I've Been at Apartment List for 7 Years

Seven Years, But Who’s Counting?

When interviewing candidates, I’m often asked about my own journey at the company, which always leads to me sharing my experience in Property Technology (PropTech) and that I’m going on seven years at Apartment List (A-List).

I love seeing candidates' eyes light up when I talk about my time at A-List. The next question from them is typically “Why?”

Why am I still here? The answer is simple.

Apartment List…

• Empowers me to create my own opportunities and forge my own career path
• Expects an entrepreneurial mindset, like being an owner of the business, but with leadership support
• Provides me with the room and resources to grow, especially intellectually
• Continues to build a product based on innovation and love

An Opportunity to Forge Your Own Path

I’ve held three different roles within the Go-To-Market (GTM) team at Apartment List. Two of these I built from the ground up after identifying a need for improvement in our sales process and client experience.

When noticing gaps in processes that we desperately needed to fill, I vividly remember how leadership listened to and approved my proposals…then gave me the reins to begin building. I created first-time programs and first-time functions, which are still very much alive and thriving today!

And I’m not the only one with this journey. I have a friend who's been at A-List almost as long as I have, who started as a Client Success Manager. When the heavy events of early 2020 hit, she knew she had to use her platform and do more with her career.

Today, she is our first DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Program Manager and is helping to build out Apartment List’s ERG’s (Employee Resource Groups), fostering a diverse culture to support the existing employees at Apartment List and attract top talent.

She found an opportunity, took it, and is better for it.

An Entrepreneurial Mindset

Working at Apartment List feels like you truly run your own business; a single individual can directly influence change. Operating with an owner mentality is rewarded. This is something I’ve witnessed firsthand when leadership gave the green light to build out a new function and scale a new team. The only real expectation of me was to have a growth mindset, be open to feedback, and constructive criticism, as well as quickly iterate to keep the buildout of these new teams on track.

Feedback–the ability to provide and receive–is a large part of our culture here. This stems from knowing that each of us is hired to do more than just a job.

We’re hired to create; we’re hired to affect change; we’re hired to grow this company as if it were our own.

Now, that doesn’t mean you need to know how to build in order to be successful. But you should be open to learning ‘the how’ from A-List peers and leaders! I find myself inspired when I come to work each day, especially when seeing the work ethics and levels of success of those around me.

A Space to Grow

When I set out to build our first-ever sales training program, I took time away from work to attend a week-long training course called “Train the Trainer,” designed to show me how to become a learning and development professional.

The course was covered by Apartment List and highly supported by my manager. That week-long course changed my career forever and helped mold me into the type of people manager I am today. And, while I no longer train our sales associates, I continue to lead from a place of learning and development.

As evidenced by my experience, Apartment List prides itself on building a culture that allows a space for learning and application. This culture is a forcing function for intellectual stimulation and change, which allows each employee to both master their craft and expand their skill set.

An Inspiring Vision

PropTech has been a rapidly growing space as the industry continues to invest in innovation and technology. Apartment List has built the right product at the right time, disrupting the often-archaic multi-family industry since 2011. In fact, I’d go as far as saying the industry is finally catching up to Apartment List. We pioneered PropTech when we emerged on the scene, and we continue to push the status quo in 2021 and beyond.

I didn’t know Apartment List would define itself in this way and have such a large impact on my professional growth when I was originally interviewing. Although there’s still work to be done, our vision to deliver everyone a home they love and operating from a growth mindset makes me proud to be a member of Apartment List, a leading ILS founded on the basis of innovation and love.

If this vision rings true, join the team!