Luke McNaney - Content Lead

Hey, I'm Luke! I started my role as Content Specialist in the Marketing team in October 2020 – yep, the year that was memorable for so many of the wrong reasons.

Getting this new job was a shiny spot in a terrible year, as I’d been working in a role that wasn’t right for me in the early days of the pandemic and both the pressures of that role and living alone, separated from my immediate family during the first two months of lockdown, left me in a bad place.

I wanted to be back in a mindset where getting up for work wasn’t difficult, where I could be myself and look forward to being back in an office (albeit virtual) with teammates who were hard-working but also pleasant to be around. I felt pretty confident that would be the case after the interview process, but it was such a relief after one or two weeks in the job to feel comfortable, supported, and surrounded by lovely and capable people.

In early 2022, I became Content Lead, a move that was in line with the growth of the marketing team. There’s not really a ‘typical day’ in my role, which is one of the great things about working at Student Roost. Sure, there’s a rhythm to the working week and there will be business-as-usual tasks to complete, but workload will adapt to the needs of the business as a whole and because that means responding to challenges in-market at 50-plus properties, your days can look different week-to-week, depending on what point you’re at in the sales cycle. Whatever’s going on though, there’s the freedom to be creative with campaign and digital marketing solutions which means blogs, emails, and brochures bump up against some more offbeat ideas and projects.

That freedom and willingness to try new things to see if they work is something I’ve really responded to, after working for some other companies who were content to stay in the safe lane and never change things up. Also, the people and general ‘vibe’ are two big pluses to working at Student Roost, as it makes a busy or more challenging day easier when it feels like you’ve got support from all sides.

The ‘You, Do You’ approach to people here was really encouraging as a new starter. The key thing here is that they walk the walk, whereas in other jobs it’s been more a case of leaving part of yourself at the door to the office. They understand here that it’s all the differences between us that make a robust team that can learn from each other and bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table.

If you’re thinking of applying for a role with Student Roost, as with most job applications, it has to feel like a good fit. I’d be surprised if the culture and the values aren’t a fit for you, but keep an open mind and come and speak to us.

If you’re invited to an interview, be ready for a two-sided conversation. Sure, we’re looking for the right candidate to join the team, but you need to know it’s the right role and place for you, too – so bring lots of questions so you can drill down to how your role fits within the business.

Don’t stress about putting on a big interview performance. Student Roost want to see the real you, as it’s that magic that we’re looking for! Most importantly, be yourself.

Good luck, and hopefully we could be working together soon!