Lauren was looking for a change from working in a PR agency, when she saw a tweet from United Welsh who were looking for someone to join the comms team. It wasn’t just any tweet though, it came with a TikTok video offering a glimpse of what a career in housing might be like. Here’s how the first few months have gone for Lauren:

Late last year after a great two-year stint in a PR agency, I was looking for a new role. I was always intrigued by the world of housing, and although I didn’t know much about the sector, I knew that once you’re in, it’s the best place to be. As soon as I saw the TikTok advert for a new role in the Comms team at United Welsh, a spark lit inside of me and I knew that this was the place for me. The role offered meaningful work making a difference for communities in South Wales and I jumped at the chance to apply.

After submitting my written application (including a TikTok link!) I was invited to do a personality test, presentation and interview, then in January, I began as the newest member of the United Welsh communications team.

Starting a new role virtually is tough, but United Welsh did everything possible to make me feel welcome. Before I joined, my manager Claire invited me on a video call to have a cuppa and a chat to get to know each other. Three cups of tea and two hours later, I already felt connected with the team and this eased my nerves when starting in the new year. I was officially welcomed with a thorough induction process allowing me to meet lots of people from different areas of the business, as well as people making the effort to drop me messages on Teams to say hello.

I’m only four months in and I have already worked on some amazing projects with the team. This has included working on the launch of our recruitment website, developing a social media plan for our Employment team to help tenants into work and designing banners for new developments, just to name a few!

Before my interview, I had no idea of the range of work a housing association does. It’s a privilege to work with such a diverse, amazing group of people and to be using my skills to help the organisation achieve our goals.

If you’re working in comms and want to try something different, housing is the place to be. The work is varied, it keeps you on your toes and it’s fulfilling.

I’m still blown away by United Welsh’s approach to work and the culture of the business. I’m really looking forward to continuing my career and achieving great things.

Lauren Williams-Jones, Communications Officer, United Welsh