How to Apply to The Scion Group

10 min read Last updated March 7, 2026 370 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Frame your entire application around hospitality and resident experience — Scion's culture centers on treating student housing like a hospitality operation, and every touchpoint of your candidacy should reflect this philosophy
  • Use Scion's exact terminology in your resume and cover letter: 'resident experience,' 'community management,' 'leasing performance,' 'turn season,' and 'pre-lease goals' are part of their daily vocabulary and Greenhouse keyword searches
  • Format your resume as a clean, single-column .pdf or .docx with standard headers — Greenhouse parsing errors from creative formatting can cost you visibility before a human ever sees your application
  • Prepare 3-5 STAR-method stories focused on customer service recovery, leasing wins, team leadership, and handling high-pressure operational periods — these are the behavioral interview scenarios Scion's managers care most about
  • Research the specific property and university market for the role you're applying to — knowing the school's enrollment trends, the property's competitive set, and the local student housing landscape demonstrates serious intent and industry awareness
  • If applying to multiple Scion properties, submit tailored applications for each — Greenhouse tracks all submissions, and generic duplicate applications signal low effort to recruiters reviewing your candidate profile
  • Highlight any experience with property management software (Entrata, RealPage, Yardi) and relevant certifications (CAM, NALP, ARM) to stand out in a competitive applicant pool of 370+ open roles

About The Scion Group

The Scion Group LLC is one of the largest privately held owners and operators of student housing communities in the United States, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1999, the company has built an expansive portfolio of purpose-built, off-campus student housing properties located near major universities across the country. What sets Scion apart in the real estate sector is its hospitality-driven approach to student living — the company treats residents as guests and team members as experience creators, not simply property staff. This philosophy is evident in their job titles alone: roles like 'Experience Team Member' and 'Community Manager' signal a culture that prioritizes service excellence and resident satisfaction over transactional property management. Scion's workforce spans on-site property operations — including leasing, marketing, front desk services, and community management — as well as corporate functions like employee relations, finance, and asset management. With 370+ open openings spread across numerous markets, Scion is actively scaling and investing in talent at every level. Employees commonly describe the culture as fast-paced, team-oriented, and genuinely focused on personal development, with opportunities to manage multiple sites and advance into leadership. For professionals passionate about hospitality, real estate, or community building — particularly those energized by working with college-age populations — The Scion Group offers a distinctive career path that blends property management fundamentals with a resident-first service mentality rarely found in the broader multifamily housing industry.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Explore Open Roles on Scion's Greenhouse Careers Page

    Visit The Scion Group's careers page, which is powered by Greenhouse, to browse their 370+ open openings. Filter by location (they operate near universities nationwide), role type (on-site operations vs. corporate), and employment status (full-time vs. part-time). Pay close attention to whether roles are single-site or dual-site, as dual-site positions like 'Dual-Site Leasing & Marketing Manager' carry broader responsibilities and typically require more experience.

  2. 2
    Tailor Your Resume to Student Housing and Hospitality Language

    Before submitting, align your resume with Scion's specific terminology. They emphasize 'resident experience,' 'community management,' and 'leasing performance' — mirror this language rather than generic property management phrasing. Greenhouse will parse your resume into structured fields, so use clean formatting with clearly labeled sections for work experience, education, and skills.

  3. 3
    Complete the Greenhouse Application Form Thoroughly

    After uploading your resume, Greenhouse will prompt you to fill in additional fields — potentially including availability, willingness to relocate, and role-specific screening questions. Scion's on-site roles often require flexible schedules (including weekends during leasing season), so be transparent about your availability. Answer every optional question, as incomplete applications are more likely to be filtered out during initial screening.

  4. 4
    Phone Screen with Recruiting or HR Team

    Candidates who pass the initial application review typically receive a phone screen from Scion's recruiting team or an Employee Relations Specialist. Expect questions about your interest in student housing specifically, your comfort working with college-age residents, and your understanding of leasing cycles. This is also where Scion assesses cultural alignment — they want to hear genuine enthusiasm for creating community, not just managing units.

  5. 5
    On-Site or Virtual Interview with Property Leadership

    For on-site roles (Community Manager, Leasing Manager, Experience Team Member, Front Desk Agent), you'll commonly interview with the property's regional manager or a senior Community Manager. These interviews tend to be behavioral and scenario-based — expect questions like 'How would you handle a resident complaint during move-in weekend?' or 'Describe a time you turned around a dissatisfied customer.' For dual-site roles, interviewers will probe your organizational and prioritization skills across multiple locations.

  6. 6
    Potential Second-Round Interview or Property Tour

    For management-level positions (Community Manager, Dual-Site Leasing & Marketing Manager), Scion commonly includes a second interview round, which may involve a tour of the property or properties you'd oversee. This serves a dual purpose: it lets you evaluate the physical community and team dynamics while allowing Scion's leadership to observe how you interact with current staff and engage with the environment. Treat the tour as part of your interview — ask informed questions about occupancy rates, resident demographics, and team structure.

  7. 7
    Background Check, Offer, and Onboarding

    Scion typically conducts background checks for all hires, particularly for roles with access to resident information and financial systems. Once cleared, you'll receive a formal offer through Greenhouse's offer management system. Onboarding at Scion commonly includes property-specific training, an introduction to their resident experience standards, and — for leasing roles — training on their property management software and leasing performance metrics.

Resume Tips for The Scion Group

critical

Lead with Resident-Facing and Hospitality Experience

Scion's core differentiator is its hospitality-first approach to student housing. If you have experience in hotels, resorts, retail, or any customer-facing environment, position these roles prominently on your resume. Use phrases like 'delivered exceptional resident experiences,' 'managed guest satisfaction scores,' or 'resolved resident concerns within 24 hours.' Even if your background isn't in property management, framing past roles through a service lens signals strong cultural fit.

critical

Quantify Leasing and Occupancy Performance

For leasing, marketing, and community management roles, Scion wants to see measurable impact. Include metrics like 'achieved 98% occupancy by pre-lease deadline,' 'closed 15+ leases per week during peak season,' or 'increased tour-to-lease conversion by 12%.' Student housing operates on aggressive annual leasing cycles (typically September through March for the following academic year), so demonstrating your understanding of — and success within — this timeline is powerful.

critical

Use Greenhouse-Friendly Formatting

Greenhouse's resume parser works best with standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills), single-column layouts, and common fonts like Arial or Calibri. Avoid text boxes, tables, columns, headers/footers, and graphics — these cause parsing errors that can strip critical information from your profile. Save your file as a .pdf or .docx, and name it professionally (e.g., 'FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf') rather than 'resume_final_v3.'

recommended

Highlight Multi-Site or Multi-Tasking Capabilities

Several of Scion's open roles are dual-site positions, requiring management across two properties simultaneously. If you have experience managing multiple locations, departments, or large teams, make this explicit. Use language like 'oversaw operations across two retail locations with combined staff of 25' or 'coordinated marketing campaigns for three properties concurrently.' This directly addresses the operational complexity Scion expects in its dual-site leadership roles.

recommended

Incorporate Student Housing and Multifamily Industry Keywords

Greenhouse's search and filter functionality allows Scion's recruiters to keyword-search across applications. Ensure your resume includes relevant terms such as 'student housing,' 'multifamily,' 'lease-up,' 'turn season,' 'resident retention,' 'property management software' (e.g., Entrata, RealPage, Yardi), 'fair housing compliance,' and 'move-in/move-out coordination.' These terms match how Scion's team categorizes and evaluates candidates internally.

recommended

Showcase Team Leadership and Staff Development

Community Managers and Assistant Community Managers at Scion oversee on-site teams that may include Experience Team Members, Front Desk Agents, and maintenance staff. If you've hired, trained, or developed team members, detail this experience. Statements like 'recruited and trained a team of 8 leasing consultants' or 'reduced front desk staff turnover by 30% through mentorship program' demonstrate the people-leadership skills Scion values in its management pipeline.

nice_to_have

Include Relevant Certifications and Licenses

If you hold certifications relevant to property management — such as the Certified Apartment Manager (CAM), Accredited Resident Manager (ARM), National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP), or fair housing training certifications — list them in a dedicated section. These credentials signal professionalism and industry commitment, and they're easily searchable keywords in Greenhouse. Even CPR/First Aid certifications are relevant for on-site roles where resident safety matters.

nice_to_have

Add a Concise Professional Summary Targeting Scion's Mission

Open your resume with a 2-3 sentence summary that directly mirrors Scion's focus on student housing and resident experience. For example: 'Hospitality-focused property management professional with 4 years of experience in student housing leasing and community operations. Proven ability to drive occupancy, lead on-site teams, and create engaging resident experiences at scale.' This summary gives Greenhouse's parser — and Scion's recruiters — immediate context about your fit.

ATS System: Greenhouse

The Scion Group uses Greenhouse, a widely adopted applicant tracking system favored by growth-oriented companies for its structured hiring workflows and candidate evaluation tools. Greenhouse parses uploaded resumes into structured data fields, allows recruiters to keyword-search across applicant pools, and uses scorecard-based evaluation to ensure consistent candidate assessment across Scion's many property locations.

  • Use a single-column resume layout with standard section headers (Experience, Education, Skills) — Greenhouse's parser struggles with multi-column formats, tables, and text boxes
  • Upload your resume as a .pdf or .docx file; avoid .pages, image files, or heavily designed templates that impede text extraction
  • Mirror exact keywords from the job description — if Scion's posting says 'resident experience,' use that phrase rather than synonyms like 'tenant satisfaction' or 'customer service'
  • Complete every field in the Greenhouse application form, including optional questions — partially completed applications are commonly deprioritized by recruiters using Greenhouse's filtering tools
  • Avoid using headers, footers, or text embedded in images, as Greenhouse's parser cannot extract content from these areas of your document
  • If applying to multiple Scion locations or roles, tailor each application separately — Greenhouse tracks submissions per role, and duplicate generic applications are visible to recruiters
  • Include a LinkedIn profile URL in your contact information, as Greenhouse integrates with LinkedIn and recruiters commonly cross-reference profiles during screening

Complete Greenhouse Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

Interviewing at The Scion Group reflects the company's hospitality-driven, community-focused culture.

For on-site roles — which make up the majority of their openings — expect a process that emphasizes personality, service orientation, and practical problem-solving over rigid technical assessments. The typical process includes two to three stages: an initial phone screen with recruiting or HR, a behavioral interview with the property's Community Manager or Regional Manager, and for management roles, a potential second-round interview that may include a property tour. Behavioral questions are central to Scion's interview approach. Interviewers commonly use scenario-based prompts drawn from real student housing challenges: handling a noise complaint at 2 AM, de-escalating a frustrated parent during move-in, managing a leasing team through the high-pressure pre-lease season, or coordinating a property 'turn' (the rapid unit renovation period between academic years). Prepare specific STAR-method stories from your experience in hospitality, retail, property management, or any fast-paced, customer-facing environment. Culture fit is weighted heavily. Scion looks for candidates who genuinely enjoy working with college-age residents and can maintain energy and positivity during high-volume, high-stress periods like August move-in and spring leasing pushes. Interviewers pay attention to how you describe past team dynamics — they want collaborators, not lone wolves. Demonstrating that you've gone above and beyond for a resident, guest, or customer will resonate more than reciting operational metrics alone. For dual-site roles, expect deeper questions about time management, delegation, and your ability to maintain consistent standards across multiple locations. Interviewers may ask how you'd split your week between properties or how you'd ensure both teams feel supported despite divided attention. Dress professionally but approachably — business casual is the norm for on-site role interviews. Arrive (or log on, for virtual rounds) early, bring questions about the specific property's resident demographics and community programming, and express genuine curiosity about the team you'd join. Scion values people who see student housing not as a stepping stone, but as a meaningful career in creating community.

What The Scion Group Looks For

  • Hospitality mindset — a genuine passion for creating positive experiences for residents, not just managing properties efficiently
  • Leasing performance and sales acumen — the ability to convert prospective residents through tours, follow-ups, and relationship-building during competitive leasing seasons
  • Comfort working with college-age populations — patience, energy, and cultural awareness when engaging with students and their families
  • Multi-site operational capability — strong organizational and prioritization skills for candidates pursuing dual-site management roles
  • Team leadership and staff development — experience hiring, training, motivating, and retaining on-site teams in high-turnover environments
  • Resilience during peak seasons — proven ability to maintain performance and morale during the intense move-in, turn, and pre-lease periods unique to student housing
  • Fair housing knowledge and ethical standards — understanding of fair housing laws and a commitment to equitable, compliant leasing practices
  • Community-building creativity — ideas and experience in programming events, building resident engagement, and fostering a sense of belonging within a housing community

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does The Scion Group's hiring process typically take?
Based on common patterns in the student housing industry and companies of Scion's size, the process from application to offer typically takes two to four weeks for on-site roles like Experience Team Members and Front Desk Agents, and three to six weeks for management positions like Community Managers and Dual-Site Leasing & Marketing Managers. Timelines may compress significantly during peak hiring periods — particularly in the spring and early summer, when Scion staffs up for fall move-in. Responding promptly to scheduling requests and having references ready can help accelerate your candidacy. Monitor your email (including spam folders) for communications from Greenhouse, which sends automated updates on application status.
Does The Scion Group require a cover letter with applications?
Greenhouse applications for Scion may include an optional field for a cover letter or additional documents. Even when not explicitly required, submitting a concise, targeted cover letter can differentiate your application — especially for competitive management roles. Use the cover letter to explain your specific interest in student housing (not just property management broadly), connect your hospitality or leasing experience to Scion's resident-first culture, and mention the specific property or market you're applying to. Keep it to one page, and avoid generic language that could apply to any company.
What experience level do I need to apply for on-site roles at Scion?
Scion's on-site roles span a wide range of experience levels. Entry-level positions like Experience Team Member and Part-Time Front Desk Agent are commonly accessible to candidates with customer service, retail, or hospitality backgrounds — prior property management experience is often preferred but not always required. Assistant Community Manager roles typically expect one to three years of leasing or property management experience, while Community Manager and Dual-Site Manager positions commonly require three to five or more years of progressive leadership in multifamily or student housing. If you're transitioning from hospitality, retail management, or a related service industry, emphasize transferable skills like team leadership, sales performance, and customer experience management.
How can I optimize my resume for Scion's Greenhouse ATS?
Start with a clean, single-column format using standard section headers that Greenhouse can reliably parse: Professional Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, and Certifications. Avoid tables, columns, graphics, and text in headers or footers. Incorporate keywords directly from the Scion job posting — terms like 'resident experience,' 'leasing,' 'occupancy,' 'community management,' and 'fair housing' are likely used by recruiters when searching within Greenhouse. Save your file as a .pdf or .docx, and after uploading, review the parsed data in the Greenhouse form to ensure your information was extracted correctly. Correct any parsing errors before submitting.
Does The Scion Group offer remote work opportunities?
The vast majority of Scion's open roles are on-site positions at student housing communities near university campuses. Roles like Experience Team Member, Front Desk Agent, Leasing Manager, and Community Manager inherently require a physical presence at the property. Corporate positions based at Scion's Chicago headquarters may offer more flexibility, though this varies by role and team. If location flexibility is important to you, filter job listings on Scion's Greenhouse careers page by location and look for any roles explicitly listed as remote or hybrid. For on-site roles, be prepared to discuss your availability for in-person work, including weekends and peak periods.
What should I know about student housing before interviewing at Scion?
Student housing operates on a distinct cycle compared to conventional multifamily. The leasing season typically runs from September through March for the following academic year, with intense competition among properties to secure signed leases before spring. 'Turn season' — the rapid period in July and August when units are cleaned, repaired, and prepared for incoming residents — is one of the most operationally demanding periods in the industry. Move-in weekend is a high-energy, all-hands event. Understanding these rhythms and expressing willingness to work through them with enthusiasm will set you apart. Research the university near the property you're applying to — know the school's enrollment size, student demographics, and the competitive housing landscape. Scion interviewers will notice this preparation.
Can I apply to multiple positions at The Scion Group simultaneously?
Yes, Greenhouse supports multiple applications from the same candidate, and Scion has properties in numerous markets, so applying to more than one role is reasonable. However, each application should be individually tailored — customize your resume summary and cover letter to reference the specific property, location, and role requirements. Greenhouse provides recruiters with a holistic view of all your submissions, so submitting identical applications across many roles can appear unfocused. A stronger strategy is to apply to two or three well-matched positions and invest time in tailoring each application to demonstrate genuine interest and specific fit.
What is the interview format for management roles at The Scion Group?
Management-level interviews at Scion (Community Manager, Assistant Community Manager, Dual-Site Leasing & Marketing Manager) commonly include two to three rounds. The first is typically a phone or video screen with a recruiter or HR team member focused on background, availability, and cultural alignment. The second round is usually a deeper behavioral interview with a Regional Manager or senior property leader, featuring scenario-based questions about leasing strategy, team management, resident conflicts, and operational problem-solving. For dual-site roles, expect probing questions about how you'd divide your time and maintain standards across two properties. A property tour may be incorporated, particularly for Community Manager roles, where you'll be assessed on how you engage with the physical space and current team members.
How should I follow up after submitting my application to Scion?
Greenhouse will typically send an automated confirmation email when your application is received. If you haven't heard back within two weeks, a brief, professional follow-up email to the recruiting contact listed on the job posting (or via LinkedIn) is appropriate. Keep the message concise — express continued interest, reference the specific role and property, and offer to provide any additional information. Avoid following up more than once before receiving a response, and never contact on-site property staff directly to inquire about your application status, as hiring decisions are typically coordinated through Scion's recruiting team and Greenhouse workflows.

Sample Open Positions

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 370 open positions at The Scion Group

Related Resources

Career Guides for The Scion Group Roles

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Sources

  1. The Scion Group — Careers Page — The Scion Group LLC
  2. The Scion Group — About Us — The Scion Group LLC
  3. The Scion Group Reviews and Company Information — Glassdoor
  4. Greenhouse Applicant Tracking System — How It Works — Greenhouse Software