Favourite Positions
Favourite Positions is a platform and podcast designed to help you find your dream role.
Founded by Alex Young in 2022, the platform was born from her own frustration with outdated career advice and rigid workplace expectations. Early in her career, Alex was often told she was “too young” to lead or made to feel uncomfortable in environments rife with sexism and performative policies. Like many, she was left disillusioned – not by hard work itself, but by systems that held people back.
Instead of conforming, she looked to those building better businesses – the founders, leaders and creatives shaping inclusive, purpose-led workplaces that prioritise well-being, impact and autonomy. Their stories lit the path forward.
Favourite Positions began as a way to share those stories – and has since grown into a trusted space for candid conversations about work, identity and ambition in a changing world.
Today, Favourite Positions is home to a growing community of over 10,000 people.
Alex’s work has been featured by the BBC, Channel 4, Cosmopolitan, Metro and Start Up Magazine. She is the recipient of the Excellence Scholarship at Imperial College London, where she’s continuing to grow the platform alongside her MBA.
Tune in for honest episodes that showcase the people reimagining work for a new generation.
Whether you’re early in your career, switching paths or leading a team, Favourite Positions is here to help you carve your own path and find work that truly fits.
Favourite Positions
Episode 02: Work In Progress - Cameron MacRae
đź’¬ Summary
In this episode, we sit down with Cameron MacRae – Global Director at Bottle Rocket Search – to talk all things work, hiring and how to know if a job is actually right for you.
From front-of-house roles in coworking to global leadership in commercial real estate, Cameron shares a decade’s worth of lessons on what’s changed since Covid, how to protect your energy, and why understanding your own boundaries is the key to landing a role you love – and growing in it.
We also get honest about red flags in interviews (including when a company says “we’re like a family”), burnout from people-pleasing, and the difference between applying for a job and building a career that works for you.
đź’ˇ Takeaways
- Culture fit matters – but it’s about values, not vibes
- If a job spec says “we’re like a family” – run
- Front-of-house roles are some of the hardest in the business – and the least flexible
- You don’t need to say yes to everything to prove your worth
- If you’re interviewing, ask why the role exists and what success looks like
- Unlimited annual leave is great – if the culture supports taking it
- Knowing your boundaries is the first step to building a sustainable career
- Recruitment is more like matchmaking than sales – the right recruiter will help you reflect, not just apply
- Being honest (with yourself and others) is the fastest route to career growth
🔥 Favourite Soundbites
“Don’t just apply for a job – know what you don’t want, too.”
“If you can’t explain what success looks like in a role, it’s not the right role.”
“A job interview isn’t a test – it’s a conversation. Ask your questions too.”
“Culture is who you hire – not what’s on the website.”
đź•’ Chapters
02:21 – Meet Cameron: from sport science to global director
06:47 – The jump from student housing to coworking
10:06 – Post-Covid work shifts: what’s changed and what hasn’t
15:02 – Front-of-house roles: the underappreciated MVPs
17:22 – Unlimited leave, burnout and balance
23:10 – People pleasing, boundaries and how to say no
27:33 – Interview advice from someone who’s seen it all
31:01 – Red flags, green flags and spotting the truth
35:34 – What success really looks like (and how to ask about it)
42:03 – What company culture actually means
47:44 – Why younger employees struggle to set boundaries
53:12 – When saying yes too often starts to backfire
57:37 – Recruiters: how to use them, and how to know they’re good
01:00:01 – The power of honesty (with yourself and others)
01:01:00 – Cameron’s final advice: define what matters to you
https://bottlerocketsearch.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-macrae-the-office-space-recruiter/
Follow Favourite Positions on LinkedIn and Instagram, connect with Alex here.
