This Spotify Recruiter Turned a Job Offer Into a Playlist—and the Candidate Loved It

Making an offer to an amazing candidate is already one of the best parts of being a recruiter —everyone loves to be the bearer of great news. But a recruiter at music streaming giant Spotify recently found a creative way to make offers even more fun—by sending the offer in the form of a playlist.

The playlist, entitled “We need you!” featured an eclectic mix of bands and artists, from English shoegazers The History of Apple Pie to American punk rockers The Mr. T Experience. But on closer inspection, the song titles spelled out an exciting hidden message, letting the candidate know that Spotify thinks they’re awesome and wanted them to join the team. Read each title carefully: 

Pretty clever.

And, what makes Spotify’s idea so brilliant, besides how quirky and unexpected it is, is the fact that it makes the company’s own platform an integral part of the job offer process. This is a clever way to get the candidate excited about working at Spotify, giving them a compelling feel for the company’s employer brand.

And since the candidate was applying for the job of Product Manager of Personalized Listening Experiences, a custom playlist seems like the ideal way to welcome them to the team.

This isn’t the first time Spotify has used playlists in its hiring process. One former recruiter, André Hellström, would send the link to his “Join The Band?” playlist when interacting with software developers on sites like Github, knowing that they liked to listen to music while they worked. When prospects looked at the playlist, they’d see a clear message spelled out in the song titles, asking if they’re happy in their current job, and encouraging them to “show me you are passionate.”

The company has also been known to send candidates a friendly follow-up email containing a link to its “Have a Great Day!” playlist after they apply for a job. It’s a simple but effective way to make them smile, while also confirming receipt of their application.

Make a great impression from the start by making your job offer and onboarding process unique

Playlists aren’t the only way to make your job offers and onboarding process more interesting and get candidates excited to accept the role.

Tech marketing company HelloWorld, formerly ePrize, once made a job offer over Instagram. The candidate in question had previously interned at ePrize, but the company wasn’t sure if a full-time position would be available for her when she graduated. And since the former intern still followed ePrize on Instagram, the team decided to let her know the good news via a platform she was highly engaged on.

The job offer post included a picture of two smiling employees holding up a sign asking the candidate to join the team, and tagged her in the post to ensure she was notified. They also shared the post on Facebook and Twitter, so she couldn’t miss it!

Posting the job offer on Instagram wasn’t just a fun way to catch the candidate by surprise. It also aligned with the brand’s core values.

“Our strategy as a company is always to reach consumers where they spend the most time—and to create special one-on-one connection,” one ePrize employee told Mashable. “To practice what we preach, we wanted to create a fun surprise and delight experience for a future team member and start her marketing career off with a few Likes.”

The fun can extend beyond the job offer letter itself. At financial services firm The Motley Fool, the hiring team sends new “Fools” a questionnaire when they make a job offer to learn about the candidates’ hobbies and interests.

This doesn’t just give the team a deeper understanding of the person’s personality. It also helps them get creative with picking out a welcome gift! When a new recruit arrives on their first day, they discover their desk is decked out with things they love.

Final thoughts

With a little creativity and a lot of fun, you can make the job offer process even more rewarding and engaging for everyone involved.

Look for interesting ways to make your job offer stand out from others a candidate might have received to ensure you get the “yes!” you want to hear. Make new recruits feel welcome from the word go by emphasizing that they’re joining a great team, and get the whole team involved in the build-up to the employee’s first day. This can have a huge impact on retention and job satisfaction, creating employees who genuinely love what they do and where they do it.

(And if Spotify’s playlist has got you feeling musical, check out these songs that every recruiter can relate to!)

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