Lessons From Our 'Inside Spotify' Event On Career Tips, Building Networks, and Optimizing Your Career

In a candid and transparent conversation, Spotify gave us the inside scoop on what it’s like working at the digital streaming platform. Amid our changing professional ecosystem, Spotify has managed to successfully pivot to operationally functioning as a remote company, enabling them to still be hiring in the current climate. From an innovation standpoint, Spotify has been working tirelessly to stay ahead of the curve working on various company strategies to keep them at the forefront of media streaming services.

Spotify is a global, leading media streaming service that provides entertainment access to its users including millions of songs and other content from artists all over the world. Beyond being a media powerhouse, Spotify is a collaborative community full of innovative and supportive individuals. Through a virtual discussion, we learned about Spotify’s design integration and strategy, what it takes to join the Ad Sales team at Spotify, inside Spotify recruitment for various teams, and more.

Our Jopwell community members were able to learn more about the company, specifically how they can get their feet in the door to such a competitive applicant pool. Spotify gets over 100,000 thousand applicants to various roles, although this may sound intimidating, they assured listeners that their main goal is always to find the right fit for a role, which means that everyone can have a chance. Continue reading for a few helpful takeaways from the event.

Advice for People Applying to Your Dream Job

1. Know why you are applying to a company. Do your research on the company and make sure you understand the role thoroughly.
2. Be confident in your skills. Make sure you understand what the role entails and you are vocal about your skill level. There’s strength in humble confidence.
3. Apply to a mission, rather than a name. Make sure that you are passionate about the company that you are applying to and aligned with their mission.
4. Be able to tell your career story. If you get to a point where you are talking to recruiters or someone at the company, it means that they have an inclination that you can do the role already. At this point, they are looking to get to know you and your professional accomplishments.

What are the Most Important Skills to Have When Joining a Spotify Team

1. Adaptability
2. Category expertise
3. Natural curiosity
4. Integrity in achieving results

How Spotify Recruits for Various Teams

1. They offer a preliminary call to learn about what candidates are looking for in a career at Spotify to make sure the company and position is an appropriate fit.
2. During the interview process, candidates that move to the next level will have an interactive assignment where they meet the team they’ll be working with and be placed in a real life situation for them to assess.
3. Typically after the initial screening and assigment rounds, the candidate meets with their potential managers for a presentation and/or assessment from their assignment.

How to Stand Out in the Recruiting Funnel

1. Network with people outside of the recruiters at Spotify. Try networking with people who are on the team that you are looking to join, whether you are connecting with people on LinkedIn or connecting via email. A lot of times, if you make genuine connections, those individuals will connect you with recruiters at the company.
2. Use keywords in your resume. Make sure your resume and cover letter align with the skills and responsibilities of the role that you are applying for. Spotify searches for keywords within their tracking system, so it’s helpful when they see keywords related to a particular role—these candidates will be seen first.
3. Referrals are very important. If you know someone who works at Spotify, make sure you are using that connection to your benefit. A lot of times, those direct contacts can make it much easier for recruiters and can get you to the top of the candidate list. Use your network!

Interested in applying to Spotify? Check out their open roles!