Recruitment campaign inviting friends to apply together

Applying for your first job can feel like a big step. #vriendenteam makes that step easier by doing it together.

Kruidvat wanted to remove that tension and make the first application feel more natural. Not as something you do alone, but as a step you take together with someone you trust. The ambition was to match the application process to how young people really make choices: social, intuitive and based on recognition.

The idea behind #vriendenteam is simple. Instead of focusing on the job title, the experience puts friendship at the centre. Friends choose together, apply together and start together. By making it possible to apply with a friend, the first step feels lighter and more familiar. Applying becomes something shared, rather than something you have to face alone.

The experience was developed as a combined online and offline recruitment approach. Social and paid content introduced the idea and reached young people in the channels they use daily. A renewed careers page enabled candidates to apply as a pair, turning El concepto into a practical flow.

“Created to make the first job application feel less intimidating, by letting friends take that step together.”

In-store communication brought the idea into Kruidvat locations, connecting the campaign to the physical place where many first jobs begin. Together, these elements formed one clear recruitment experience, consistent in tone and behaviour across touchpoints.

With #vriendenteam, Kruidvat showed that recruitment becomes stronger when it connects to real behaviour. By putting friends at the centre, the barrier to apply became lower and the first step into work felt more approachable.

Kruidvat positioned itself as an employer where young people feel comfortable starting together. A recruitment experience built on recognition, not pressure.