Editor’s Note: ‘Happy Hour’ is an HR Dive column from Editor Ginger Christ. Follow along as she dives into some of the offbeat news in the HR space.
Driven in part by what ResumeBuilder.com’s Chief Career Advisor Stacie Haller calls a “brutal” job market, those on the hunt for a new gig are diving into the dating pool to find new opportunities.
One third of dating app users said they’ve turned to the apps for professional or career-related reasons in the last year, and nearly 1 in 10 cited it as their main reason for using the apps, according to the results of a ResumeBuilder.com survey, released Nov. 3.
“People are getting more strategic about how they need to find a job. Because when nothing else works, you have to come up with something,” Haller said.
And it’s working.
Among those who used dating apps for professional reasons, 88% said they successfully connected with someone to that end, 43% received mentorship or advice, 39% got a job interview, 37% received a job lead or referral, and 37% even got a job offer.
LinkedIn has become so competitive that using apps like Tinder, Bumble and Facebook Dating can be a “softer” or more familiar method to connect with others, Haller said.
“People are still looking for that human connection, and we still know it’s the human connection that’s going to be the most valuable in a job search,” she said.
Of the 2,225 dating app users surveyed, roughly a third of each age group — those 18 to 28, those 29 to 44 and those 45 to 55 — reported using the app to advance their career. While slightly more men (37%) than women (30%) did so, higher earners were more likely to; forty-seven percent of those making more than $200,000 used dating apps for professional reasons, compared to 27% of those earning less than $50,000.
“Everything changed during COVID, and we were all so isolated,” Haller said. “We were all pulled away from human interaction in a lot of ways, and maybe we're coming around after that.”
The majority of users said they were upfront about their intentions; only 12% of users admitted that they were not honest about their goals. That’s somewhat promising, given that about a quarter of those using dating apps for work-related reasons said they were in a committed relationship, Haller said.
“I think as long as these folks are transparent [and] upfront about what they’re looking for and making that connection, I’m not sure there is much of a pitfall,” Haller advised.
So how does it work?
One user said they made their dating profile “read like a resume.” They matched with someone in their field, asked for an introduction and were able to get the director’s email to follow up.
Another user said they found a job immediately, while one noted that it was “weird but effective.”
“It was definitely weird. Feels like the system is so broken that folks have to resort to doing this,” one user said.
And another: “It worked, but you need the audacity to ask.”
Three-quarters of those using dating apps for career-related reasons said they intentionally connected with people in specific roles, and two-thirds said they targeted matches who worked at desirable or prestigious companies.
Job seekers said they turned to dating apps because they thought personal connections are the best way to land a job, saw it as a creative or strategic approach, were motivated by a tough job market, were desperate to find work or to advance in their career or found a lack of networking opportunities elsewhere.
More than half, though, found more than just success on the job front with their career-inspired dating app forays; 58% said they have had a physical relationship with someone they matched with for job-related reasons.
“People might be, you know, getting the Holy Grail: a job and a relationship,” Haller quipped.
