Why More Dating App Users Are Swiping For Career Opportunities, Not Romance

With billions of people around the world and an ever-growing menu of dating apps promising connection, you’d think finding love would be the easy part. Yet for many users, traditional swiping has brought more awkward small talk than meaningful matches. So instead of searching for the one, some are getting creative and turning dating platforms into unexpected career tools.

Her Agenda explored the rising trend of using dating apps as unconventional networking platforms to figure out why it’s happening, how people are making it work, and what ambitious women can learn from it.

Resume Builder has reported that dating apps are being utilized for networking instead of dating. Additionally, referrals, interviews, and job offers have been executed through their matches. Nearly half of the users were motivated by the poor job market; and 1 in 3 dating app users say they’ve used the platforms for job or career-related purposes.

With these statistics, it appears that dating apps are a great place for entrepreneurs to expand their reach and connect with like-minded individuals. Matching with people in your field, or getting new contacts and connections have been the highlight of reasoning for career-driven optimism via dating apps.

Resume Builder reports that the most common platforms for professional networking are Tinder, Bumble, and Facebook Dating. The trend is consistent across age groups, with 35% of dating app users ages 18 to 28, 34% of those 29 to 44, and 33% of those 45 to 55 reporting that they used dating apps for job-related purposes.

Men (37%) are slightly more likely than women (30%) to do so. Professional use also rises with income. Only 27% of those earning under $50,000 used dating apps for networking, while 47% of those earning over $200,000 did.

According to Kim Elsesser, of Forbes, while it may lead to the occasional success story, using dating apps as a networking tool is a high-risk strategy that blurs professional and personal boundaries in ways that can be hard to control. 

Don’t let numbers and other’s stories blind your eyes to the inevitable. Online interaction is still a dangerous game, and must be taken seriously. 

Before you meet anyone in person take proper precautions like researching the person and the company, talking on the phone, utilizing Facetime, and letting a close friend or relative know your exact location. Networking and job advancement can be exciting, but safety is and should always be first priority.

According to Forbes, the complications don’t necessarily end once you get the job. If colleagues learn you matched with your new boss, it might cast doubt on your credibility before you’ve even had a chance to prove yourself. Women may have an additional obstacle here. When women blur professional and personal lines, they risk judgment or reputational harm in ways men rarely do.

Remain exclusive and quiet about your business. To keep the peace and avoid talk in the office, the best thing to do is work hard and do the job you were hired to do. Keep your reputation clean by proving that you earned your spot, it wasn’t given to you.