Monday, December 10, 2012

How Dating is Like Job Searching



Look, I know I'm not the first to make this comparison.  But let's be frank, the comparisons between looking for your future soulmate and your future perfect career are uncanny.  Just the other day, I was email-networking with a long-lost friend (Heyyy! so glad to hear you are in NY! We MUST have lunch...) when I realized I wasn't sure if I was emailing her for potential job leads or potential single suitors.  I really didn't know what was the better favor was to ask of her. It is a truly gray area.

Let me list for you the top 3 reasons job searching and dating are so freakily similar:

 1. Trolling the internet for hours is good for research, but probably will not lead to your next opportunity.  Oh, you found out your old college roommate knows someone how knows someone who works for your dream company? Nice, send that email. Or equally, your friend is now friends on Facebook with a mysterious and attractive seemingly employed, not living at home, cutie? Hit her up for the intro! Buuut...You cold emailed the CEO? Sorry, most likely* not going to happen.  You facebook messaged a dude you don't know because you thought he was cute? Stalker.* (*caveat- there are cases where this has worked, and can be read about here).

2. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.  You sent your resume and cover letter off and are being offered a job 3 days later? Smells desperate.  You haven't even met blind date and he's already bought tickets for you all to go to Coachella in 2013? No, sorry.

3.  And my favorite, the "flood the market" and "throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks principle of economics."  If you send enough resumes, have enough coffees, Link enough people In, go on enough blind dates, create enough online dating profiles, you will end up with something.  Its science, people.



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