Internet Dating

I was listening to one of my wife’s friends talk about her Internet dating experiences and I couldn’t believe how similar it was to Internet job searching. After hearing her dating stories and theories I came up with the below chart.

Dating Term: Single
Job Seeker Term: Active job seeker

Dating Term: Seeing other people
Job Seeker Term: Interviewing

Dating Term: Blind Date
Job Seeker Term: Employee Referral

Dating Term: Married
Job Seeker Term: Job you want

Dating Term: Separated
Job Seeker Term: Looking

Dating Term: Divorced
Job Seeker Term: Starting again

In addition to the above chart I also noted the most common dating statements and compared them with job seeker statements:

Dating Statement: Where does he/she live?
Job Seeker Statement: How long is the commute?

Dating Statement: She/he is the one.
Job Seeker Statement: I really hope I get this job. It is my dream job.

Dating Statement: He/she never called.
Job Seeker Statement: I didn't get the job.

Dating Statement: I found him/her on myspace then googled him/her.
Job Seeker Statement: I know more about the company than a simple job posting.

Dating Statement: I sent him/her a clever e-mail.
Job Seeker Statement: I submitted my resume with a killer cover letter.

Dating Statement: My friend used to date him/her and said he/she was a jerk.
Job Seeker Statement: I know someone who worked there. They don’t treat their employees well.

Dating Statement: His/Her mom hated me.
Job Seeker Statement: My boss and I didn't get a long.


Job searching on the web is like on-line dating. In a flat world applicants and employers use the web to learn as much about each other before “agreeing” to meet. This makes better first dates and even more second dates.