A growing number of Americans interested in advancing their careers are turning to an unexpected tool: dating apps, according to a survey by job resource Resume Builder.
Resume Builder surveyed a random sample of 2,225 US adults, aged 18 to 55, who had used dating apps in the last 12 months to see how these apps increasingly intersect with our professional lives.
“Traditional networking platforms, such as LinkedIn, can feel oversaturated and transactional, where everyone is pitching rather than genuinely connecting,” Stacie Haller, Resume Builder’s chief career advisor, said in a press release.
“On dating apps, people tend to show more personality and vulnerability, which fosters trust and genuine rapport. This creates a lower-pressure environment for conversations that can naturally evolve into discussing career opportunities.”
One in three (34%) reported using the apps for professional or career-related reasons, and most turned to Tinder, Bumble and Facebook Dating. Nearly one in 10 said it was their primary reason for using dating apps.
The ratio held remarkably consistent across age groups, with Gen-Z respondents (35%) only slightly more likely than Gen-X (33%) to use dating apps for professional networking.
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Men (37%) were slightly more likely than women (30%), with the biggest indicator being income – nearly half (47%) of those earning over US$200,000 reported using dating apps for networking, compared to around a quarter (27%) of those earning under US$50,000.
The overwhelming majority (88%) reported successfully connecting with someone for professional reasons, and those connections delivered tangible results ranging from mentorship or career advice (43%) to landing an interview (39%) to receiving a job lead or referral (37%) or even a job offer (37%). Nearly two-thirds (63%) merely hope to expand their professional network on the apps.
“I actually met people in my industry and got useful advice/leads,” one respondent wrote. “It was a great experience. I found a job immediately,” said another.
While utilising dating apps this way clearly pays off, it can blur the lines between the personal and professional. More than half (58%) reported having a physical relationship with the person or people they connected with for job-related reasons.
“It was definitely weird,” one respondent said of using a dating app. “Feels like the system is so broken that folks have to resort to doing this.”
