Job hunters are using dating apps to network, survey reports

At a time when AI is killing entry-level jobs and the only texts back you're getting are from Indeed scammers, professionals are resorting to unorthodox methods to find work.

In a new survey, ResumeBuilder.com found that 34 percent of 2,225 dating app users have used the apps for professional or career-related reasons in the last year. Almost 10 percent said that's the primary reason they use the apps.

Tinder, Bumble, and Facebook Dating are the most common platforms for networking, followed by Hinge, Match, and OkCupid.

"I actually met people in my industry and got useful advice/leads," an anonymous user told ResumeBuilder.com. "Weird but effective," said another.

Among different age groups, the one-in-three figure remained relatively steady: 35 percent for adults aged 18 to 24, 34 percent of those aged 29 to 44, and 33 percent of those aged 45 to 55. Men were a bit more likely to do this than women (37 and 30 percent, respectively).

Most of these folks wanted to expand their network (63 percent), while 42 percent were hoping to receive a referral, and 40 percent wanted a job offer. Thirty-eight percent sought a mentor or career advice, and 34 percent hoped for a job interview.

Of those who used dating apps for professional reasons, a staggering 88 percent reported successfully connecting with someone for career purposes. A bit more than half (51 percent) met their connection in person.

Why are daters — or really, the un- or underemployed — doing this? A majority (58 percent) saw it as a creative or strategic approach, and most (56 percent) believed that personal connections were the most effective way to get hired. Forty-two percent were motivated by the difficult job market.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics hasn't released a jobs report in two months due to the government shutdown. However, the last one, in August, had economists alarmed, as non-farm-related employers added only 22,000 jobs that month, significantly lower than the estimated 80,000. Meanwhile, companies like Amazon are laying off workers due to AI implementation.

All that to say: It's bleak out there.

"Younger professionals in particular feel a lot of pressure to get ahead in a hypercompetitive market," ResumeBuilder.com's chief career advisor, Stacie Haller, said in the press release. "Traditional networking platforms, such as LinkedIn, can feel oversaturated and transactional, where everyone is pitching rather than genuinely connecting."

That's what daters and job seekers told Mashable earlier this year: That LinkedIn is so competitive, it was difficult to find a job there. Professionals may also try to flirt with you on LinkedIn, signaling a blurring of the purposes of these platforms.

"Dating apps, in contrast, provide a more personal and low-pressure environment for building authentic relationships," Haller continued. "The trend signals a broader cultural shift: professionals are moving away from rigid, performative networking norms toward more fluid, human-centered interactions."