5 reasons why Recruitment is like dating!

Published date: February 14, 2020

Many of us will understand the struggles of trying to find the perfect match. Tall or short, blue eyes or brown eyes, good sense of humour, good at cooking... the list goes on!

Just like a singleton might put themselves on dating sites and go on dates, an active candidate is also ‘open to opportunities’. They may have changed their ‘status’ on LinkedIn, registered on job boards or reached out to recruitment agencies.

What’s interesting is how similar the dating process is to the recruitment process – for both the candidate and the company. When you think about it – recruiters are like matchmakers. Job matchmakers!

Here are 5 ways the recruitment process is just like dating.

1. Ticking the boxes

This goes both ways. In the same way that a new couple will figure out if they’re right for each other, both the candidate and the company will need to be compatible in order for things to progress. Does the candidate have the right skills and experience? Tick. Does the company offer a good enough salary and benefits package? Tick. Does my date like cats? Tick.

2. Research

Who hasn’t done a little online ‘research’ when they’ve met someone new? This could be before the date (to make sure they’re not a catfish) or afterwards to find out a little more about them. When it comes to recruitment – recruiters do the same! CV reviews, LinkedIn research, database checks, etc are all part of our daily process.

3. The first date

A bit smelly, scruffy clothes and a bad attitude isn’t going to get someone very far on a first date. Funnily enough, it won’t help them much in an interview either. First impressions are everything so making a bad one could ruin your chances of being invited back.

4. The marriage proposal

Ok, so we’ve jumped ahead a little but the marriage proposal is just like the job offer. You’ve been getting on really well and have fallen head over heels. If you’re the candidate – you’re wondering when the offer will come or have they found someone better? And will the offer be what you want? For the company, will they say yes or turn you down? What will you do if they say no? See, it’s just the same!

5. The Ex

You’ve built a great relationship with your candidate, they seem really interested and have accepted your offer. They’re now working their notice period but the risk of them being lured back to their ‘ex’ could come at any time. For the new company, this is a constant worry as you have no idea what their ‘ex’ is saying to persuade them to come back. For the candidate, you’re excited about your new opportunity but is it “better the devil you know”? Our advice in this instance is to trust your instincts and don’t be fooled by a dangled carrot – no pun intended.

Dating is often likened to a minefield, and recruitment is no different! For help and advice, whether you’re a candidate or company looking for new talent, feel free to give us a call anytime.