TikTok is buzzing with unemployed Gen Z graduates scrambling to secure a career in the current tough job market.
But even millennials—who joined the workforce in the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis—know a thing or two about resorting to unusual tactics when job-hunting.
When Swedish-born graduate Samantha Rogers decided to move to London in 2018 without a job, she was acutely aware that it’s often who you know, not what you know, that helps open doors.
“I wanted to be proactive before moving because I’d hate being in London and not having anything lined up because it’s expensive here,” Rogers tells Fortune.
So on top of tapping the usual suspects like LinkedIn and Indeed, she logged onto her Tinder profile and added the words “seeking work opportunities” to her bio.
“For a long time Tinder offered little to no value exchange for me, but just because I didn’t find dating successful on the app, didn’t mean I couldn’t use the platform creatively for other purposes such as networking, promoting my business, or exploring new social connections,” she recalls.
“I thought, if I’m going to be on Tinder and I haven’t been successful in getting a relationship out of it so far, I might get a job—it turns out that was easier.”
Within a week several opportunities came Rogers’s way. Not only were men on the app reaching out to her with leads but they were also recommending her internally for roles.
“It got me in the door quite quickly for interviews,” she adds. “I got two interviews with recruitment consultancies and then I got one sales job.”
In the end, Rogers—who is now a PR account director and married—had so many job offers on the table that she could afford to swipe left on (or, in other words, turn down) the three from Tinder that weren’t her cup of tea.
Even though she didn’t technically land a job through Tinder, she’d still recommend unemployed women especially use the app to their advantage to find work.
“It’s obviously a very crowded marketplace and there’s so many new emerging channels all the time that may be untapped,” Rogers says.
Lines blurring between dating and networking
On the women-first dating app Bumble, users are encouraged to make the most of its 50 million-strong network.
In 2017, the app launched Bumble Biz to give hopeless romantics the chance to find both their future partner and employer in one place.
Likewise, Grindr—more commonly known as the go-to destination for LGBTQ+ people looking to hook up—has jumped on the bandwagon.
Around 25% of its users are on the app to network, according to the company.
But with the lines between dating and networking blurring, women’s inboxes have become increasingly inundated with unsolicited advances from men who are using professional platforms to pursue their peers.
Over 90% of women reported receiving at least one unwelcome message on LinkedIn in a staggering 2023 study.
“I remember that I had received multiple flirty messages by men on apps and platforms intended for anything but that,” Rogers echoes. “So I thought I would turn the tables on them and use the dating app as a platform for job seeking.”
“As women, we need to empower ourselves to not only go for more opportunities but also capitalize on any space where opportunities are available,” she adds.
Even now, after years of living in London and forging professional connections, Rogers would still consider downloading the app once more if she found herself jobless.
“But I think I’d need to let my husband know that I’m on Tinder again,” the millennial manager laughs.
Is job-hunting on dating apps appropriate?
While job-hunting on Tinder is a novel approach, don’t be surprised if your hunt for an employer isn’t well received by people scrolling through their dating apps to find love.
“Tinder is the most popular dating app in the world, dedicated to fostering meaningful personal connections, not business ones,” a spokesperson for the company told Fortune.
Trying to find a job on a platform that, as Tinder says, “people come to first and foremost to find a romantic connection” may be inefficient.
Instead of trying to find a needle in a haystack, unemployed youngsters may be better off hunting for a job in the same space where recruiters are actively looking to hire.
However, Rogers argues that the scarcity of job seekers on the app is precisely what gives unemployed professionals a competitive advantage: “Dare to try unconventional methods because chances are that other people aren’t thinking about it, so you might be more successful.”
Plus, she’s very aware that there’s a chance the men who were hooking her up with jobs on the platform may have hoped to be more than just work peers.
It’s why before attending any in-person interviews off the back of Tinder, she meticulously researched each company and where it was located “to ensure it was legit.”
“Always make sure you look into the company and make sure it actually exists, and that the interviewer works there,” Rogers advises.
Although Tinder has over 20 safety features including a “strengthened” photo verification process and antiharassment prompts, Rogers would recommend women approach job-hunting on the app with the same caution as they would when meeting a romantic interest for the first time.
“Like most girls do when dating, always text a friend or family member where you are going, what time, and update them,” she adds.
“If you want to take it a step further, you can also share your location with them or bring them along to wait outside for you.”
Are you turning to new and unusual ways to job hunt in the current tough market? Fortune wants to hear from you. Get in touch: orianna.royle@fortune.com
A version of this story originally published on Fortune.com on March 7, 2024.
