Job Hunting vs. Dating
By Marisol Vega
Searching for love and searching for a job aren’t just metaphorically similar—they’re nearly structurally identical. Both are driven by algorithms, referrals, personal branding, and the pressure to "stand out" while not seeming desperate.
Let’s break down the parallels:
- The Résumé = Your dating profile or first impression
- Cover Letter = The witty opening line or flirty banter
- Interview = The first date(s)
- References = Mutual friends or social media stalking
- Ghosting = Rejected but never informed
- “It’s not you, it’s me” = Corporate boilerplate rejection email
- Situationships = Internships with no guarantee of permanence
- Being led on = “We’re still finalizing the position…”
When you stop seeing love as a lottery and start seeing it like strategic employment alignment, something beautiful happens: you take the pressure off the magic and focus on shared purpose, vision, and capability.
Just like you wouldn’t accept a job offer without asking about expectations, benefits, and growth potential—you deserve to ask those questions in romance too.
And if you’ve been “unemployed” for a while? That doesn’t make you unworthy. It just means you’re in a season of recalibration—and maybe the old industry (dating-as-performance) wasn’t built for someone like you.
So here’s to people who’ve been ghosted after three rounds of interviewing. Who’ve walked out of first dates feeling like they needed a debrief. Who’ve learned to say “I’m not looking, but I’m open.”
This one's for you. You're not broken. You just need a better job market—and a better definition of success.