If you've ever looked for a career and dated a new man at the same time, you probably have experience with the parallels between dating and job hunting.
Whether you’re a newbie to the dating scene or a veteran, it doesn’t take long to realize that the whole process would go a lot more smoothly if the candidates filled out some paperwork ahead of time. Like an application or maybe a questionnaire, or perhaps if they strapped themselves to a lie detector. Either way, finding someone suitable to date is a lot like trying to land a decent job.
The parallels between dating and job hunting are straight-up creepy. They both require an insane amount of patience, sifting through major b.s. and did I mention, patience? Yeah, you’ll need that…in truckloads.
Here are a few simple tips when dipping a toe or doing a full-on belly-flop into the pool of dating and job searching.
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1. Listen to Your Gut
You know that shrill ringing in the back of your head? Yeah, those are warning bells. That’s your intuition telling you that something isn’t right. Whether it’s the person sitting across from you on an awkward first date at your neighborhood coffee shop, or the human resource manager picking at his teeth as you try to tell him why you’re the perfect fit for this job, if you’re getting bad vibes, don’t ignore them. That’s your brain’s way of safe-guarding you from a potential stalker and a lousy place to work. Those vibes are one of the biggest parallels between dating and job hunting.
2. Weigh the Pros and Cons
It’s okay to take a minute or a day, or maybe a week, to decide if this person is worth your time or that job is worth the hour commute every day. There’s no rule written anywhere that says you need to accept the first job offer that comes your way, just like you don’t have to give every single guy who expresses interest a chance. If the cons are surpassing the pros at an alarming rate, swap your heels for sneakers and run.
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3. Are You Happy or is This You Settling to Make Life Easier?
If you’ve surpassed date number three and you’re getting good vibes and those butterflies are wreaking havoc on your insides, this could be construed as the big H word: happiness. If the job you found is making you excited enough to bound out of bed in the morning even though you’re not a morning person, this might also be a good thing. On the flip side, if all you’re doing is shrugging your shoulders and saying, “Meh, could be worse” then you might want to rethink your situation and how you’re spending your time.
4. Bait and Switch?
Is the guy you’re meeting for the first time really going to be the guy you’ve been emailing for the past five weeks? Is the job you said yes to really going to be what you signed up for? For the sake of your time and energy already spent, we really, really hope so. If not, then you’ll do well to run, not walk, to the nearest exit, because what’s the foundation of any relationship that’s built on a lie?
