**Woman Employs Dating App to Search for Employment, Goes Viral**
In October, 24-year-old Cait Camelia posted screenshots of her Hinge dating profile on X (formerly Twitter). While her profile featured appealing and casual images, her prompts were anything but ordinary. Rather than looking for a romantic partner, she stated, *”The way to win me over is to land me a creative marketing job”* and *”I want someone who can secure me a creative marketing role.”* She even added a stock photo of a handshake between two businessmen, captioning it, *”This could be us.”*
Camelia wasn’t on the hunt for love—she was in pursuit of employment.
### The Challenges of Employment Searching
The job market continues to be challenging, with job growth in early 2025 not meeting expectations. While unemployment has seen a slight reduction (4% in January 2025 compared to 4.2% in September 2024), job seekers frequently send out hundreds of applications over several months. Some have even secured positions or made considerable money by going viral, which was precisely Camelia’s aim.
“A lot of people assumed I genuinely thought I could land a job through Hinge, but my intention was always to share it on social media,” said Camelia, a graphic designer seeking to change fields. “I expected it to gain momentum and, at the very least, highlight my work.”
Having recently exited a relationship that began on Hinge, she wasn’t prepared to use the app for dating again. Instead, she used it to display her talents. (Hinge did not respond to Mashable’s request for a statement.)
Camelia anticipated criticism, particularly from men, knowing it would enhance engagement and propel her post in the algorithm. She had faced this before—when she shared her graduation photos in a dress and heels in 2021, an incel comedian lambasted her looks, causing the post to go viral.
Though she silenced the X thread once it picked up steam, she noticed some of the replies. “People were saying, ‘Oh, you’re wasting people’s time on this app,'” she remembered. “But I think many men waste women’s time on dating apps without any genuine intentions, so I don’t feel guilty.”
### LinkedIn vs. Dating Platforms
Some may contend that Camelia ought to have utilized LinkedIn instead. While she has successfully identified job opportunities there in the past—by directly contacting hiring managers—she feels the platform has become stagnant since she graduated in 2021.
“It hasn’t progressed much, which is frustrating since the job market is incredibly competitive,” she commented. “It often feels like your resume just gets buried among hundreds.”
At their essence, both LinkedIn and dating apps seek to connect individuals, yet both appear outdated in how they facilitate these connections.
### The Similarities Between Job Searching and Dating
A survey conducted by MyPerfectResume revealed that 81% of recruiters confess to uploading fake or already-filled job listings to maintain a presence and scout talent. This behavior can be disheartening for job seekers.
“Even while applying, I tell myself, ‘This is futile. You’ll waste your time when you could be seeking something better,'” shared Dylan*, a 29-year-old hospitality worker in Brooklyn.
In a similar vein, dating apps frequently leave users feeling overlooked. Fortune reported that LinkedIn’s *Open to Work* feature may actually hinder job seekers by making them seem overly eager.
Dating applications like Hinge, Bumble, and Feeld allow users to see who liked them before matching, which can result in an overwhelming number of choices. JD Giovanni, a 33-year-old who was laid off from a publishing job, believes this plethora of options has transformed how people make choices—not just in dating, but in job searching as well.
This situation, termed *decision paralysis*, leads individuals to opt for what’s easiest to assess rather than what’s most significant.
First impressions are crucial, but crafting tailored cover letters or thoughtful initial messages on dating platforms can feel like a futile effort. “If I post a standard job listing, like for an account executive, I could receive 300 applications in a single day,” stated Braxton Brown III, a senior recruiter at Prove. “It’s impossible to thoroughly review all of them.”
Even when candidates manage to obtain interviews, ghosting is prevalent. A 2021 study found that 85% of dating app users have faced ghosting, and job seekers encounter similar behavior.
Max Coyne, a 36-year-old job seeker in New York, tracked a company that ghosted him. “I noticed that the position I interviewed for was reposted with a lower salary and a different location,” he mentioned. In another instance, his would-be supervisor was promoted internally, likely filling the vacancy without notifying him.
Both employers and daters often grapple with defining