I know this might sound weird but after listening to many job searching stories/dilemmas and also friends’ dating stories, I started to notice many similarities between the two. I actually feel like the comparison helps to put things into perspective, and so I decided to write this 3 part series.

So here you have it, the first reason why job searching is like dating:

It only takes one.

I watch people get incredibly frustrated during the job search process and I get it. They apply to all of these jobs and don’t hear back from the companies. They feel like their applications are sitting in a black hole and they’re not landing interviews.

[Check out this post to help fix that!]

The issue here is that people tend to associate the number of interviews they get with how much traction they’re making in their search.

While of course it’s important to do everything in your power to land interviews, the number of interviews you go on isn’t really a good gauge of progress because it only takes one to solve the problem (of getting a job).

Putting it in dating terms, it doesn’t matter if you go on 50 first dates in a year and find “the one” or 1 first date in year and find “the one”- it’s the same result.

So don’t worry if you’re not landing 20 interviews… if they’re not for jobs you want or are a good fit for, the number doesn’t really mean anything.

So how will this help you in your own job search? Here are a few tips:

• Apply for jobs that you’re excited about and a good fit for versus the “throwing spaghetti at the wall/seeing what sticks” approach. You wouldn’t reach out to someone on a dating website if you didn’t want to actually go on a date with them, right?
• When you do get an interview, take it seriously and be on your A game. It only takes one interview process with the right company to end your search. Be yourself, but be the best version of yourself – not the nervous, insecure version! Remember that if a company does decide to interview you, they already looked at your background, skills, and qualifications and thought “this person might be the one”, so it’s your job to prove them right.
• Follow up appropriately, but don’t overdo it. Write a thank you note after your interview and check in at appropriate intervals if you’re not hearing anything, but don’t stalk. Similar to dating, too many follow ups come off as aggressive (even desperate) and do more harm than good.

Stay tuned for the next 2 posts in this series and leave a comment with any thoughts!