Single people shun Tinder and turn to LINKEDIN to find love as business platform allows them to filter potential matches by career and education – but experts warn it can spark affairs
- Have YOU dated using LinkedIn? Email [email protected]
In recent years, apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge have dominated the online dating sphere, with millions of Brits using the services to find their ideal partner.
However, some savvy singletons are now turning to a very different social media platform to find love – LinkedIn.
Traditionally used to connect professionals with other likeminded individuals, some are using the app to filter potential matches by career and education.
One London-based dating expert told MailOnline LinkedIn could be a clever and extremely efficient way of researching potential matches to see if they’d be compatible – while another said the app offers the ‘promising allure’ of connecting with someone who ticks all the boxes.
Have YOU dated using LinkedIn? Email [email protected]
TikTok videos show swarms of people claiming to have tried dating on the career-driven app – with some even finding love.
One video shows a well-dressed couple posing to music alongside the caption: ‘Connecting with him on LinkedIn and bagging him in his final year of med school.’
But other experts and users who used the platform to find love have warned of the pitfalls – with one woman saying she got the ‘ick’ after matching with someone. Others also warn you won’t know whether a love interest is single or not – and using the careers app to date can breach professional boundaries.
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Another shows 37-year-old Candice, who lives in Singapore, explaining that she turned her attention to LinkedIn so she could filter matches by education level, profession and country.
‘Why am I using LinkedIn as a dating app? The filters!,’ she said.
‘I can filter for an education, MBA baby.
‘I can filter by industry – I’m looking at doctor, lawyer, finance bro.
‘I can filter by country, very important. Unfortunately I’m unable to filter by height but at least there are very good looking photos that I can kind of do some height analysis on.’
A third video shows a person miming to an amusing voiceover, with the caption: ‘Any time I tell someone I met my boyfriend through LinkedIn and made the first move.’
Relationship and sexuality expert Courtney Boyer told MailOnline that LinkedIn offers ‘reliability’ when looking to find a compatible match.
‘Most people on Tinder don’t really care where you got your MBA from or what Fortune 500 company you’ve worked for. But individuals searching for partnership find the reliability of LinkedIn helpful when approaching someone they find attractive and compatible,’ she said.
‘Many dating apps are short-sighted and only focus on metrics like age, interests, etc… which can suffice for short-term rendezvous or those willing to sift through the Instagram-posed pics.’
She added: ‘Most people on traditional dating apps don’t disclose their profession and yet it’s a key source of information for many who are seeking partnership. Because society tends to define who someone is by the profession they have, LinkedIn offers a promising allure of connecting with someone who checks the professional/stable/educated boxes.’
But one woman who met her ex-boyfriend on LinkedIn told MailOnline she would ‘not recommend’ finding love on the site after her relationship turned sour, adding: ‘I don’t think I ever considered it as a dating platform.’
Fiona Nguyen, 28, said she started seeing her ex after connecting with him on LinkedIn and scheduling a Zoom call to see if his company was a good fit for a product
A video shows 37-year-old Candice, who lives in Singapore , explaining that she turned her attention to LinkedIn so she could filter matches by education level, profession and country
One video shows a person miming to an amusing voiceover, with the caption: ‘Any time I tell someone I met my boyfriend through LinkedIn and made the first move’
Fiona Nguyen, 28, from USA, said she started seeing her ex after connecting with him on LinkedIn and scheduling a Zoom call to see if his company was a good fit for a product.
She said in a TikTok video: ‘I was using LinkedIn for work. I scheduled a call on Zoom to see if his company was a good fit for our product. After the call ended he asked me out on a date on LinkedIn.’
She added: ‘This is when I should have saw the red flags. First time ever meeting him he literally schedules 10 days. He actually didn’t stay with me for 10 days he stayed with me for three weeks.’
Reflecting on the experience after the relationship ended, Ms Nguyen told MailOnline: ‘I’ve got such an ick from it I don’t even want to speak on it even if it’s work related – I just email at this point.’
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She added: ‘I think it’s kind of inappropriate to be using LinkedIn as a dating profile.’
Relationship expert Sharin Shafer, co-founder of London’s matchmaking agency Bond, said LinkedIn could be an effective way of screening for someone with similar interests as you.
She told MailOnline: ‘You can certainly look for someone who has similar interests because they’re in a similar industry.’
Ms Shafer added: ‘Perhaps do your research on LinkedIn and then go on Instagram and see do they have a partner.’
Talking about a previous client, the expert said: ‘We did have one person say they had tried [LinkedIn]. It was a woman who approached someone on LinkedIn – and she read it to us – quite a scathing response from the man’s wife.’
Ms Shafer explained that although LinkedIn can be used as a tool for finding and researching a person, singletons should then check out a person’s alternative social media platforms before messaging them.
‘You can use it as a screening tool but I would not encourage someone to approach someone on LinkedIn,’ she said, adding: ‘Some people might like the bold move but I wouldn’t approach them through LinkedIn.
‘LinkedIn is a business platform [and] is where you promote yourself from a business perspective.
‘They think it’s a little bit presumptuous because you dot know if someone is married or in a relationship.’
Dr Becky Spelman, Psychologist and Founder at Private Therapy Clinic, said LinkedIn can be ‘more reliable’ than traditional dating apps when trying to find love.
One video reveals how a couple met through LinkedIn after they connected on LinkedIn
One woman who met her ex-boyfriend on LinkedIn told MailOnline she would ‘not recommend’ finding love on the site after her relationship turned sour
One person said on TikTok: ‘You guys seriously! Start looking for your significant partner on LinkedIn’
‘LinkedIn could be more reliable than dating apps when it comes to finding a romantic match. The platform provides a more comprehensive overview of a person’s background and character, including their career achievements, skills, and interests,’ she said.
‘This professional nature of LinkedIn encourages people to present themselves authentically, which could result in a more genuine connection based on shared interests and goals.’
She added: ‘A downside to using LinkedIn as a dating tool is the fact that it is primarily used for forming professional connections. You are unlikely to know if someone is single or taken on this platform, as it is not designed for dating!’
A London-based dating expert told MailOnline that using the careers app to date breaches professional boundaries and can put people in uncomfortable positions.
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Jessica Alderson, the co-founder of So Syncd, told MailOnline: ‘Using LinkedIn as a dating platform undermines the original purpose of the site, which is for professional networking and career development.
‘It breaches professional boundaries and can put people in uncomfortable situations. It can feel invasive to receive romantic advances on a platform that is meant for professional connections.
‘Receiving messages from potential dates on LinkedIn can also cause people to feel like their career achievements are being overlooked and that they are being reduced to their appearance or relationship status.’
She added: ‘In some cases, using LinkedIn as a dating platform can lead to unethical behaviour, such as using one’s power or authority in a professional setting to pursue a romantic relationship.’
Ms Alderson claimed that asking people out on dates on LinkedIn or sending ‘inappropriate’ messages can have serious consequences.
‘It can lead to damaged professional relationships, potential conflicts of interest, and even jeopardize one’s job or reputation,’ she said.
It’s one thing to build a connection with someone on LinkedIn that naturally develops over time into a romantic relationship, but using the platform with the intention of seeking out dates goes against the fundamental principle of respect within the professional world.’
She added: ‘There does need to be safe professional spaces for women and men.
‘The financial aspect is interesting because women in particular have evolved to be attracted to partners with resources because it goes hand in hand with safety so being attracted to people with money is not actually as superficial as you might think.’
A LinkedIn spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘LinkedIn is a professional community and we encourage our members to engage in meaningful, authentic conversations.
‘This includes light-hearted content, as long as it stays within the professional realm and does not violate our community policies.
‘Romantic advances and harassment of any form is a violation of our rules, and our policies include detailed examples that show what kind of content does not belong on LinkedIn.
‘Members can report any instances of harassment on LinkedIn and signal to us that such behaviour is unwanted, allowing us to take action.’
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