As you swiped and sorted through a sea of online profiles, a few people caught your eye. Perhaps they reached out first or maybe you made the first move—either way, a date is set and it’s time to meet your potential match. When you make your way to greet them, you may find yourself a bit nervous, but confidently armed with information (you already Googled them, right?), talking points to make what you have to offer irresistible, and a list of qualities your perfect match absolutely must have.
This may sound like a Tinder love story in the making but it’s actually the everyday reality for recruiters, as well as the candidates who could become a corporate match made in heaven. And while they appear to be two vastly different worlds, dating and recruiting are more similar than you make think, and this is why.
The List
Like a person on the hunt for Mr. or Mrs. Right, both candidates and recruiters alike have “the list.” A collection of desired qualities the other must have, to be the perfect match. For recruiters, this is comprised of experience, skills, culture fit, and personality that a candidate will need to properly fill the role. For candidates, it can be anything that they’re both looking for in a new position, such as work-life balance or salary requirements, and in a recruiter, like timely correspondence and transparency.
Profiles
An online profile is a place to shine and show off attributes, achievements, and personality in order to attract potential suitors with your desirability. Dating sites are built around these profiles, giving those looking for love a chance to get a glimpse into the people in their dating pool—the same goes for recruiting as well.
In today’s world of recruiting and job searching, online candidate profiles are the new norm. Solutions such as GoGig provide the perfect platform for candidates to show their skills, experience, and even their personality to recruiters, so those recruiters can match them up with their list of qualities to make an informed decision to reach out.
Like Match.com and eHarmony, GoGig uses in-depth analytical tools to analyze candidate personalities and promote the perfect match for both job searchers and recruiters alike. This method is much more effective than slogging through tons of applications and LinkedIn profiles, especially when neither option can inform you of a candidate’s true personality.
Attraction
When editing a profile, corresponding with potential matches, and before the first (or second, or third) meeting, both those in the dating scene and the career search work to ensure they’re as attractive as possible to snag a date or interview.
Candidates aren't the only ones who should be prepping their profiles, image, and appearance for the career search. Companies do well to focus on their employer branding, ensuring their mission, image, and reputation make them viable businesses with balanced cultures that top talent flocks to.
A company with strong employer branding also enhances their chances of attracting in-demand passive candidates (those who are presently employed but open to new opportunities). While this method serves as a golden opportunity for recruiting, it probably shouldn’t be applied to dating.
First Impressions
Much like the first date, the first interview can be make-or-break in the recruiting process. This can be nerve-wracking. If a recruiter doesn’t present the position well enough, a highly-qualified candidate may pass altogether. If a candidate doesn’t represent themselves properly, a recruiter may deem them unfit, even if they would have been a potential top-performer.
The other scenario, which is far too common, is when an interview is secured based on a blind combination of a resume and an anonymous job description. No personality assessments involved, no inclination of whether or not the candidate’s persona and the company’s culture will work. In this situation, the job description and candidate skills may sound good on paper, but the interview itself may end up being a disaster at worst, or a waste of time at best. (We’ve all probably been on this kind of date and interview.)
The Work
What comes next is the part of the dating scenario called “the work”. Just like these aspects aid in romantic relationships, communication and transparency are crucial to preserving the relationship between a candidate and recruiter. If, after the interview, a candidate seems as though they would be a wonderful fit, a recruiter would do well to keep in touch. After all, if you think the candidate is a great match for your company, another company might think so, too.
While recruiting and dating share definite (if not eerie) similarities, the headaches found in the dating process don’t have to be present in recruiting. At GoGig, we’ve created a solution that finds the skills and experience of candidates while using algorithm-based personality assessments to ensure effective matches every time. If you’re ready to find your company their corporate match made in heaven, sign up for GoGig today and we’ll get you started.
