What Tinder Can Tell Us About Job Hunting – Part 1: First Impressions

In the first part of this series, we look at how to make a good first impression.

This series of articles was co-authored with Andy Storrar, Digital Marketing Specialist.

My friend Anna was a little surprised last month when the 6′ fighter pilot she’d arranged a first date with turned out to be 5’2″ and appeared to have grown a different face since posting his Tinder profile. The ‘date’ lasted all of 30 seconds. There won’t be a second one.

It’s the same with your CV. Just like Tinder, it’s vital that it leads with a short summary capturing the essence of who you are, but ultimately, it also needs to be truthful. Embellishment and downright lies might make you a potential match, and even get you a first meeting, but no matter how vibrant your personality, you’re not even going to get to first base if a couple of well-chosen questions, or, in Anna’s case, a horrified first glance, are going to destroy your work of fiction. It’s a waste of everybody’s time, and word can start to get around, landing you with a reputation you really don’t want.

And in the rare event that you do somehow pass muster with some seriously creative additions to your profile, you’ll still have to live with the possibility of being busted later. Remember Scott Thompson, the CEO of Yahoo who got himself fired after it came to light that he didn’t have the degree in Computer Science his CV claimed? He was massively qualified for the job in every other way, but trustworthiness was the issue. And nobody wants to work, or sleep, with a liar, right?

Accuracy Matters

Both employers and potential dates are looking for specifics. There’s really no point in pretending to be what you’re not, or applying for roles for which you simply haven’t got the skills. You shouldn’t be applying for a senior role interacting with suppliers and internal customers if the only stakeholders you’ve managed are your own knife and fork.

My little pun on ‘stakeholders’ above masks a serious point: spelling and grammatical accuracy matter. Sure, some people care about it more than others, but if you’re aiming for a high calibre outcome you should be sure not to exclude yourself from the consideration set through appearing not to care. As a recruiter, I saw countless CVs from “mangers”, “analists” and other “bussiness proffessionals”. Spellcheck alone won’t pick up all the errors, but first impressions count.

You wouldn’t (I hope) use a profile picture on Tinder that shows spinach between your teeth and food down your front. Make sure your attention to detail is at least as good for your CV. If you’re not sure, or even if you are, it’s a good idea to get a trusted friend to check it over for you. Better to have any errors pointed out in confidence than be rejected by your target audience for being sloppy.

Accentuate the Positive

Attempting to punch above your weight on Tinder is one thing – the worst that can happen is that everyone swipes left – but pitching yourself far too high in the job market can seriously reduce your credibility. That said, successful job hunting is all about taking time to accentuate the positive. View yourself in a positive light and play the hell out of the hand you’ve got.

So, how best to do this? Ironically perhaps, you’ll want to reveal a little more of yourself than you might do on Tinder. Summarise your key achievements. Quantify them too: if you’ve delivered a project of specific value or managed to achieve a notable saving or reduction in spend, make sure it’s shown. Recruiters like evidence of achievement.

That doesn’t mean you need to list every single thing, and as your career progresses you can start to leave some of the detail off your CV (School Recorder Club, Swimming Badges, etc). Your resume needs to represent the detail of what you’ve achieved in recent years, and what you’re good at now, as that’s where the match is made.

Tailoring Counts

Finally, remember what’s appropriate. There are some pictures that (most) Tinder users just don’t want to see – you know what I mean, don’t make me spell it out. Unlikely though you are to put such a thing on any job application it is worth remembering what you’re applying for, and emphasising the appropriate parts of your experience to ensure you fit with the role profile.

Take the time to tailor your CV for each job application. This isn’t Tinder, where you’re putting yourself in front of a pool of millions of different requirements and may be a perfect fit for one, or some. Job hunting is all about making sure you’re the perfect fit for a particular suitor.

A little extra time and care to ensure your resume is appropriate to your application may pay dividends in the end. It did for Anna. She’s getting married next week, but not to that guy.