A survey conducted by the career and CV creation platform “Zety” among more than 1,000 US employees showed that about one in eight respondents reported having started romantic relationships that began specifically on the “LinkedIn” platform.
Although 65% of respondents admitted to fearing that dating through a professional social network could harm their reputation, the rest did not see such a risk.
However, the authors of the survey emphasized that “LinkedIn” is not yet becoming a competitor to dating apps.
Potential partners are checked through “LinkedIn”
The survey showed that one in five respondents has used “LinkedIn” to learn more about a person they were considering starting a romantic relationship with.
Almost half of the respondents believe that the information provided on this professional social network is more reliable than profiles on dating apps.
Although nearly three-quarters of respondents are convinced that “LinkedIn” should remain exclusively a professional space, 26% think that using this platform for dating is completely acceptable.
“Zety” career expert Jasmine Escalera states that attitudes towards professional and personal life are changing.
“Modern employees no longer distinguish professional and personal identities as clearly as before. A ‘LinkedIn’ profile today reveals much more than a person’s job title – it allows forming an impression of their personality, values, and reliability. Therefore, some people are beginning to view this platform not only as a network for professional connections but also as a more personal space,” she said.
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Different generations have different views
According to the survey data, younger people check potential partners on “LinkedIn” more often.
This is the case for 33% of millennials and 27% of Gen Z respondents. Among Gen X respondents, it was 19%, and among baby boomers, only 6%.
Additionally, men are more than twice as likely as women to consider using “LinkedIn” for romantic dating acceptable.
What attracts the most attention?
Respondents indicated that the biggest influence on interest in a person is their profile picture and a short introduction. Also important are mutual acquaintances, career path, and education.
However, romantic messages on a professional social network are evaluated ambiguously.
34% of respondents said they would feel uncomfortable receiving such a message.
Another 31% said their reaction would depend on the situation. Almost one-fifth said they would block or report such a sender, and 16% admitted that such attention would be pleasant to them.
The authors of the survey believe that as distrust of dating apps grows, some people begin to view “LinkedIn” as a kind of reliability indicator. According to them, professional history and publicly visible career become an additional way for some to assess a person’s reliability before starting a closer relationship.
