Not LinkedIn, This CEO Claims He's Hiring People Through Dating Apps

What comes to your mind when you think about dating apps? Finding a casual date or perhaps looking to find true love that blossoms into a marriage? But what about a job? Could you imagine landing a job through a dating app?

Well, that's exactly what a CEO claims of doing.

CEO Hiring People Through Dating App

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A dating app called Grindr, which is a go-to destination for LGBTQ+ people looking to hook up, is apparently being used as an alternative to the likes of LinkedIn. Users checking into the dating app to see how many feet they are from a potential love interest can now expect to be poached for work, rather than being asked out.

That¡¯s because around 25% of its users are on the app to network, according to the company. ¡°We know people use our app to meet new people in their area and in new towns, and we also have plenty of anecdotal evidence of people making connections that lead to professional opportunities like jobs,¡± a company spokesperson told Insider, as per Fortune.

Even the dating app's CEO, George Arison said that he has ¡°personally hired or had a professional relationship with several people¡± he has met over the years via the LGBTQ+ app. ¡°We encourage people to network on Grindr,¡± he added.

Once dubbed ¡°the world¡¯s biggest, scariest gay bar,¡± the app today serves the wider LGBTQ+ community.

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Although it¡¯s smaller in size than LinkedIn, Grindr is said to be the biggest social network for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer people with 13 million monthly active users in virtually every country in the world.

Although Grindr¡¯s CEO is pitching the platform as a place for poaching staff, its interface is still primarily centered around hooking up, with users able to indicate whether their photos are NSFW (not safe for work) and if they¡¯re a ¡°top¡± or a ¡°bottom¡± in the bedroom ¨C for now.

CEO Arison said that it will add to the app¡¯s functionality to support the uses that its users care about from hookups and dating to friendships and networking.

¡°Grindr is committed to building community among its users, and professional connections come about in many different ways,¡± he adds. ¡°We often hear from users about the significant ways in which Grindr has shaped their lives, including building professional relationships that have led to jobs.¡±

Also Read: Why Apple & Google CEOs Fight To Hire & Retain Two IITians

LinkedIn Turning Into A Dating Site?

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As the lines between business and pleasure blur on Grindr, LinkedIn has been struggling with a similar dilemma. Recent research has shown an uptick in users heading to Linkedin to find love¡ªbut it¡¯s not going down well with women who are mostly on the receiving end of such unwanted advances.

In fact, over 90% of women say they have received at least one inappropriate message or romantic advance on the app, according to Passport Photo Online¡¯s survey of over 1,000 women in the U.S. who regularly log into LinkedIn.

But since hooking up is not the site¡¯s intended use, about 43% of those women have pushed back to let the senders know they¡¯ve crossed a line and 74% have dialled back their activity on LinkedIn at least once as a result of the inappropriate behaviour. Ultimately, if female professionals reduce their presence on the platform, they may find it harder to connect with people in their field, build their personal online brand, and get hired, as per the report.

Meanwhile, LinkedIn risks having a platform that isn¡¯t inclusive of women.

It¡¯s perhaps why, unlike Grindr¡ªwhich is clearly embracing the diverse ways users can forge connections beyond the app¡¯s original scope¡ªLinkedIn¡¯s community guidelines explicitly prohibit using the platform as a dating site.

Also Read: Pune Techie Loses Nearly Rs 92 Lakh To 'Blescoin' Investment Scam On Matrimonial Website

LinkedIn Prohibits Using The Platform For Dating

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¡°This kind of behaviour is inappropriate and not allowed on LinkedIn. Unwanted romantic advances and harassment violate our rules and our policies clearly communicate the type of content that isn¡¯t allowed on LinkedIn,¡± a spokesperson for Linkedin had said, adding that it¡¯s invested in tools that help stop harassment in its tracks before a LinkedIn member can even see the offending content, as per the report.

¡°We also encourage people on LinkedIn to report inappropriate content so our teams can help protect them and others. We regularly share updates about the content we remove from LinkedIn in our transparency report.¡±

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