Could You Find Love on LinkedIn?
When you think about online dating, LinkedIn probably isn’t the first social media platform that comes to mind. But according to our recent survey, your LinkedIn profile could be doing more for your love life than you realise.
We discovered 22% of Aussies believe a strong LinkedIn profile can make you more desirable to romantic partners. So, next time you’re updating your Tinder bio or taking a new bathroom selfie, maybe consider working on your LinkedIn account instead.
Why would LinkedIn be linked to romantic attraction?
As the modern-day resumé, LinkedIn is primarily designed to showcase your talents to prospective employers. A good profile will demonstrate how passionate, ambitious, intelligent and loyal you are. These traits are some of the most commonly sought after in partners, which is why using LinkedIn for dating might not be as ridiculous as it sounds.
Is the ideal employee also the ideal soulmate? Not necessarily, but they often have a lot of qualities in common.
A quarter of our survey respondents said they’d consider university if they knew it would help them find their soulmate. Education and intelligence are clearly a top priority for many people when choosing their romantic partners, so it makes sense that a social media platform dedicated to displaying this aspect of a person’s life could help you realise if you find them attractive.
So yes, finding love on LinkedIn seems possible. But the question is…
Should you look for love on LinkedIn?
Probably not. At least, not as your main aim. At its core, LinkedIn is not a dating site.
But if you optimise your profile to attract employers and build a professional network, who’s to say that some romantic opportunities won’t naturally come along too?
Let’s outline the key steps you can take to enhance your LinkedIn profile to make yourself more appealing to employers – and maybe more attractive to potential partners as a bonus.
How to Optimise Your LinkedIn Profile in 5 Quick Steps
1. Upload Professional Photos
Your Instagram or Tinder profile pic probably isn’t appropriate for LinkedIn. Ideally, go for a simple headshot in formal or semi-formal attire with a plain background.
For your profile’s background photo, choose something that represents your work, your current company, or one of your passions.
2. Write the Right Headline and Summary
Your headline needs to make it clear what kind of professional you are, but finding a unique or quirky way to explain it will help you stand out from the crowd. If there are relevant keywords for your role (e.g. Logistics Manager), make sure to include these in some form to ensure you appear for related searches.
Your summary should be sharp and concise – don’t include any superfluous information. Find a balance of celebrating your past successes while describing your future aspirations. If you have any images, links or videos that showcase your work and achievements, be sure to include them in your summary.
3. Customise Your URL
When you create your LinkedIn profile, it will automatically have a unique URL. The problem is: it’s just random numbers and letters. In your editing options, you can change this to a personalised (and search engine-friendly) URL instead.
The formula /firstname-lastname-job is always a strong choice – unless you’re lucky enough to be the first person with your full name on LinkedIn.
4. Get Recommendations and Endorsements
In the dating world, you have wingmen and women. On LinkedIn, you have written recommendations and endorsements.
Visit your colleagues’ and former colleagues’ profiles to write them reviews and verify the skills they have. This will prompt them to do the same for you. Even online, word of mouth can be very convincing when someone is considering hiring you (or asking you out!).
5. Share Articles and Write Your Own
Staying active on LinkedIn will help you build an ongoing presence on the site and allow people to see what kind of topics interest you. Contributing your own articles will give people a chance to explore your insights and opinions in depth. Doing so can also establish you as a thought-leader or influencer in your chosen field.
Following these quick tips can help you make a good first impression on employers, industry contacts, colleagues, and even romantic partners. After all, you never know who might see your profile!
The research quoted in this article was conducted by the Online Research Unit on UniLodge’s behalf. Findings are based on over 1,000 respondents surveyed between 11/11/19 and 15/11/19.