What Job Hunting Can Teach You About Online Dating

With the continuing recession and the upcoming 2012 election, there's one thing on everybody's mind.

Jobs: where to find them, how to get them, and why there aren't enough of them.

Sounds an awful lot like finding a date, doesn't it? It doesn't matter how many millions of single men and women are looking for love, it seems like you can't find the right one. Where are all the eligible guys and gals hiding? How do you connect with them if you do find them? Are there just not enough dateable singles to go around? Is there a romantic recession too?

The good news is: the "romantic recession" is nothing but cute alliteration. And there is no bad news. Millions of single people across the globe have joined online dating sites in search of love, and the numbers are constantly rising.

What dating does having in common with the job market is this: there's a lot that your job hunt can teach you about dating and relationships. Let's take a look:

• Key words are key. On many dating sites, an algorithm is used to pair up potential matches. In the professional world, recruiters and job seekers use a range of filters and keywords to narrow their search and determine whether or not they're a good match. Got shared values, interests, and beliefs? Bingo. It's a perfect match.

• Image counts. Your resume is the first impression you leave on a potential employer. What does it say about you? Is it an accurate representation of who you are and what you can do? And does it distinguish you from the other candidates hoping for the job? On an online dating site, your profile makes that same first impression. With so many singles turning to the Internet to find love, competition is fierce. It's up to you to create a killer profile that makes you stand out from all the other fish in the sea.

• Originality is always a plus. Does your resume include the phrase "detail-oriented?" So does everybody else's. Resumes and job interviews are full of cliched lines - "My biggest weakness is that I'm too much of a perfectionist!" - that bear a remarkable resemblance to the worn out pick up lines used on the dating scene. Success in both markets requires originality. Cut the cliches from your professional repertoire, and stop sending the same cut-and-pasted message to potential dates.

And you know there's more where that came from...