5 Ways Recruitment Is Just Like Online Dating

1. Profiles/resumes do nothing to sell you on the person.

If you have ever (in a moment of weakness) looked at an online dating site, you will know what I am talking about. It is clear that 90% of online dating profiles have been written in under ten minutes. Spelling and grammar are optional, and, with the number of people claiming to like walks on the beach and weekends away, I have no idea why I can never find a car park at Westfield on a Saturday afternoon. And let's not even talk about the photo. Like a badly written dating profile, a badly written resume does nothing to sell your skills and attributes to a potential employer or recruiter.

2. People say they want one thing, but, when it comes down to it, they don't.

If you have ever had the (mis)fortune to be in the market for romance, then you are bound to have at least one story of someone who claimed to want to settle down and live happily ever after, but when it came to the crunch, they bailed so fast you never even saw them move. Well, people are like that when they look for a new job. They claim to want one thing, but when offered it, a great number of them either don't accept the position or leave within months of starting, saying that it wasn't what they wanted after all. Drives you mad. This is why recruiters spend SO much time probing candidates on their motivation for looking for a new job. And even with all the questions we ask, people still manage to lie.

3. People have unrealistic expectations.

What is it with hiring managers who want the perfect person for next to nothing?? And they are not about to compromise! Well, it's kind of like my friend who refuses to date anyone who can't spell 'their' correctly. She has undoubtedly missed out on meeting some lovely men because of this, just as clients miss out on genuinely great candidates when they refuse to think outside the square.

4. People talk rubbish about their ex or employer.

Okay, I am OVER talking with men who want to spend hour after hour banging on about how horrible their ex-wife was/is. Clearly, the relationship didn't work. Quite frankly, it is a massive turn off to have someone you are potentially considering as a soulmate spouting off endless vicious vitriol about someone they once professed to love forever. Well, it is also a turnoff to have someone sit across from you in a job interview banging on about how much they hate(d) their old/current employer. You are almost guaranteeing yourself a nice 'Thanks but no thanks' letter. It doesn't matter how terrible your employer was, always speak respectfully of them. Always.

5. There are always other fish.

People forget this, I think. We all believe that we are special, unique, fantastic. We inherently think that we are the best person for the job (or person), and then we are quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) distressed when we are not chosen. Well, here is a reality check: there is always another candidate. If you play hard to get, if you have unreasonable demands, and if you don't bother to make an effort, then a potential employer will simply move on. Because you are just not worth the aggravation. And you KNOW the same applies when you are recruiting for a new partner. You will get the flick very quickly if you start playing games.