Most career experts would tell working individuals to keep their professional lives separate from their personal lives. However, times have changed, especially as many today seek life partners via LinkedIn.
According to recent statistics by Datingnews.com, 61 percent of respondents aged 35 to 40 have landed dates in the United States via LinkedIn.
Given the rise of this latest trend, Arabian Business reached out to two experts to understand why many are seeking life partners through a professional social media platform such as LinkedIn.
Why is LinkedIn becoming a preferred dating platform?
“There are a few reasons why LinkedIn became popular as a dating site. First off, in the digital age, it’s become harder to distinguish between the personal and professional domains. Whatever the platform, people feel more at ease interacting with each other when they do so online. Furthermore, LinkedIn offers a sizable pool of possible matches, giving users the chance to make connections with people who share their professional interests and objectives,” Jimmy Takieddine, CEO and founder of The Circle Edition told Arabian Business.
He added that the professional social network also offers “special advantages” that are not available in other apps such as allowing users to highlight career successes and goal, providing prospective matches with information about the person behind their bio and pictures, among others.
Takkieddine added that finding partners on LinkedIn allows individuals to focus on professional networking that encourage “deeper connections” with people who may have similar interests in the same interests or career pathways.
Echoing the sentiment, Zeta Yarwood, a career coach with her own business in Dubai, said that dating apps have “lost their appeal” over the years, especially as some seek long-term relationships, which may not be found via a dating app.
“Dating apps have lost their appeal over the years as some feel their desire for a long-term relationship isn’t going to be met on a dating app. LinkedIn attracts a more professional audience, and some might infer that if they are professional in their career, they might also be more ‘professional’ in their demeanour overall e.g. respectful, classy rather than what they might have experienced on other dating apps,” she said.
Yarwood added that individuals who are looking for a “mature relationship based on respect” are more likely to find a partner via LinkedIn, she said adding that maybe people over the age of 40 are more likely to pursue this path.
The Circle Edition’s Takieddine added that this path is often opted by “career-oriented persons” who value “compatibility” in both personal and professional lives.
“These may be individuals wishing to increase their professional network while simultaneously making romantic connections, or they could be professionals looking for like-minded partners who understand the demands of their field,” he said adding that while some consider it “wrong” to look for dates on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, “users must observe professional conventions and exercise care when dating on LinkedIn, as digital communication becomes more ingrained in our daily lives.”
Establish ‘boundaries’ on LinkedIn
He added that when individuals have both personal and professional aspects of their lives on the same platform, there may be concerns regarding conflicts of interest, breaches of privacy, or the perception of favouritism.
However, in order to maintain professionalism and ethical connections, individuals need to establish distinct boundaries between their personal and professional contacts.
Yarwood conducted a comprehensive poll on the topic of dating via LinkedIn, gathering responses from a diverse pool of over 800 participants. The results revealed that a significant majority, specifically 87 percent of the respondents, considered dating on the site to be inappropriate.
Among the individuals who expressed a favourable view towards dating on LinkedIn, the data showed an interesting gender distribution. Out of this subgroup, 70 percent were men, while the remaining 30 percent were women.
“LinkedIn was originally built as a platform to help job seekers and provide opportunities for professional networking. Using it for dating purposes feels like a violation of sorts – and an intrusion on a platform where they want to feel safe to network professionally and not be hounded by unwanted advances,” she said.
The dark side of LinkedIn relationships
Yarwood explained that the safe and respectful way people can pursue dates on LinkedIn is through building “a professional relationship first.”
“If it grows into something from there, great,” she said, however she warned those who mix work and personal life on the same platform “can get messy.”
“A bad break up could result in vindictive behaviour where someone could try to destroy you career and could easily do so on a platform like LinkedIn,” she said.
In addition, Takieddine explained that because online networking and communication are becoming increasingly important, “the development in remote work has probably had an impact on people’s use of LinkedIn to locate partners. People may use online social networking sites like LinkedIn in place of face-to-face encounters as a means of expanding their personal and professional networks,” he said.
He added that is also “crucial” to remember that LinkedIn is primarily intended for professional networking purposes, despite the fact that it can occasionally facilitate romantic connections.
“Like in any other professional situation, users should treat dating on LinkedIn with the same decency and professionalism. Furthermore, it’s critical to keep distinct boundaries between personal and professional relationships to prevent any misconceptions or potential conflicts of interest,” he said.
Update May 17: LinkedIn has provided Arabian Business with a statement regarding the usage of messaging on it platform
“People come to LinkedIn to connect with professional contacts, find jobs and stay up to date on industry news and information. Romantic advances and harassment of any form is a violation of our rules and does not belong on our platform. We have clear policies which include detailed examples of what kind of content isn’t allowed. We offer features like an optional, advanced safety feature that, when enabled, warns members when harassment is detected within private messaging. We also encourage members to report if they receive inappropriate comments or messages on LinkedIn, so our team can take action,” a spokesperson told Arabian Business.
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