Tinder, Bumble and Grindr: Dating apps being used for networking and job leads, Resume Builder survey finds
Dating apps are increasingly doubling as informal networking platforms, with users reporting that matches have led to career conversations, interviews and even job offers, according to a survey highlighted by Forbes and conducted by resume-building site Resume Builder.
The Resume Builder study, fielded with 2,225 U.S. dating-app users via the Pollfish platform, found about one in three respondents have used dating apps for professional purposes, and nearly one in ten said that career networking is their main reason for being on those platforms. Men reported networking on apps slightly more often than women — 37% of men versus 30% of women across ages 18 to 55, the survey shows.
Which apps are being used and what users get
Respondents most often cited Tinder, Bumble, Facebook Dating and Hinge as places where matches have been leveraged for career advancement; Grindr was also singled out in coverage as a platform where a sizeable minority use the app for networking. Among those who reported networking via apps, almost half said they had received career advice or guidance, 39% said they had secured at least one job interview, and 37% reported receiving a concrete job offer that originated from app connections. Only about one in ten said they had not obtained any professional benefit from such efforts.
Who is turning to apps and why
The practice appears most common among higher earners: “among those who earn over US$200 per year, almost half said they use these platforms to seek professional advantages,” the survey found. Resume Builder and Forbes note that some users are driven to dating apps by a difficult job market — nearly half of networking users said they were motivated by trouble finding work through traditional channels, and roughly one-third described their decision as motivated by desperation.
Resume Builder career counselor Stacie Haller framed dating apps as “more personal and with less pressure,” a dynamic she says can facilitate authentic relationship-building that sometimes translates to professional opportunities.
How networking happens — and the risks
The survey does not specify whether conversations begin romantically and pivot to careers or start with a professional intent, but most respondents said they were transparent with matches about networking goals. Still, 38% reported meeting in person with someone they initially connected with for professional reasons, and those who held in-person meetings tended to report better work-related outcomes.
That overlap raises ethical and reputational questions. Some participants described the approach as “definitely strange,” saying “the system is so broken that people have to resort to this,” while another observed that “it takes courage to ask.” The study highlights concerns about blurred boundaries: users who reported physical relationships with matches were, on average, more likely to cite professional benefits — a pattern that invites scrutiny about unequal exchanges and implicit pressure.
Platforms and employers are reacting. Bumble previously offered a dedicated professional mode, Bizz, while Tinder has updated its guidelines to emphasize that the service is intended for personal, not commercial, connections.
Implications for hiring and alternatives
Even when a job results, hiring through a dating connection can create complications around merit, favoritism and workplace perception, and women may face harsher reputational consequences when personal and professional lives intersect. Recruiters and compliance teams may also view such hires as potential risk points.
Experts and Forbes coverage stress that while dating apps can yield leads, traditional professional avenues — conferences, industry groups, alumni networks and structured digital platforms — remain the safer, more conventional routes for networking and referrals.
Researchers note this was a market research survey conducted by Resume Builder with participants recruited via Pollfish; the sample may not represent the full population of dating-app users and the results have not undergone independent academic review.
