LinkedIn, a mass grave of ghost jobs, is now becoming a dating app

SFGATE ^ | July 10, 2026 | Ariana Bindman

[E. Pluribus Unum]

1 in 5 survey respondents said they used it to research a potential partner

For years, LinkedIn, the oft-derided networking site, has been used to boast about professional achievements, apply to jobs that may or may not be real, and observe inane ramblings from out-of-touch tech CEOs. Now, according to a recent report, some are also using it to suss out potential dating partners, making it an “unexpected space for romance.”

After gathering responses from more than 1,000 U.S. workers in April of this year, researchers at Zety, a resume-building site, found that 1 in 8 respondents said they formed romantic relationships that began on the platform. Even though 65% of respondents worried that dating through the site could harm their reputation, presumably 35% didn’t have that concern. 

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Though the survey results suggest that LinkedIn is not about to replace Tinder or Hinge, 1 in 5 respondents said they had used it to research a potential partner, and nearly 50% believe that the information listed on LinkedIn is more trustworthy than the information that’s listed on dating profiles. However, while nearly three-quarters of employees in the survey said they believe that LinkedIn should remain “strictly professional,” 26% said that it’s “fair game” to use it for dating — and men are more than twice as likely as women to believe it’s appropriate to use it for dating, Jasmine Escalera, career expert at Zety, told SFGATE by email Friday. 

There’s also a generational gap: Millennials (33%) and Gen Z (27%) are most likely to use it to vet a potential partner than Gen X (19%) and baby boomers (6%), according to Escalera. 

On the whole, the top five drivers of “romantic interest” on a person’s LinkedIn page are their profile photo and bio, followed...

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: chat; chatforum; espamibusmultis; linkedin; microsoft; notnews

[Angelino97]

Women vetting a man’s income potential.

[fwdude]

LinkedIn is now the FaceBook of the professional world.

I’m on it by necessity, but as soon as retirement comes....

[caver]

I have relegated LinkedIn to the Spam box because you can’t seem to unsubscribe from the site.

[thesligoduffyflynns]

and vice versa

[TheThirdRuffian]

I’ve been hit on via linkin by women I used to know.

I think it’s mainly women doing this.

[TheThirdRuffian]

I’ve been hit on via linkin by women I used to know.

I think it’s mainly women doing this.

[TheThirdRuffian]

I’ve been hit on via linkin by women I used to know.

I think it’s mainly women doing this.

[Dr. Sivana]

LinkedIn used to be useful, until Microsoft bought and turned it into something very different in search of monetization.

I am now off of it. I am also job-hunting since my lay-off, using Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc. but not LinkedIn. Some job applications actually REQUIRE a LinkedIn account. In one case, I was given a dummy account name just so I could submit the application.

Some of these companies where I apply are competitors with Microsoft (in one of MS’s various submarkets), and yet they require applicants to use a Microsoft offering. Weird.

The Indian recruiters (dot, not feather) have no idea what my unwillingness to use LinkedIn is all about. When it has come up with U.S. native employers they mostly understand.

[deport]

Did the same women hit you twice?

[TheThirdRuffian]

They did. Not as often as that bug on FR happens, though.

Very annoying.

[CandyFloss]

LinkedIn becoming a ghost-job graveyard and now a dating app?

Perfect metaphor for the current economy — fake job postings everywhere while people hustle side gigs and personal branding. The professional class is getting weird.

[Avalon Memories]

I am also job-hunting since my lay-off, using Indeed

Be very careful using Indeed. Many, if not most job listings on it are phony. Also, people steal your resume to use as their own, or they misuse it for other personal gain. I don't know anything about ZipRecruiter because I never used it. But what I'm telling you about Indeed is stone cold truth. You are better off applying online directly to companies you are interested in.

[logi_cal869]

smh

What a worthless site.

[SunkenCiv]

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