Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Match, OKCupid, it seems to me like there are dating apps popping up every day. There’s an absolutely mental 57 million people worldwide using Tinder alone. With these platforms, your profile is the way to a suitor’s heart – and with only a few seconds between them stumbling across your best pic and deciding whether you get swiped left or right – it must be tricky to stand out to the right people. A bit like a romantic CV, or a flirty home page for your business.
So, what’s best practice for selling yourself with a 500-character limit on your bio? Are you supposed to include your top features, your benefits, your values? Or just your height, star sign and a careless link to your Instagram? I wouldn’t know where to start. After all, my matchmaking career so far only covers the marriage of brand and people teams.
I’ve never thought about what goes into a dating app bio as I’ve never actually been a swiper myself. I just about managed to meet my husband before these uber-convenient dating apps took over the world. But there’s a trend I’ve heard through the grapevine that really nabbed my attention. In fact, it almost made me download Tinder… for research purposes only, of course.
If you haven’t heard specifically of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), where have you been hiding? …Kidding! But, in all seriousness, if you’ve ever worked in an office, you’ve probably completed some sort of personality test. Being the huge ‘people person’ that I am, I’m a huge advocate for them. It’s a sure-fire way for management teams to discover employee characteristics, determine the role each individual adopts in a team, and identify leaders in the workplace. It’s how you start to build the best teams, where everyone brings different personalities and complementing skills – working together in harmony.
But what on earth does the MBTI have to do with dating apps? Well, those looking for love (or, thereabouts) have actually been popping their personality type into their bios. As the trend caught on, with a domino effect of users inspiring other users to read into and take the test, it’s supposedly allowing you to identify a more suitable partner – without all that need for awkward small talk. And there I was waiting for the love of my life to buy me a blue WKD on a sticky nightclub floor?! The dating scene has definitely had a few operating system updates since then.
The reason for adding your personality type to your dating profile seems to vary as much as the types do themselves. Of the 8 introverted types, a Tinder rep explained that the INFJs were the “most likely to make their Myers-Briggs known to potential partners”. So, you could be a shy guy needing an easy way to let people know before they swipe, or an outspoken extrovert that wants to spark a debate about how the test is actually a load of crap – even if you don’t believe that yourself. Personally, as much as I back the MBTI test (and know that I’d 100% put my type in my hypothetical Tinder bio), I don’t think it’s going to be much use in finding yourself the perfect match. But, in this case, that’s not the point, it’s all a bit of fun!
However, in terms of your people, I really do believe in the benefits of a personality test to help create teams that work like a dream – during the interview process and with your current employees. Especially in these times where it’s getting tougher than ever to hire the right people, having your applicants take a quick personality test can really help identify the best fit for your company, much more frankly than you might through an interview. And, just as it’s hard to spot a red flag dating online, this can often be an issue for hiring managers too. Spotting a candidate that doesn’t fit your company’s culture is scientifically easier to do with a personality test – it’ll show their true colours, rather than having them recite your own ‘About Us’ page when describing themselves face-to-face.
Just like with your dating profile, your employee personality tests don’t have to be boring either – get creative and vamp up the bog-standard MBTI. Remember, attracting and retaining great people is a two-way experience these days. So, keep it light, make it fun and let your people know that the process and results will benefit them too. And if you’re struggling for ideas, we’re full of ‘em – and we’re ready to get stuck in.