Why you should never talk about work on dating apps

Stop asking what they do for a living

Rachel Hosie
Monday 14 November 2016 12:25 EST
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Where someone lives, where they’re from and what they do for a living are three of the most important pieces of information people want to find out when getting to know someone new, whether a potential romantic partner or friend, virtually or in real life.

But it turns out if you’re using a dating app in the hope of starting a new relationship, one of those questions should be avoided.

Whether Tinder, Bumble or Happn is your app of choice, in the initial stages of chatting, the one question you should never ask your match is what they do for a living.

Whilst it might seem an obvious question - we do spend most of our time at work, after all - being too eager to discover a potential suitor’s job can create a negative first impression.

"A lot of feedback that both men and women in our dating courses give us is that it's almost like if you were to ask, 'so how much money do you make?' 'So how well educated are you?'" Myka Meier, Founder of Beaumont Etiquette, told Cosmopolitan.

What’s more, it could also result in your match answering without asking you anything back, according to Meier. And as anyone who’s used dating apps will be able to attest, that can lead to an awkward stalemate.

It’s hard to deny that our jobs say a lot about us as people, and most of us would be interested to know what a match does for a living, but Manhattan-based Meier believes we’d fare better by discussing hobbies and interests first. That way, you can work out if you have chemistry without coming across as “opportunistic”.

Most people with any experience of dating apps will agree that it’s a minefield - what woos one person will just as easily put off another. But with this latest nugget from Meier, you may just be one swipe closer to finding your true love.

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