When deciding whether to “swipe right” on a potential partner on dating apps, Ashley Mullen, a 32-year-old who works 9 to 5 in finance in New York City, always takes his profession into account. After two years of trial and error, she no longer goes for bartenders, artists, or students. She also steers clears of police officers and firefighters due to the unpredictable schedules that come with such careers.
“Jobs are deal breakers for me,” she said. “I need someone who I know is going to understand what I do, and have a similar schedule and similar money goals.”
Match Group MTCH, -3.44% which owns Tinder, reported better-than-expected earnings in August. Tinder added 299,000 paying subscribers during the quarter. But some of those subscribers get far more attention than others — and it’s not just about how they look in their profile picture.
Here are the jobs that got the most right swipes, or likes, on Tinder, according to an analysis the dating website did on its most “liked” profiles in the U.S.
Women:
1. Registered Nurse
2. Dentist
3. Photographer
4. College / Graduate Student
5. Pharmacist
6. Teacher
7. Flight Attendant
8. Founder / Entrepreneur
9. Personal Trainer
10. Waitress / Bartender
11. Physical Therapist
12. Journalist
13. Makeup Artist
14. Lawyer
15. Marketing Manager
Men:
1. Interior Designer
2. Pilot
3. Physician’s Assistant
4. Lawyer
5. PR / Communications
6. Producer
7. Visual Designer
8. Model
9. College / Graduate Student
10. Engineer
11. Veterinarian
12. Teacher
13. Chiropractor
14. Firefighter / Paramedic
15. Founder / Entrepreneur
As more people user Tinder and OKCupid to get a leg up in their careers, listing what you do for work in your bio could get you a number of reactions. Some women who date men may swipe left on those with low-earning jobs. In 2017, a survey found 22% of straight women won’t date a man who makes less than they do. Case in point: the top three jobs women swiped right on were high-paying. The average interior designer makes $63,000 a year, but can make as much as six figures, according to Glassdoor. The average pilot makes $80,000, and the average physician’s assistant makes $104,000.
But for others, it is less about money and more about scheduling time together, something that can be difficult when careers are vastly different. Marcy Ayres, a 26-year-old single photo editor in New York City, said she can’t imagine herself with a DJ or someone with another nightlife career. For others, jobs are less important. Katrina Pallant, 34, who works in communications, says she doesn’t care what someone does for a living.
“I work with corporate drones and some of them are the funniest and most creative people I know,” she said. “Jobs do not define people.”
Alexandra Tweten, dating expert and author of modern dating handbook Bye Felipe said it is important to take the job descriptions men put on dating apps with a grain of salt, because they can be embellished.
“In my dating experience, I’ve seen a fair amount of men generously fudge their job titles,” she said. “They’ll say they’re a producer or entrepreneur, but then you meet them and discover they haven’t produced anything yet and they’re actually unemployed or have another job that doesn’t sound as exciting — which is fine, but I don’t appreciate being lied to.”
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