Marriage Proposals on LinkedIn

I’ve seen numerous posts and videos over the last few years about women receiving marriage proposals on LinkedIn.

I have to admit I’m shocked about the number of stories I’ve read. But then again, I’m not too shocked either.

Most of the posts and videos were from women. Their gripe? It’s not a dating site. And thus, such approaches are inappropriate.

One lady went so far as to say, “I only accept requests from people who work for reputable companies, and still some men have the audacity to hit on me via LinkedIn. Can women just be seen as professionals??? It is infuriating.”

For men – yes, believe it or not we’re hit up as well by women on LinkedIn – the stories usually involve women in sales or recruiting trying to flirt so the man will take their call.

While it is true it’s supposed to be a professional platform, I do think we’ve blurred that, “this doesn’t belong on LinkedIn” line a little too much.

Here’s the thing. In not one of the many posts or articles I read, or videos seen, were the messages derogatory or creepy.

I’m not saying there aren’t any as I’m sure there are some complete wackos out there with no shame.

But in almost everything single post/video I saw, the men were polite. Respectful. Sometimes the approaches were even more professionally crafted than actual job pitches.

In a nutshell, most (if not all) of them could be summarized as follows:

“Hi, are you single?”

Followed by a short and sweet profile—like matrimonial resume.

No nonsense. No drama. Just straight to the point.

How are those offensive or inappropriate?

How do you think you would react if you received marriage proposals on LinkedIn?

Let’s face it, LinkedIn is a social networking platform. It may be designed for working professionals, but it’s run by humans.

Humans who network, connect, admire, and sometimes – yes insert dramatic drum roll here – find life partners.

As long as it’s respectful (keyword there), what’s really wrong with that?

LinkedIn users share work wins. Mental health struggles. Sabbaticals. Career breaks. Parenthood journeys. So why not stories of finding unexpected connections, even if they’re a bit unconventional?

It’s simple. If the person has introduced themselves to you in a gentlemanly way, how hard is it to refuse/accept in a lady like manner? Just because it’s a business social platform doesn’t mean you always have to collaborate with a business mind set.

Don’t people meet at work conferences or business events, and later get married?

Of course they do.

So why are people making a mountain out of this molehill? The person liked you for some reason and has expressed their interest in you.

I know there are lots of people mocking the use of LinkedIn for dating and marriage proposals. However, here are the positive aspects that other platforms like Tinder can’t ‘match’ ( <-- pun intended 🙂 ) :

• it provides enough proof about the intellect and wit of a person. I’d say that’s high rank priority.
• watch their professional profile and you will know if the person is a keeper or tosser.
• it gives you insight into a person’s ideologies because their professional peers and network can see what they post.
• you’ll find out their educational background and at least part of their work history
• LinkedIn users can verify they work at a company through LinkedIn’s email verification feature. Thus you know if they’re actually employed or not
• while there may be a few, compared to other “dating platforms” you won’t find many fake LinkedIn profiles
• generally speaking, if someone looks good in their LinkedIn profile, they also look good in person

At the end of the day, I’d be flattered if a professional woman sent me a nice one. Not that I’d accept, but definitely would be flattered.

How do you feel about marriage proposals on LinkedIn?

Please comment and share your thoughts below!