Social media allows us to make connections with others from all over the world. But since its simpler beginnings, it has quickly progressed from reconnecting with old friends to making new ones, and even finding relationships. Regardless of whether you’re looking for a BFF, a date, or even a job, we have an app this week that will help you find all three.
Bumble Bizz is an extension of the popular dating app Bumble, which empowers women to make the first move. With its new branch of matching, it’s no different. You can match with both men and women, but it’s up the women to reach out first.
Now available in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, and Germany for iOS, with an Android version coming soon, the new feature aims to transform job hunting by focusing on opportunities. Using the same format as Bumble dating and Bumble BFF, women can swipe through to find mentors or network and connect.
Since Bumble Bizz also uses geo-tagging, you’re able to connect with people in your surrounding area. As with other profiles on Bumble, there’s a photo verification tool to make sure you’re matched with real professionals.
You can upload a photo and digital resume to your profile, and fill out a section dedicated to additional skills. The app also provides additional profile cards to showcase your portfolios or other work you’ve done.
When I first updated my Bumble app, I was intrigued to see how this would differ from LinkedIn. After all, you’re filling out the same information and connecting with people based on occupations. But being able to utilize the same setup as Bumble made it more intimate. With LinkedIn, messaging others isn’t as common or encouraged unless you know them personally.
Setting up your profile is quite simple, especially if you’re already familiar with the app. You can upload photos, type in your information such as an “About me” and a headline, and also add specific jobs and past education.
In terms of occupations, Bumble Bizz will bring up a list of all the past jobs you’ve had and allow you to select four to show at one time. Those occupations are the ones that will show up when someone lands on your card while swiping through.
The one part I thought was inconvenient was that you can only add what is currently plugged into your Facebook account. While it does make sense for authenticity, not everyone includes all of their information on their Facebook pages.
I ended up having to go into my account and updating my job history along with education in order to include it on my Bumble profile. To make it easier, there’s an “Add to Facebook” button integrated into the section so you can easily switch back and forth.
Putting together your Bumble Bizz profile felt similar to getting ready for a job interview. It’s also a much different mindset than you have when setting up your dating profile. Instead of selfies and photos with friends, I started searching through my album for professional head shots or pictures where I looked more presentable.
You might also find yourself writing and then re-writing your headline and “About me” section to sound as professional as possible. Whether you’re looking for an actual job or to simply connect with others in your field, the Bizz game is an entirely different world than Bumble or even Tinder. You want to be able to flaunt your accomplishments rather than personal life.
Once I started swiping, I was a little nervous as to how eager others would be to receiving messages. If there’s anything that proves it’s not only our dating culture that’s changed, but also our work culture, it’s Bumble Bizz. In a pool of writers, marketers, and creative directors, there were actually people from a wide range of occupations already on the app trying to connect with others.
I had people messaging me to grab coffee or sending a quick hello, even if they held positions higher than mine and had far more work experience. It’s a refreshing change from the hustle it takes to network in other ways, whether it’s through attending events or obtaining email addresses.
In true Bumble fashion, you only have 24 hours to message and answer your match. Not only does the time limit give both parties the extra push to keep communicating, but you’re also most likely within close proximity. By providing you options of connections that you can actually meet up with, it makes the idea of meeting up and collaborating that much more realistic.
As I continued to swipe through and interact with other people, I realized how convenient this would have been years ago. Having come from a generation where people my age have been discovered online or have built media empires through social media, this type of networking makes sense. It also made me see how employers have been adapting in terms of marketing through Twitter or Instagram, but not so much when it comes to hiring others.
Even if you’re not familiar with Bumble or other dating apps, Bumble Bizz is easy to follow and quickly learn. It’s a great improvement and step up from the traditional ways of broadening your circle when it comes to job hunting. The best part? Everyone is mutually looking for the same thing, to connect and collaborate creatively, so it’s also a judgment-free zone. Hopefully, it’s a glimpse of how employers in general will start to adapt to modernizing the hiring process overall.
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