The Dating Resume, Part 1 (2-20-07)
Current mood: curious
Category: Life
First dates can be hell. You're nervous, you're excited and you have absolutely no idea about the person across the table from you. I've been on a handful of 1st dates or 1st date like experiences in the last few years and none of them translated into 2nd dates. There are a few reasons for this; 1-To look through the other person's eyes, I am an acquired taste. I'm a far out cat who sees the world a little bit differently than the majority. I'm not saying that I'm a loon or anything but my views and mannerisms may rub some the wrong way. I accept that. 2-I am picky, very picky. My selectiveness has prompted many a lecture from various friends over the years telling me to "lower my standards". I'm sure I've turned away many really nice people because I aim so high. But before you go ahead and call me narrow minded, I did meet someone once who wasn't up to my "standards" but blew me away anyway and had me throw all that stuff out the window. I guess that's what I'm looking for again... someone who is so awesome they blow all of my preconceived notions of what I'm seeking to smithereens.
But getting back to my topic, first dates can be crazy. Don't you hate it when you go on a bad one and you feel like it was a total waste of time? You know, you didn't really have much in common, you come from different backgrounds, you like entirely different things, etc. It's like you knew 5-10 minutes in that this person wasn't the right fit for you. You can't just up and leave after 5 minutes. Besides there is that small chance that perhaps that other person is nervous or you just need more data. But I think we'll find that most times our initial instincts are correct.
If only there were a way to skip that 1st date awkwardness and have an idea of what we are getting into. Online dating is a step in the right direction in that, when you go to someone's page on Match.com or eHarmony or even myspace you can read a lot about that person (provided they spent time and filled out a profile) and get an idea about them. Just from that it's like you are ahead of the game. You are certainly ahead of two people who were set up, or who met somewhere, had a charming conversation for a few minutes and exchanged numbers.
A few years ago I was thinking about how much easier dating could be if we had an assortment of information available up front. Things like what we are looking for, where we've been, what we like, what we want, what we have to offer, etc. So naturally I thought of resumes. Wouldn't it be funny if you handed someone you like your dating resume and they gave you theirs and after studying them you could decide whether or not to call them in for an interview (date). So as I said many years ago this thought was bouncing around my head.
This past weekend a friend of mine got out of a 1 week relationship that she rushed into and after discussing it at length for a spell it was decided that if she knew some of the things it took her that week to find out, she never would have hooked up with the guy. At that point I brought up my dating resume idea. She loved it. She started asking details about it, you know really into the whole thing but unfortunately despite pondering the idea for years I never really put it down on paper... until now.
I have constructed the prototype dating resume and I will post it and fill it out for your viewing enjoyment. I mean who's a better guinea pig than the mad scientist himself? But before I post it I thought it couldn't hurt to do some additional R & D and perhaps make a few tweaks. So I am asking for your help.
On this dating resume I've come up with, the format is kind of a hybrid of a job application and a resume. My question for all of you is; what do you want to know? If you were looking at someone's qualifications/application to date you, what would you want to know? I don't care how mundane it seems. Think of yourself as a fantastic company. You want fantastic prospects to come to work for you, right? How do you weed them out? In terms of these prospects you separate the good from the great by their dating resumes. Give me more input. What do you want to know about prospective mates? I'm all eyes and ears. After taking input from all of you who wish to give it for about a day or so, I will make my 2nd draft of my dating resume and then post it here with my answers filled out so you can see how it works. So please, get back to me with your ideas! Thank you.
And yes, I have too much time on my hands. I know this.
Current mood: curious
Category: Life
First dates can be hell. You're nervous, you're excited and you have absolutely no idea about the person across the table from you. I've been on a handful of 1st dates or 1st date like experiences in the last few years and none of them translated into 2nd dates. There are a few reasons for this; 1-To look through the other person's eyes, I am an acquired taste. I'm a far out cat who sees the world a little bit differently than the majority. I'm not saying that I'm a loon or anything but my views and mannerisms may rub some the wrong way. I accept that. 2-I am picky, very picky. My selectiveness has prompted many a lecture from various friends over the years telling me to "lower my standards". I'm sure I've turned away many really nice people because I aim so high. But before you go ahead and call me narrow minded, I did meet someone once who wasn't up to my "standards" but blew me away anyway and had me throw all that stuff out the window. I guess that's what I'm looking for again... someone who is so awesome they blow all of my preconceived notions of what I'm seeking to smithereens.
But getting back to my topic, first dates can be crazy. Don't you hate it when you go on a bad one and you feel like it was a total waste of time? You know, you didn't really have much in common, you come from different backgrounds, you like entirely different things, etc. It's like you knew 5-10 minutes in that this person wasn't the right fit for you. You can't just up and leave after 5 minutes. Besides there is that small chance that perhaps that other person is nervous or you just need more data. But I think we'll find that most times our initial instincts are correct.
If only there were a way to skip that 1st date awkwardness and have an idea of what we are getting into. Online dating is a step in the right direction in that, when you go to someone's page on Match.com or eHarmony or even myspace you can read a lot about that person (provided they spent time and filled out a profile) and get an idea about them. Just from that it's like you are ahead of the game. You are certainly ahead of two people who were set up, or who met somewhere, had a charming conversation for a few minutes and exchanged numbers.
A few years ago I was thinking about how much easier dating could be if we had an assortment of information available up front. Things like what we are looking for, where we've been, what we like, what we want, what we have to offer, etc. So naturally I thought of resumes. Wouldn't it be funny if you handed someone you like your dating resume and they gave you theirs and after studying them you could decide whether or not to call them in for an interview (date). So as I said many years ago this thought was bouncing around my head.
This past weekend a friend of mine got out of a 1 week relationship that she rushed into and after discussing it at length for a spell it was decided that if she knew some of the things it took her that week to find out, she never would have hooked up with the guy. At that point I brought up my dating resume idea. She loved it. She started asking details about it, you know really into the whole thing but unfortunately despite pondering the idea for years I never really put it down on paper... until now.
I have constructed the prototype dating resume and I will post it and fill it out for your viewing enjoyment. I mean who's a better guinea pig than the mad scientist himself? But before I post it I thought it couldn't hurt to do some additional R & D and perhaps make a few tweaks. So I am asking for your help.
On this dating resume I've come up with, the format is kind of a hybrid of a job application and a resume. My question for all of you is; what do you want to know? If you were looking at someone's qualifications/application to date you, what would you want to know? I don't care how mundane it seems. Think of yourself as a fantastic company. You want fantastic prospects to come to work for you, right? How do you weed them out? In terms of these prospects you separate the good from the great by their dating resumes. Give me more input. What do you want to know about prospective mates? I'm all eyes and ears. After taking input from all of you who wish to give it for about a day or so, I will make my 2nd draft of my dating resume and then post it here with my answers filled out so you can see how it works. So please, get back to me with your ideas! Thank you.
And yes, I have too much time on my hands. I know this.
I think that what I most want to know about a person is bascially what they consider beautiful, does that make sense?
Also, if there's a way to find out if they are a self centered lunatic by way of this resume, they you sir are a genious.