Trying to find a job is now as toxic as dating apps. I want a career, not a booty call

October 18, 2026 — 7:30pm

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Last week, I sat next to my phone at the end of a long day and waited for it to ring. The caller was 15 minutes late. I had the same anxious feeling that I’d had when I’d dealt with men off dating apps. They weren’t going to call. I’d been stood up.

This time, I wasn’t waiting around for a guy. I was waiting for a recruitment manager to see if I’d get a job.

Welcome to 2026, when, sadly, the toxic behaviour from apps such as Tinder has crept into the hiring process, to the detriment of desperate jobseekers.

I don’t have an official name for this new practice, which I’ve encountered twice in the past month while applying for part-time roles. But this is what’s happened: potential employers have long-listed me for interviews at very short notice, even though (unbeknown to yours truly) they already had enough........

© The Age