What is the most effective approach to online dating? Are you are simply looking for someone to hang out with, hoping for a hot first date or making plans for a happy relationship? No matter what your goals in online dating there are good ways and bad ways to proceed. Nerdwallet compares dating and job interviews.

Who hasn’t been on a date that felt more like a job interview than the beginning of a romance? After all, both interactions boil down to similar questions, such as whether you can picture yourself being with the other person a whole lot. Every day, maybe.

It turns out you can lean on some of your dating experiences – or at least the advice you’ve received over the years – in your quest for a profession.

And likewise you can look at what worked in landing a decent job and apply it to the online dating world.

Be Yourself but Don’t Share Too Much

Faking it may seem like the thing to do when you are trying impress someone but in the end you need to be yourself. After all you don’t want to have to keep faking it for the next fifty years! Be yourself and that works better for landing a good job and landing a good partner for life. But these days everyone seems to be into sharing. Remember there are limits to how much a new person in your life is interested in hearing. The first and foremost is don’t dwell on your ex. This is your prior partner in the dating world and you former boss in the world of work. Focus on the present and make sure that your new friend or boss gets a chance to talk!

Be Careful about Religion and Politics

Yes, we wrote about whether Trump could make dating great again and noted that Trump supporters were happier with Trump supporters. But in general people can get all worked up over politics and religion. You potential boss will want someone who focuses on their work and not someone who wants to convert everyone in the office to their beliefs and way of thinking. Likewise, your new friend wants to get to know you and not necessarily be converted to your religious faith or political party.

Don’t Lead with the Negative

Talking about your ex is usually negative. That is a big reason no wants to hear about him or her. You start by listing a lot of deal breakers in your resume or in your first face to face date. You may be thinking that it is better to cull out the losers before wasting too much time with them. Unfortunately you will also chase away a lot of winners who are looking for a good time as the first step in deciding if you are a keeper or not. Lead with the positives, things you like, things you like to do. This is a key to making a good first impression both in the dating world and in a job interview.