Who doesn’t like the idea of a job where all you do is focus on helping people find love? The job of a professional matchmaker is one that has grown in popularity over the past few years and we predict will continue to grow as more and more people find value in getting professional help to find that special someone.
On top of this, the job of being a professional matchmaker can be quite lucrative. According to Glassdoor, the average salary is between $68k and $113k, with the median salary being around $87k.
This doesn’t take into account that you could also see a hefty bonus or tip if you’re able to successfully help someone find love. Match this with a job where you’re always on the hunt for happiness, and it gets real appealing.
If you’re interested in becoming a professional matchmaker, you may have questions. Today, we want to address exactly how to become a professional matchmaker. We also want to look at some pitfalls that could get you sidetracked you’ll want to avoid.
There is no formal certification to become a matchmaker.
For most jobs, the first step is going to some sort of schooling. Whether that be college or a trade school, that tends to be the path to employment, with many schools even helping you to get hired. With professional matchmaking, though, there is no formal certification or schooling.
There are online courses that claim to offer ‘Certified’ matchmaking certificates. However, none of these mention what makes them ‘certified’, which makes it sound more like a money-grab than anything. You may be able to get some useful training that might help you in your first job, but remember that certifications are only worth what the person you’re showing it to thinks they’re worth.
Here’s an example of one company we found called Matchmaking Institute offering to help you “become a certified matchmaker.”
The course is a whopping $4,500 and is taught by several people we’ve never heard of. Again, it may be a wonderful course with a lot of great information, but just because you call something “Certified” doesn’t mean that it’s worth anything.
While you’re free to do as you please, this would be a hard no from us if you were looking for a recommendation.
Start by working or apprenticing for a reputable matchmaking service.
Since schooling isn’t the best way to go about becoming a professional matchmaker, what is the best way? In our opinion, the best way would be to connect with a reputable matchmaking service and either get hired or look to intern or apprentice.
Since you likely have no experience, you’ll probably need to take an entry level job or internship to get started. The good news? These do exist.
Yes, this may not be the glamorous job you dreamed of, but it’s getting your foot in the door to start learning the ins and outs of the business. Everyone has to start somewhere and ‘pay their dues’ if they want to succeed or be the best in a new industry.
Here are a few sample job postings we found:
Reach out to a job in your area, and let them know you’re interested! Here are a few tips to help you get hired and start your journey to becoming a professional matchmaker.
- Don’t make them feel like a stepping stone. – If you sound like you’re just coming in to learn the ropes and then you’re taking off on your own, you won’t get hired.
- Remember that personality is everything in matchmaking. – Be bubbly, outgoing, and energetic in all your communications.
- Just because a job isn’t listed, doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities. – If there’s an amazing matchmaking service in your area that isn’t hiring, offer to work as an intern for free a handful of hours a week. Most places will gladly accept the free help and will be excited to see your enthusiasm. This could quickly (or in time) possibly turn into a paid position if you prove that you are valuable.
- Understand that many jobs are remote. – If you’re starting entry level doing something like customer support, it may be something that you can do remotely. While this will cut down on your ability to learn the ropes by being in the office where all the magic happens, it’s still a foot in the door, especially if you don’t live near a big city. Take what you can, and start building some experience for your resume.
Be careful if you plan to skip the previous step and start your own matchmaking service.
For many people who ask how to become a professional matchmaker, there’s a temptation to just say, “Well, I’m awesome at setting people up and I know a ton of people. I’m just going to start my own company!” First, kudos to you for being excited and a go-getter. That said, please allow us to humble rain on your parade a little bit with several words of caution.
You can’t just call yourself an expert matchmaker.
While you may think that you’re an expert and you are going to be the best matchmaker ever, you have to be very careful about how you market yourself. If you don’t have years of actual experience that you can tangibly backup, you may put yourself at risk of being sued.
Just ask the popular matchmaking service It’s Just Lunch. The company was actually sued and forced to pay nearly $5 million and $60 million in free date vouchers partly because they claimed they were experts when they really were not. Here’s a screenshot from the initial court filings:
It’s not as easy as it looks.
The average person takes nearly 9 months to find a partner on a dating app, according to a study by jeweler Shane Co. Now, granted, that person is not looking all the time, so if you were running the show, you might be able to do it way faster. However, when you’re a professional matchmaker, you don’t just have one client. You might have 10…or 50…or 100. Are you equipped to handle that many people at one time and offer them high level service?
Additionally, many of these people might be odd or have very unique wants and needs.
Matching up your friends can be easy because you all tend to be in the same age range and have similar interests. But if you’re a 35 year old who runs with an athletic crowd, how well are you going to be able to help a 65 year old woman who will only date a Jewish man who isn’t allergic to cats and
Your reputation is everything.
In the world of modern matchmaking, your reputation is what will convince someone to hire you. If you come out of the gate before you’re ready, you risk tarnishing your reputation. At that point, you won’t be able to go back to the drawing board and give it a second try. That bad reputation will stick with you, so make sure you don’t risk it until you’re ready.
Can you do it?
Of course you can! As long as you’re passionate about it and you’re an outgoing and bubbly person who is great about connecting with and meeting new people, you can be a professional matchmaker. Just make sure you follow the steps we’ve outlined here so that you don’t get ahead of yourself or go down a path that is a waste of time and money.