February is the month for finding and celebrating true love. Valentine’s Day is not only a great time to say “be mine”, it’s also a cash cow for retailers. This year 59 percent of Americans plan to spend the same amount of hard-earned cash on their Valentine’s sweethearts, while a substantial 23 percent are upping the ante on their gift giving. In 2012 alone, Valentine’s gift giving for spouses and significant others rang up to the tune of $10.3 billion.

Is Finding Your Perfect Hire Like Finding a Soul Mate?

Unlike finding your soulmate, there’s no date on the calendar to celebrate making the perfect hire. But finding the right person to spend your life  with and hiring the right person to stick by your company have a lot more in common than you’d think. Maybe it’s time to look to cupid for some advice on how to nab your next great employee and make the relationship with your company last for years to come.

Present a Realistic Portrait of Your Company

It’s the first date and you’re nervous. You’ve got on your best outfit and you’re ready to put your best foot forward. Like a first date, a first interview is the time for job seekers and employers to get to know each other. Also like the first date, this is often an excuse to put on your rose-colored glasses and become a cheerleader for your company.

Putting on a front is unlikely to nab you a lasting relationship and even more unlikely to nab you a candidate who will want to grow with your company. Just like you should be yourself on a date, you should avoid highlighting only the positives of your company or job. Every company has drawbacks and every position will have some tasks not every employee will be thrilled to perform.

Don’t hide these potential downsides in the interview, make sure to let candidates know exactly what life would look like on the job. By giving candidates a well-rounded picture of the company, they can fall in love with the real thing instead of an imaginary job which doesn’t really exist.

Find Out the Truth

Online dating, like hiring, can be a stressful process where honesty isn’t always the rule of the day. After all, the MTV reality show Catfish is all about online relationships where one or both parties are lying about their true identity.

This happens with job seekers in the hiring process as well and is something you should try to guard against. In fact, a recent survey showed 46 percent of resumes contain some form of false information.

To avoid getting the Catfish treatment in the hiring process, look for applicants who are truthful about their skills, qualifications, and experiences. For instance, a candidate who cites superior communication skills and shows off these same skills in a video resume is proving the value of their application statements. Look at social media profiles and compare a candidate’s online footprint to their resume. You might be able to find incongruities to help you weed out the liars and focus your time and energy on honest candidates.

Make Sure You Share the Same Passions

That old axiom “opposites attract” is true for neither dating nor hiring the right person. In fact, researchers show people tend to be attracted to others who share the same attributes and personality traits. When looking to settle down with someone and share your life, it makes sense you’d choose someone with similar interests and values. When hiring, you’ll also want to look for people who share a genuine passion for your company’s values and mission statement.

Make sure your candidate is passionate about the opportunity and the company culture at large. In the interview, whether it’s in person or through online video, make sure the candidate has real passion for the job, the industry, and the company. Candidates who spend their free time focused on industry issues, using social media to discuss trends in your field, or even volunteering their time and efforts will be more likely to stick around for the long haul.

These are the candidates who are truly excited about your job because it’s not just any paycheck to them. They’ll be the employees eager to share new ideas, take on new responsibilities, and grow within the company.

Just like finding your soulmate, finding the perfect candidate for your open positions isn’t easy. Taking some advice from cupid, however, might be just what your hiring process needs to help you find Mr. or Mrs. Perfect For The Job.

How do you hire?

What are some hiring lessons you can take from the dating world? Share in the comments!