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Ideally you’d fall madly in love and spend your life with someone who wasn’t in your industry—at least not in your narrow, specific field. But, the reality is that it only makes sense we hit it off with people who work in the same industry as our own. We were drawn to that industry for a reason. We share many of the same passions, interests, and values. We may even have similar or at least complementary personality types. Then there is the fact that you just spend so much time with people in your industry, that as luck would have it, that’s probably where and how you’ll meet someone. If a relationship works out with someone in your field of work, it can be awesome. But, there are a lot of obstacles and things that can go wrong along the way. If you don’t date within your industry the right way, it can ruin your career. Here is how to avoid that.
First, just observe. For a while.
You have the advantage of getting to know everyone in your industry pretty well, outside of a date setting. You’ll see them at work, at networking events, and at work happy hours. You’ll hang with them at out-of-town conferences. If you think you’re interested in someone, don’t rush to make your interests known. Just watch and observe him, in a work setting. You have the luxury of doing so.
