I think everyone can relate to going on a date or attending an interview and if you really think about it, they’re a lot alike. Both involve some amount of preparation to make a positive impression. First impressions are key, from punctuality to deportment to confidence. If you’re lacking in any one of these areas, I can guarantee it will affect the outcome of the proceedings.

When we’re preparing for a date or an interview, we try to present the best image of ourselves. Naturally, some amount of nervousness is experienced on the big day. We’re nervous because we’re meeting somebody new with the hopes of forming a relationship (whether short-term or long-term). It wouldn’t be unfair to say that there’s a lot riding on the outcome, more so if it’s an interview. If we’re successful at the interview, we get paid. Success on the date means getting laid…eventually.

Other similarities exist between the two but I think we can all agree that the one thing they both have at their core is what I like to call The Bullshit Factor – BS Factor for short. Bullshitting is when we tell somebody exactly what we think they want to hear or tell them what makes us the ideal candidate – even if we’re not. This is what most people do on a date or an interview. (If you feel that you don’t fall in this category, don’t get upset. You just might be the person being “bullshitted”). They’ll never tell you how annoying or clingy they are. They won’t tell you how much time they spend in the rest room or on social media sites while on the job. No! They’ll say they’re hopeless romantics or dedicated workers who have no problem coming to work on weekends or holidays.

Bullshitting may get you the job. It may get you the girl/guy. Keeping the job or the guy/girl is another thing altogether.

The BS Factor is a big part of what makes us civil human beings, in my opinion. If people went around being completely honest at every opportunity, the world would be a miserable and violent place (maybe it already is). It also speaks to our expectations: nobody would hire the potential employee who says in an interview that they’ll only give their employer 4 out of 8 solid hours of work every day. The potential love interest who tells you during a date that his/her weekends are dedicated to sports, or that you’ll be starved for attention, wouldn’t have a shot at dating you.

The BS Factor kinda levels the playing field. It gives lesser attractive candidates a shot at getting their feet in the door. Should we be concerned that we might be victims of bullshitting? Not really. A potential employer should be less concerned with the BS Factor than a potential love interest/date. If someone gets hired after bullshitting his/her way through an interview, it could become clear long before their probationary period ends. The employer can then take the necessary actions. On the other hand, if you were bullshitted during a date, as we say in Jamaica, “yuh get wha di duck get!”

The next time you are on a date or in an interview, ask yourself “am I being bullshitted?”