1. We can’t party all night.
2. We’re kind of married to our work colleagues.
We’ve got a network of work friends that we’ll see more than you, usually not by choice, based on the hours we sometimes need to put into our jobs. These people become our work family and probably know everything about you since our first time hanging out. I’ve got after-work obligations too that often include farewell happy hours for a colleague that’s leaving our company or a work dinner that can’t be blown off.
3. We love spontaneity, when it’s planned.
It’s wonderfully romantic to surprise us with last minute trips to the Caribbean or Las Vegas. Unfortunately, if we’ve got meetings lined up, such gestures don’t work. Plan ahead for these types of adventures, and we’ll be spontaneous and appreciative once we get there!
4. We’re willing to go Dutch or even spring for a joint meal, but won’t turn down a free meal.
5. We don’t have time for dramatic relationships.
Our free time is limited and we don’t like to spend it arguing, working hard at conversation or figuring out odd dating behaviors. If we see potential in you, we’ll use this precious limited time to get to know you. If we don’t, we’re moving on.
6. We don’t need you to rescue us.
We became professionals because we’re strong, smart and know how to go after things. We overcome obstacles every day and put our skills to use to solve sophisticated problems. Our strength and independence may be somewhat intimidating, but don’t let it scare you away. We love cuddling up with someone we’re interested in more than anything. Speaking of which…
7. We’d love nothing more than to spoon, snuggle and stay in bed all day but we are committed to our job.
Showing up on time is part of the package. This doesn’t mean that we’re uninterested, cold or non-committal. It’s just what we’ve been trained to do, probably by a parent who also had a career.
8. We’re often on the clock.
Forgive us if we get an urgent work call or have to return an email while on a date with you. We hate to be “that person,” and we promise to make it up to you. Part of being a professional is recognizing that a client’s needs sometimes come first.
9. We’ve learned the art form of suiting up, getting ready for work and applying makeup in less than 30 minutes.
This enables us extra time in the morning, thus adding back in precious minutes for purposes of #1 and #7 above.
10. We are always looking for love, but we don’t need to compromise ourselves to impress you.
We’ve worked hard to get where we are and feel that changing ourselves to fit someone else’s preferences is an awful waste of time and energy.
11. We need down time.
If that down time can be spent with you, even better. This can mean time spent watching mindless reality television, reading or napping. It’s time away from work and away from hectic plans. It might also mean a night of being alone. Please don’t read too much into this.
12. We have become experts at multi tasking and getting stuff done.
We somehow manage to go to work, pay our bills, figure out dinner, do our laundry, go grocery shopping and still find time to date you. No matter how busy we get, we’ll always have time for someone who we’re interested in so don’t worry about how you’ll fit in to our lives. In fact, our time management skills are so impeccable that you might never fully realize how incredibly efficient we can be.
13. We can afford our own place, but may choose to crash with you.
This is both a time saver and romantic preference.
14. Nothing makes us feel more appreciated than you understanding and being supportive of our careers.
Whether that’s being a fun and friendly date to a work function, meeting us for a past-dinner-time dinner or not giving us crap when our plans suddenly change due to work, you are cheering us on, not standing in our way. We are attracted to your confidence in us.
15. No matter how far up the ladder we go, it’s much more enjoyable to do that with people we love beside us.
Having someone special in our lives to have a romantic connection with puts a huge smile on our faces while we pursue our professional endeavors. We may be busy. We may seem fierce. But we’re very likely thinking about you throughout the day and hope you’re doing the same.
Originally Published: http://thoughtcatalog.com/stacey-becker/2015/03/15-things-you-should-know-about-dating-a-professional-woman/
Photo credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/17451517278677514/
