Do you have an online dating profile? How often do you get matches? Probably a better question is, do you even get matches? Why does it seem like your friend goes on a date every other day with a new girl every time while you have been sitting there for weeks waiting for a match notification sound from your phone? What are you doing wrong? Is there anything you can do to have better luck in the online dating scene?

Online dating is not much different from applying for a job. You have to show that you meet the set of requirements that the other party is looking for in a rightful candidate. You have put your best forward, work on your profile, your resume, to show and tell that you are worthy of their time and attention.

Before you completely give up on finding a date using Tinder, OkCupid, Grindr,  eHarmony, Match, and others, have you looked at your online profile and pondered if there is something you need to improve on?

Use a recent photo of yourself as your profile picture.

People who use online dating apps and websites want to know what their potential dates look like. Surely, you would be quite hesitant to swipe right someone who has a bad profile picture even though they have a very interesting bio, wouldn’t you? When setting up your dating profile, take a photo of yourself or look for a recent one to upload. No, do not use that selfie in the bathroom or that 2am photo you took with your webcam. Make sure that it shows your face clearly, and you look nice and clean.

Do not use group photos as your profile picture.

Using a group photo as your profile picture will only cause confusion. People who come across your online profile will wonder which one you are. Are you the guy in the red shirt? Or the one with beer mugs in both hands? Or are you actually the woman in the purple ponytail? To avoid that, just use a solo photo of you.

Be fun and witty in your bio.

Do you have a favorite funny quote from your favorite television series? Is there a joke that you think is so hilarious that you want it to help you make a good impression to others? Are you good at self-deprecation and want to filter out those who do not appreciate that kind of humor? You can give others an idea of what your personality is like through your profile bio or description. Try to be as fun and witty as you can, and show off the character traits that your friends and family love about you through your writing style. Highlight good moments in your life, share your dreams and goals, and do not be afraid to appear a bit vulnerable, with humor and wit sprinkled all over.

Check your grammar and punctuation.

How would you feel if you see an online dating profile that reads like they have never heard of commas and periods? What would you think of someone whose bio looks like a block of run-on sentences that you can hardly decipher? Are you okay with dating someone who spells orange with a ‘d’? It only takes a few minutes to check if your bio is free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, so make sure to do it before letting it out for the whole world to see. If you want, you can ask close and trusted friends to go over it to receive constructive feedback.

Avoid including past life drama in your profile description.

Do not talk about your exes. Do not talk about the one who got away. Do not whine about women who turned you down. Do not write paragraphs of self-pity. Nothing turns a lot of women off more than men with excess emotional baggage.  What you should do instead is feature the positives in your life. Talk about something that you are proud of about yourself without sounding conceited. Include a sentence or two about your beloved pet. By sticking to fun and upbeat stuff, you can show everyone that you are a pleasant person to hang out with.

Upload photos of you doing what you love.

If you do marathons, post pictures of you crossing the finish line. If you play basketball, post pictures of you on the court. If you volunteer at your local animal shelter, upload pictures of these adorable furries having a great time with you. If you love to cook, take a few photos of the before and after scenes in your kitchen, and, most importantly, of the finished products. Even before meeting up with your dates, they can get a glimpse of the things that you deem important in life through snapshots uploaded to your profile.

Minimize the selfies.

Posting one or two selfies is fine, especially if it something incredible, like a picture of you solo hiking up a mountain with a fantastic view of nature in the background. However, if everything is just you doing the duckface at different angles and lighting — just stop. It is not attractive and enticing at all. It screams narcissism and unimaginativeness. Before taking a selfie to be uploaded to your online dating profile, ask yourself if it will showcase not just your face but also fun and interesting things about you.

Consider changing your profile picture every couple of weeks.

Sometimes, even if you think that your first profile picture shows you at your best, others may think otherwise. They give you a quick look, feel that you are not their type, probably because of your hair or your clothing choices, and move on to the next. If you change your profile picture after about two weeks to something entirely different, probably with you donning a new haircut and better fitting wardrobe, you might find that those that passed on you last time may give you a second look this time around.