GoKawiilKey Takeaways When Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff took over the dating giant last February, he asked about the company’s internship program — only to be told that the previous CEO canceled it.
This year, Rascoff decided to bring back Tinder’s summer internship program — and it was immediately popular.
More than 30,000 Gen Z candidates applied for 27 seats, giving the internship a 0.09% acceptance rate.
Gen Z is facing a tough job market as companies cut staff and entry-level positions disappear. In this landscape, Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff is taking a different approach and doubling down on early-career talent.
Soon after Rascoff took over the dating giant last February, he started asking about internship programs to give more young workers a way into the company.
“Two or three months after I started, I called my head of HR and said, ‘I’m just curious about the summer intern program. When do the interns arrive?’” Rascoff recently told Fortune. “And he’s like, ‘Oh, no, we can’t. The last CEO canceled the internship program last year to save money.’”
Rascoff called the news “the craziest thing” he had ever heard. In his eyes, Match Group, the company behind Tinder, Hinge, Match.com, and OkCupid, builds apps for Gen Z. The company’s main demographic audience is 18 to 22-year-olds, and even a few months of young interns “spreading vibes” and chatting with colleagues can help the business, he added.
“Of course, we need as many of these folks around our halls as possible,” he said.
With that in mind, Rascoff moved fast to revive Tinder’s summer “Tindership” program this year.
Instead of rolling out a big ad campaign, Rascoff just shared the internship on his LinkedIn and other social channels, and the listing went live on Match Group’s site. The response was immediate and overwhelming: more than 30,000 people applied for only 27 spots, giving the program a 0.09% acceptance rate.
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