All of the responses so far seem reasonable to me. A bit of theory as to why: How much quirkiness to show a potential employer is a great example of countersignaling.
If you’re trying to distinguish yourself among a group that the observer ALREADY classifies as high-achieving, then showing that you can afford not to be serious can indicate you’re at the top of that group. If you haven’t established that you belong in that category, you should focus first on doing so, or your quirkiness will be taken as further evidence that you are not that good in the first place.
Oh, you might also show some quirkiness as a reverse-filter, and an honest sharing of a matching trait—if you want to only consider employers who’ll tolerate (or appreciate) your quirks, this is one way to accomplish that. Usually, I’d save that for later rounds of discussion.
All of the responses so far seem reasonable to me. A bit of theory as to why: How much quirkiness to show a potential employer is a great example of countersignaling.
If you’re trying to distinguish yourself among a group that the observer ALREADY classifies as high-achieving, then showing that you can afford not to be serious can indicate you’re at the top of that group. If you haven’t established that you belong in that category, you should focus first on doing so, or your quirkiness will be taken as further evidence that you are not that good in the first place.
Oh, you might also show some quirkiness as a reverse-filter, and an honest sharing of a matching trait—if you want to only consider employers who’ll tolerate (or appreciate) your quirks, this is one way to accomplish that. Usually, I’d save that for later rounds of discussion.
Thanks for expanding on this. I think it makes more sense (given where I’m at) to be more conservative for right now.