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Today I applied for a job and while mentioning about my interest I pasted this smiley symbol :) in the section (It was an online form).

After submitting the form I am really concern about the symbol now. Will it going to affect my job prospects any how ? (post is for the s/w developer position).

Let me know if you need any more info regarding this.

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Related question: Does it hurt me to use smiley faces in correspondence with potential employers?. I don't think it's an exact duplicate though since it's a bit more general about emoticons and general correspondence, while your question is relates to a more specific scenario. – Rachel Jan 14 at 6:31
@Rachel I already committed the crime ;) – swapnesh Jan 14 at 6:35

1 Answer

up vote 11 down vote accepted

No. It is definitely not acceptable to post emoticons, text abbreviations, or the like in communication between you and a potential employer, even if they do it first. It is unprofessional and makes you look juvenile.

This is similar to you walking into an interview without wearing a suit. Even if the person interviewing you is in shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt, you still need to act professionally and give off vibes that you are competent enough to understand how to act in a given situation.

At the end of the day, I don't think that one thing alone will destroy your chances at getting a job, but it definitely didn't help.

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So do i thought the same :( – swapnesh Jan 12 at 14:53
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If they have to choose between you and another equal developer, it may be that thing that sets you two apart (you not in a good way). – Randy E Jan 12 at 16:15
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Careful with the absolutes. For example, if you walk into a technical interview at Apple with a suit on, you will probably dinged for it since you clearly didn't do your homework. I do agree however with your recommendation, emoticons are third date material at best. – Hilmar Jan 12 at 21:01
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I agree that using emoticons and textspeak in a job application is a bad idea - but like Hilmar I think you're going too hard with the absolutes. It's a bad idea because it's more likely to hurt you than help you. It's certainly not guaranteed to hurt you, and it might possibly help. You don't know the personality of the person on the receiving end of the application - they may warm to you as a result of your informality. – Carson63000 Jan 13 at 1:01

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