by Jeff Haden
I’ve been learning about interviewing and holding a professional front honestly, since I was in middle school; that’s really the first time that I remember that phrase being mentioned. Then all throughout high school the phrase kept coming back, as we had to “put away our childish habits and step into the real world.” While in community college, I attended quite a few conferences that confused on professional demeanor, connecting and first impressions. What is kind of funny is how many people I have met whom claim that first impressions “don’t mean a thing,” which is totally false. We judge our self, others, food, places, shows, movies, everything really; we are in the middle of a judge fest in today’s culture.
While I will give the slim chance that there are a very small handful of people who literally don’t treat others differently based on that initial interaction, most of us do. I know some people that have recovered from a bad first impression, those that have greatly benefited from a good first impression; it all depends on where you really want to put that work in. We all have our off days and many times those first impressions can be later fixed, if you already have the job. But if it is during a job interview you cannot normally recover from that and this article set up a nice set of facts to follow.
Be likable.
Be memorable/stand out.
Don’t be super negative or talk negative on previous experiences; everything is a moment to learn from.
Make sure the job fits you; ask any questions on your mind that would to fulfilling the position.
Research the potential employer + be able to talk about them. Ask for the job + explain why you want the position.
Follow up, post interview with some form of thank you/remind them of you and your interview.
I’ve been learning about interviewing and holding a professional front honestly, since I was in middle school; that’s really the first time that I remember that phrase being mentioned. Then all throughout high school the phrase kept coming back, as we had to “put away our childish habits and step into the real world.” While in community college, I attended quite a few conferences that confused on professional demeanor, connecting and first impressions. What is kind of funny is how many people I have met whom claim that first impressions “don’t mean a thing,” which is totally false. We judge our self, others, food, places, shows, movies, everything really; we are in the middle of a judge fest in today’s culture.
While I will give the slim chance that there are a very small handful of people who literally don’t treat others differently based on that initial interaction, most of us do. I know some people that have recovered from a bad first impression, those that have greatly benefited from a good first impression; it all depends on where you really want to put that work in. We all have our off days and many times those first impressions can be later fixed, if you already have the job. But if it is during a job interview you cannot normally recover from that and this article set up a nice set of facts to follow.
Be likable.
Be memorable/stand out.
Don’t be super negative or talk negative on previous experiences; everything is a moment to learn from.
Make sure the job fits you; ask any questions on your mind that would to fulfilling the position.
Research the potential employer + be able to talk about them. Ask for the job + explain why you want the position.
Follow up, post interview with some form of thank you/remind them of you and your interview.
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