First Impressions

We all know first impressions are very important whether we are trying to impress our future boss or that special someone. How do people perceive you in professional or social settings? I think before people go crazy about making that good first impression, they should stop and think-Is it really that big a deal that everyone made it out to be? First of all, judging someone you first met by first impression is a big no no. In order to really know someone, we need to dig deeper than that. The person might be too busy pretending to be someone else than to show his/her true colors.

Especially during job interviews, the person being interviewed is under tremendous pressure to "perform" well. Let's take John for instance. He came into the interview very well dressed that definitely scored him points, however he didn't spent enough time on researching the company. At the end all that effort went to waste. In contrast, another person Michael went into the interview with plain t-shirt and jeans. The interviewers first impression of Michael is that he's unprofessional and probably not that interested in the position in the first place because he didn't even bother to dress up for the interview. However, Michael was able to impress the interviewer with his general knowledge of the position and of the company. While John was choosing which tie goes well with his suit, Michael was busy preparing for the actual interview process. If you're the recruiter, who would you hire? Definitely Michael. Why? Because as a recruiter, you need to hire someone who can do the work well and not someone who looks good. Looking good does not add value to the company, knowledge and hardwork does.

Nowadays, we focused too much on dressing to impress that we lost sight of what's important-the person. Anyone can dress like a doctor but not everyone can go through medical school and obtain license to practice medicine. So in a way first impression of a person can be an illusion, we shouldn't take it too seriously. Next time you prepare for that date or interview, try not to panic over what to wear but rather what to say. I'm not saying looks doesn't matter. We just need to get our priorities straight. Bottom line is being yourself is your best bet because no matter kind of first impression you are trying to present to others, people will eventually know the real you.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. ~Judy Garland