The Importance of First Impressions
31 October 2013
Read by 2756 persons
You want change but don't know how to get there? Here's advice from author and speaker Jean-Pierre Lemaitre to help you. This week, discover how your image can influence achieving your goals.
When you are looking for a job, you can't avoid that "famous" first impression. We've all judged someone at a first meeting without even talking to them. It's natural and unavoidable.
What is the impact of our first contact with a stranger, both personally and professionally? Numerous studies have shown how quickly we form an opinion (good or bad) about a person. A Princeton University work group came to the following conclusion: only one hundred milliseconds are needed to formulate a firm and definitive judgment about someone. And it only takes a tenth of a second to decide if a person is attractive, reliable, likeable, and even...competent.
Other studies have even revealed that a first impression can be formed without having met the person, simply by visiting their professional or private environment. Many clues such as decoration, personal belongings, the way things are placed or arranged influence the opinion we form of someone.
Even if we know that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, we often draw quick conclusions from a first impression. This is an unconscious process often conditioned by our memory or our upbringing. Unfortunately, consciously or not, we sometimes fall victim to stereotypes like: "fat people are lazy, those who wear ties are serious, or a person with a high forehead is intelligent," and make judgment errors.
Surveys show that first impressions are influenced 55% by body language, behavior, a person's image; 38% by their tone of voice and only 7% by the content of their words!
Are you projecting the right image?
Even if judgment at a first meeting may seem fair, remember the saying: "clothes don't make the man." Indeed, there are many other elements influencing our perceptions, such as posture, hairstyle, clothing, and general appearance. The media we use to communicate, such as emails, messages we leave on an answering machine, a blog or Facebook page, are other clues that people decode to form an idea of us.
Therefore, when you are looking for a job, it is necessary to check if the image you are projecting is the one you want to convey and adjust it if necessary. This, as well as your attitude, must confirm to others and to yourself that you know who you are and what you want. Displaying your image is affirming your identity and personality. It's being consistent with your ambitions.
Adapting your outfit and style to what you want to do or be is not without consequences. First, it influences others in their perception. Moreover, if you are "elegant" on the outside, you will also be on the inside. If necessary, don't hesitate to adjust your style according to the field you are aiming for. Because clothing differs from one profession to another. A banker doesn't dress like a web creative!
For a good first impression
Even if the concepts for making a good first impression are already known, it's good to remember them.
• Have a neat attitude and in line with the image you want to convey;
• Shake hands firmly;
• Be elegant and smiling;
• Have a confident tone of voice;
• Be attentive and interested in the other person;
• Have a posture that inspires confidence (shoulders back, deep breaths...);
• Maintain eye contact, conveying confidence;
• Be yourself;
• Have a good energy level;
• Well before the first handshake, the first impression is generally formed from the first contact. If you need to communicate in writing with someone, check the spelling and grammar of your messages.
No excuses to not memorize:
• It takes very little time to generate a first impression;
• It is possible to positively influence the first impression you leave;
• Be consistent with your goals by adjusting your image accordingly.
Jean-Pierre Lemaitre.
Jobboom.com
Posted online October 31, 2013.
When you are looking for a job, you can't avoid that "famous" first impression. We've all judged someone at a first meeting without even talking to them. It's natural and unavoidable.
What is the impact of our first contact with a stranger, both personally and professionally? Numerous studies have shown how quickly we form an opinion (good or bad) about a person. A Princeton University work group came to the following conclusion: only one hundred milliseconds are needed to formulate a firm and definitive judgment about someone. And it only takes a tenth of a second to decide if a person is attractive, reliable, likeable, and even...competent.
Other studies have even revealed that a first impression can be formed without having met the person, simply by visiting their professional or private environment. Many clues such as decoration, personal belongings, the way things are placed or arranged influence the opinion we form of someone.
Even if we know that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, we often draw quick conclusions from a first impression. This is an unconscious process often conditioned by our memory or our upbringing. Unfortunately, consciously or not, we sometimes fall victim to stereotypes like: "fat people are lazy, those who wear ties are serious, or a person with a high forehead is intelligent," and make judgment errors.
Surveys show that first impressions are influenced 55% by body language, behavior, a person's image; 38% by their tone of voice and only 7% by the content of their words!
Are you projecting the right image?
Even if judgment at a first meeting may seem fair, remember the saying: "clothes don't make the man." Indeed, there are many other elements influencing our perceptions, such as posture, hairstyle, clothing, and general appearance. The media we use to communicate, such as emails, messages we leave on an answering machine, a blog or Facebook page, are other clues that people decode to form an idea of us.
Therefore, when you are looking for a job, it is necessary to check if the image you are projecting is the one you want to convey and adjust it if necessary. This, as well as your attitude, must confirm to others and to yourself that you know who you are and what you want. Displaying your image is affirming your identity and personality. It's being consistent with your ambitions.
Adapting your outfit and style to what you want to do or be is not without consequences. First, it influences others in their perception. Moreover, if you are "elegant" on the outside, you will also be on the inside. If necessary, don't hesitate to adjust your style according to the field you are aiming for. Because clothing differs from one profession to another. A banker doesn't dress like a web creative!
For a good first impression
Even if the concepts for making a good first impression are already known, it's good to remember them.
• Have a neat attitude and in line with the image you want to convey;
• Shake hands firmly;
• Be elegant and smiling;
• Have a confident tone of voice;
• Be attentive and interested in the other person;
• Have a posture that inspires confidence (shoulders back, deep breaths...);
• Maintain eye contact, conveying confidence;
• Be yourself;
• Have a good energy level;
• Well before the first handshake, the first impression is generally formed from the first contact. If you need to communicate in writing with someone, check the spelling and grammar of your messages.
No excuses to not memorize:
• It takes very little time to generate a first impression;
• It is possible to positively influence the first impression you leave;
• Be consistent with your goals by adjusting your image accordingly.
Jean-Pierre Lemaitre.
Jobboom.com
Posted online October 31, 2013.
