The Importance of The First Impression

I was almost through my teenage years (19 years old to be precise), when I had my ear pierced. I was not a stoner. I was not a bad or rebellious teenager and nor was I “troubled”. Au contraire.

I got it done “ just because”. It was fashionable. It was cool. It was the mid-80’s. And since I was working in my family’s record store at the time and going to university, I was good to go with an earring. In short, it was my image.

Three years later, I immigrated to Toronto. It took me a mere 8 days to learn how important first impressions were. I needed to get a job – a real job, and fast – and so my earring (without regret, I may add) had to go. Without question, image matters a lot. In the workplace, the evidence is even clearer. In a recent survey, developed by Accountemps, (a Robert Half company) and conducted by an independent research firm, 29% of respondents interviewed indicated it takes them less than five minutes to draw conclusions about an interviewee.

The bottom line - in today’s marketplace, job seekers don’t have much time to win over hiring managers. In the same survey, a full 52 percent of HR managers polled said they form a positive or negative opinion of candidates during interviews in 10 minutes or less.

“Image is everything today, especially as far as job seekers are concerned,” said Koula Vasilopoulos, a Vancouver-based, Senior Regional Vice President at Accountemps. “Not only do job seekers need to impress the interviewer, but they need to impress all others in the company with whom they’ve interviewed or even interacted.”

And here’s the rub. Our 15-year old son Jason is now looking for a part-time job – like any other teenager, he wants the iPhone 5. We’ve told him he can get one with his first (or rather his first few) paycheques. I helped him prepare a short resume. Told him do put on a nice pair of trousers with a dress shirt. He did. His tousled, teenage face was freshly washed and his hair neatly brushed. The preppy look. Bright-eyed and bushy tailed, and with his newly-minted resume in hand (with me in tow), we headed to our local mall yesterday: job-hunting.

He looked damn good, even if I say so myself. Jason’s a confident kid. He’d rehearsed his lines a few times with me. He had his act together.

He hit Pharma Plus, EB Games, HMV, No Frills and a few others – dropping résumés and completing applications. I’d hardly say he was interviewed, but a few managers saw him and seemed keen. I’d like to think he made a good impression in the 30-60 seconds he chatted to each. On our way home I told Jason that he should follow up this week with each application. “No” he said. “They’ll call me if they want to hire me.”   Yeah right! (is what I'm, thinking)

Koula and I both believe the follow-up is as (if not more) important than the initial encounter. He thinks not. But that’s OK. I’m just glad Jason is looking for work. To note, he’s also at the age where he thinks his parents are totally clueless about everything (sound familiar?). By the time he’s 20, we think, he think we’ll be smarter.

So, what are some tips I’d give Jason (or any other job-seeker).

Accountemps says it very well.

1. Attention to details. Shake hands firmly and maintain eye contact. Present a professional image. Ensure your shoes are shined, clothing is pressed, and nails are clean and trimmed.
 
2. Ace the likely questions. Make sure you know how you will respond to predictable questions, such as, “Can you tell me a little about yourself?” Research the firm before your interview and tap your network for their insights to enable you to couch your answers in the context of how you can help the company.
 
3. Don’t be cocky. Strike the right balance between presenting your accomplishments in a positive light and coming across as overly confident. Being arrogant is one of the worst mistakes a candidate can make.
 
4. Tell memorable stories. Give specific examples of how and why you’ve been successful. You’ll make a positive impression on hiring managers by sharing interesting anecdotes about how you solved tough business problems or saved an employer money.

5. Be yourself. Don’t come across as overly rehearsed. Interviewers want to get a sense of your personality and how you would fit into the office culture.

And in the coming weeks, I’ll tell you how Jason’s doing in his job search. Stay posted.