First Impressions are Lasting!

IT ONLY TAKES 7 SECONDS!

Seems like this information has been around for so long, but it is as crucial now as ever.  Theories have ranged from seven seconds to four seconds to create a good first impression…not very long is it?  However, we all make an impression one way or the other.

OBSERVE AND LEARN

Sit in a restaurant or in the local Mall and really observe other people going by.  What is the first thing that comes to mind?  Are they confident, sad, glad, happy or content?  Not that hard to tell when you really study people.  It’s all in the body language, dress, gait and facial expression.  Try it…it is an education in what to do and what not to do when it comes to business and most importantly, in interviewing situations.

YOUR INTERVIEW BEGINS IN THE WAITING ROOM

While waiting to be interviewed, one CEO told me that she would send her secretary to walk through the reception area and if she saw someone slumped in his/her seat, she would return and inform her that that person wasn’t the right fit for the company.  She (the CEO) would then set about writing the “Non-Acceptance note,” before the candidate even reached her office…not fair, but that is how important first impressions are…they begin in the reception area, being polite to everyone along the way and looking as if you belong from the minute you enter the building to your departure.

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