To quote the great vaudevillian Will Rogers, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Whether it’s a job interview, meeting a new co-worker, or starting your first day at the job, that initial first impression could freeze you in amber in other people’s minds for a long time. It’s because first impressions are so hard to shake that it’s important you make them count. No matter what industry you work in, you’ll have to meet new people at some point. When you do, use these tips and tricks to make sure they’ll meet the best version of you.
Steady Eyes, Steady Voice
Two of the most important areas to watch out for when it comes to making a good impression is eye contact and tone of voice. People who don’t make eye contact could be perceived as shy or evasive. It can be interpreted as weakness or, even worse, rudeness. When it comes to eye contact, you want to moderate: checking in every now and then with direct eye contact can help foster a feeling of closeness, of trust. Too much eye contact, though, can be intimidating or awkward. Pay attention to how often the other person establishes and breaks eye contact; try and fall into a similar rhythm.
If you feel uncomfortable making eye contact with people, a simple trick is to focus your vision either on the space between their eyes or at the eyebrows. It will look to them like you’re looking at their eyes while putting you at ease by fixing your attention elsewhere. You can also use physical landmarks behind them (like a fire alarm on the wall or a lamp on the table) as a focal point to make it seem like you’re maintaining eye contact.
The other important quality to cultivate with first impressions is your tone of voice. Volume and emotion are key here. You want to talk at a relaxed, clear cadence. Don’t talk too fast: it makes you look less confident, like you’re talking too fast because you’re worried you can’t hold their attention. Make sure you don’t mumble or talk too loud. How you say something can be just as evocative as your body language, so keep your tone of voice pleasant and professional. If you’re in a bad mood or have personal misgivings, try to keep those sour feelings out of your voice.
Give Other People the Spotlight
If you want to be interesting, be interested. Nobody likes someone who monopolizes a conversation and makes it all about them. A great way to make a good impression is to ask people about themselves. Make small talk and find out what common ground you may have with them. Ask about their interests, their experiences at the company/industry you both are a part of, recommendations on a good place to grab some lunch. You can and should talk about yourself, of course, but keep it short. Less is more: mention one interesting thing about yourself, something that’s memorable and may not even be work related like a hobby you love doing or an interesting place you visited.
The important thing is to be an active listener when other people are talking. If other people feel like you’re not paying attention or just biding your time until you can talk again, that will create a negative impression of you. Maintain eye contact, ask follow-up questions, and be mindful of their body language. If you can do it in a way that looks natural, mirroring the body language of other people can help make them feel more relaxed. Mirroring is pretty simple: align your body to match what they’re doing. Pay attention to posture, arm placement, whether they have their chin tucked down or angled forward. If you can subtly reposition yourself to mirror these gestures, that could make them feel more comfortable with you.
Wear Your Brightest Halo
Have you heard of the halo effect? It’s a psychological phenomenon where people who perceive good qualities about you (physical attractiveness, well-dressed, funny, nice) are more likely to attribute OTHER good qualities to you as well. In short: if you look like a cool, confident professional, people will take your competence as a matter of course. This is why dressing well and being mindful of your appearance is so important. Is it fair that people may assume you aren’t competent or leadership material if you dress down at work or look a little under the weather? No, of course not. But humans have a tendency to judge a book by its cover, so it behooves you to make sure you wear your best when you’re trying to make a stellar first impression.
Think about how you can use the halo effect to your advantage. If “clothes make the man” when it comes to the halo effect, then you should- to use another cliche- dress for the job you want. If you want to be taken seriously, craft your appearance to show how serious you are.
Don’t Undercut Yourself
Be careful with self-effacing humor or leaning too heavily on humility. You may think that making good-natured jokes about yourself or waving off compliments will make you look more approachable and down-to-earth, but it can actually be alienating and come off as defensive. If you act like what you do is no big deal, people may start taking you at your word. Nobody likes a braggart, so we’re by no means suggesting you talk yourself up; just make sure you don’t talk yourself DOWN.
Article by Austin Brietta
Career Corner
Looking for more of our career stories? Check out these blogs: