Whether you are about to embark on an important job interview, meet your future in-laws, or about to have your first day at a new job, first impressions are always what comes first. It is completely normal to be nervous about what these people may think of you, but there is no reason to not feel confident and prepared. Most individuals will judge you within the first seconds of meeting you, and it is likely that opinion will not change. This is why it is important to knock your first impression out of the ballpark.
First, you need to understand the power of first impressions. This is not something to take lightly, but at the same time, you shouldn’t grow any grey hairs over it. Scientific studies say that a human’s mind can handle 40 bits of information every second. That may sound like a lot, but our unconscious mind actually handles 11 million bps. This all goes to say that we let the unconscious part of the mind handle things like first impressions, along with millions of other things. This means that when you walk into that room for your interview, you only have a few seconds for the interviewer to notice certain aspects about you before they start getting distracted with other thoughts or move on.
Now that you understand why first impressions matter so much, it is time to ensure your first impression is a good one:
