In most cases, you will never have a second opportunity to make another first impression. It is true that people are not supposed to judge you based on just one single encounter, but you cannot deny the reality that the first impression still plays a very important role in life. It may be in your personal relationship, a job interview, leadership position, business meetings, even when you meet people, the first impression will generally determine how people will perceive you and interact with you. This is why you have to be careful to create a right first impression that will make people to perceive you in a good way.
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A friend shared with me how he got his Place of Primary Assignment during his mandatory 1 year NYSC programme. He applied to the company, same with a lot of Corpers too. But the company had only 3 openings for new intakes. Then out of the 3 openings, just one person is required in his preferred department. But on the day of the interview, more than 10 people came for it, who had similar qualifications. But one thing made him to stand out. He came very early, appeared very neat, with his shirt neatly tucked into his trousers, and politely greeted everyone. He also spoke with confidence and humility when he was trying to make enquiries at the entrance if the place was the interview venue. Little did he know that it was the head of the interview board that he was talking with.
When the interview started, he was surprised that it was the same man that was heading the interview panel. By that time, the man has already picked interest in him because of the first impression, even though others also had similar qualification. You see, it was not just about qualifications, but also about how people perceived him. What opened the door for him was not what he had, but how he was seen by the head of the interview board and others. This goes to prove that how you present yourself can significantly influence what people think of you, and can even determine how they will relate with you.
It is worthy to note that the first impression is usually the first opinion that someone creates of you when they meet you, or when they hear you speak, or even when they observe your behaviour. These impressions are generally created within a short time, and can be heavily influenced by your appearance, your attitude, communication skills, confidence, and even your behaviour. Trust me, someone can have a very good intention but the way they appear can send the wrong signal and the person will be perceived in bad light. It is true that the first impressions are not always accurate, but they can create a mark that can be difficult to erase.
One of the fundamentals reasons why first impression matters is that influences trust. If someone meets you for the very first time, they tend to look for signs to tell them if you are reliable, trustworthy, and respectful. When they perceive all these in you, they will be willing to listen, collaborate, and form a good relationship with you. But if they sense a negative first impression, it might discourage them from getting close to you. And the impression may take time to get off their mind.
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In the same way, first impression can also create opportunities. Just like the story of my friend that I shared earlier. There are times that people will make quick decisions when they see you or when they meet you, so these decisions may not be based on what you have or your qualifications, but simply on how they perceive you. Even from your own perspective, you will agree with me that there are people you will meet and you will just grow coldness towards them. This is not because they are bad, but maybe because of how their first impression was like. On the other hand, there are also some people you will meet and you will just like them, not because they are particularly better, but because of a good first impression.
In order to create a good first impression, there are things that you need to observe to do. Firstly, you have to work to improve on your communication skills. People do not know what is going on in your mind, and they may not also know your intentions, but they will judge you by what you say and how you say them. Communication influences the first impression in ways you may never expect. So make your communication clear, understandable, and respectful. In addition to this, you have to try to work on your appearance. Even though character may be more important than appearance, but people will first take note of how you appear before they know more about you. So dress well, look clean, and show professionalism.
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