InterviewTeacher.com

How long does it take for someone to tell if they like you or not. This decision is usually made in the first 30 seconds of contact. You may be unaware of it but you normally size someone up in the first 30 seconds.

How is this done? People observe each other and make value judgments about each other long before either person offers the first words of welcome. I know you are thinking, “This is not fair!”, and I will agree with you, but it is reality so we have to do what we can to stack the deck in our favor.

Make a good presentation. You should look top notch from head to toe. This means, shoes shined with no scoff marks, fingernails clean, hair well groomed, fresh smelling breath, good eye contact, a warm and sincere smile, a firm and welcoming hand shake, a resume folder with your resume and questions for the interviewer on one side and research on the company you are interviewing with on the other side in plain view when you open the folder. You want to present a business card and your resume on good stock paper. You want to feel excited and passionate about the interview. This will come though in your body gestures and will be translated as positive feed back by the interviewer. All of these things have been observed, judged and you have yet to say a word, but if you have done things correctly you have made a good first impression and are on your way to establishing a good relationship. Having a good relationship with the interviewer is what this process is all about. People hire and want to work with other people they like.

If you are interested in reading more about this topic I would suggest the book “Blink” which you can read more about and purchase if you like from my suggested reading page. I will explore your appearance and other key aspect of the interview in future posts.

Recently

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.