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PrintMore Bang for Your Buck: First Impressions
Would you hire this man, John Bullard? Chances are he has as little as 10 seconds to make a good first impression. Career counselor Dr. Ron fisher conducted a major study on job interviews and your prospects.
Dr. Ron Fisher, Career Counselor
"H.R. Directors had a button under their desk and they were told to push the button when they had decided to not include someone as a final candidate and the average length of time was 10 seconds."
Not long to make a positive impression, is it? According to Dr. Fisher, there are some things you can do to make the most of that tiny bit of time.
Dr. Ron Fisher
"When you open the door, you quickly scan the room because it's unfamiliar to you, you find the person, might take a second or two, and you make eye contact."
Then, use an upbeat voice to greet them, no matter how discouraged you might be. And watch the tone.
Dr. Ron Fisher
"Our voices get higher if we're nervous. If your voice is low, no one knows you're nervous."
Shake the person's hand.
Dr. Ron Fisher
"Even if the person is sitting behind a desk. You reach across the desk."
And be sure it's a solid handshake. If you feel you've made a bad impression, Fisher says you can salvage the interview by becoming the person who asks the questions.
Dr. Ron Fisher
"The less you talk about yourself, the more you talk about the interviewer, the company and the industry, the better the interview is going."
John Bullard applied these lessons when looking for work. Now he's using them when he's interviewing others.
John Bullard
"Do they show a certain energy, an interest in you? Do they show an interest in the job?"
Fisher says never underestimate the control you have in an interview setting. He says, combining these techniques shows competence, confidence and the ability to make decisions.