The power of first impressions

Our lives are continuously coinciding with making and creating first impressions, whether these impressions are warranted ones or not. So, everything you do or may not do and the way you present yourself from the outside, adds up to your reflection during a first encounter. Thus, the phrase ‘you never get a second chance to make a good first impression’ rings true to a great extent.

The horizon to this topic is vast as each aspect of our lives asks for different first impressions, but the core is the same — today’s focus will relate to people and their jobs. Whether we are introverts or extroverts, our presentation and the air of confidence we surround ourselves with could contribute to the time others will invest in us and our ideas.

I remember my first tough internship in a well-known organisation where people did not stop to help anyone with their baby steps or stutters. I was overwhelmed and I lacked confidence. Not an introvert by nature, I succumbed to my shell and mostly kept quiet instead of truly showing the enthusiasm I felt towards learning and getting the work done. After the first couple of days I kept wishing to go back to the beginning to change the way I had portrayed myself. There is no going back though, and you cling to the hope that someone will recognise the change in you during the course of your time there.

Proper jobs are even more important when it comes to making a lasting first impression. From the time you give your interview to the first couple of weeks of interaction with your new colleagues, and boss, everyone is going to judge — your manners of speaking, dressing and addressing issues.

Thus, to feel comfortable in the long run, one really needs to overcome public speaking, gather the confidence to relate ideas and be able to join discussions and interact to move further up the ladder. There are no two ways about it; our persona is the key to success and we must always remember this.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2013.