5 WAYS TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION IN AN INTERVIEW

1. Be positive

Avoid negativity at all costs. Even if you hated your last boss or company, try to put a positive spin on things. Right before a meeting try to think about your accomplishments to boost your confidence. Emotions are highly infectious, and the secret to making someone feel an emotion is to feel it yourself first. So make sure you keep any negativity out of the conversation! If your own positivity is strong enough it will make it very difficult for the other person not to feel this vibe themselves.

2. Better Posture

Good posture is important because it communicates confidence. But you need to do more than simply stand up straight (although that’s a good start). 90 per cent of your communication comes through your body language and paralinguistics ( voice tonality and pitch). Consequently, it is crucial to make these aspects as confident as possible when making your first impression.

3. Dress Properly

People will judge you long before you open your mouth. As soon as you walk into the room, all eyes will be on you, so dressing right is essential. A good suit speaks a thousands words. If it’s a job interview, make sure it’s simple, clean and well ironed. Your grooming, your hair style and the other ways you can determine your appearance from the neck up also exert an inordinate influence on the way that you are perceived, on your ethos with someone.

4. Smile

Smiling is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to make a great first impression. It immediately helps put the other person at ease and is a great way to bring a relaxed vibe to the interaction. Starting an interaction with a smile always gets the best results.

5. A Firm Handshake

That split second opportunity to establish yourself as confident and capable before you’ve even opened your mouth is lost the moment you enter the room looking petrified and presenting a hand with all the verve and vigour of a dead fish. And if you suffer from nervously sweaty hands, deal with this before you walk into the room. 

Culled from nairacareer.com