9/26/2008 - You Only Get One Chance to Make a Great First Impression

by Carol Gee

Today, as non-profits and for profit organizations focus on recruiting and hiring new employees in a sluggish economy, not only will their focus be on hiring employees who are able to lead, able to develop strategy or innovative products and/or able to improve efficiency, they will also demand employees’ whose skills, appearance and attitude are aligned such that they are able to interact with all of the organizations’ stakeholders: other employees within the organization, its Board of Trustees, community leaders, its clients, volunteers, past, present and potential donors as well as a host of others.

Like it or not, a person’s appearance, attitude and overall demeanor says a lot about them. So when is making a great first impression important? I say it’s important all the time. Although others will say that it’s particularly critical when meeting a person for the first time, when campaigning for office, or when seeking a job.

Like many folks who migrated to Atlanta for the weather, job opportunities or men (several years ago a well-known magazine listed the ATL as a great place for meeting the opposite sex): not me, as I am married—with cats, however, I did relocate without a job. Armed with a masters degree, veteran’s preference (points from military service good toward state or federal jobs) from my 21 years in the Air Force, accompanied by years of solid work experience, first, as a counselor at a mental health agency, several years as a retail sales manager and trainer, and at that time, nine plus years spent in higher education, I felt confident that I would find a job.

Standing in the snakelike lines of companies that offered the middle management positions I sought, I observed the hundreds of other jobseekers milling about. What I saw were scores of applicants whom had not adhered to the basic rule of preparing for an interview, to “dress for success.”

There were young men with odd hair styles. One even had words cut into his scalp. (I am not making this up). Several wore baggy slacks that threatened to fall at any moment and there were several ‘Miami Vice’ wannabes who wore dress shoes without socks. A few of the women didn’t fair much better. There was one wearing a short denim skirt-suit while another wore a tight, low cut dress better suited for an evening at a club than working in a professional office. Were these folks really serious about obtaining a job, I wondered?

Let’s face it; we all pick up subliminal messages from others. Whether we are conscious of it or not, we make snap judgments about people from the way they look, walk and talk. Is it fair? Perhaps not, however, once we get an opinion in our minds, it is often difficult to dispel.

Making a great first impression is much more than how you look. And it is equally important whether one is just entering the work force or a seasoned employee. It’s also about the way that you communicate with others, which in today’s technology-driven society includes e-mails. In email as in life, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Thus it begins with your subject line, which is your first and only chance to encourage a subscriber to read and respond to your message or call for action. Communication gurus recommend that you limit the number of paragraphs and sentences to those necessary to convey your message. Typically people only skim their e-mail. Thus keep e-mails short and to the point.

Making a great first impression also applies to all documents or reports that you generate. Messy looking or poorly written reports reflect badly on the person presenting it as well as the person receiving them. I once heard it said that “perception is often the co-pilot to reality.” Having had the opportunity to explore a multitude of experiences as well as dabble in a variety occupations and interests through the years, I have found this to be true. So whether you work for non-profits or for profit organizations, keeping in mind that you only get one chance to make a first impression, there’s absolutely no limit to what you can accomplish.

Carol Gee

Carol Gee, M.A. has worked in education for 26 years in positions ranging from teaching to administration. Currently she is an editor and business writer at Goizueta Business School at Emory University. She is also the author of books, The Venus Chronicles and Diary of a ‘Flygirl’ Wannabe (Life Lessons of a Cool Girl in Training,) and a contributor to the baby boomer book, Age Smart-Discovering the Fountain of Youth at Midlife and Beyond.

www.venuschronicles.net
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