You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’ and it’s very true of the job market. If you want to ‘nail’ your first impression when you apply for a job, there are some simple things that you can do.

First, be professional. That means you should dress for the interview, not in old jeans and ratty sneakers. Don’t chew gum or bring a soda. Put your cell phone on vibrate, turn it off, or leave it in the car. Give the prospective employer your undivided attention.

Second, remember your manners. Clean up your language, don’t sit unless invited, shake hands, and don’t act bored or fidget, even if you’re nervous or the hiring manager has droned on for twenty minutes about his kid’s little league game.

No matter how you look and how good your manners are, the most important thing that you can do to nail your first impression is to be honest. If you lie to the interviewer or if you lie on your resume and it’s found out, you’ve just lost any and all credibility – even if you were hired, have been working there for a year, and have been doing a great job. People don’t like to be lied to. You don’t have to spill every secret you have, but make sure there is nothing blatantly untrue on your resume and answer the interviewer’s questions honestly. It will go a long way toward a great first impression.

Tags: first impression, job interview

This entry was posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 at 12:30 am and is filed under Interviewing. 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.