Is the first impression, the one that matters?

Tharindu Weerasinghe

Open and confident at work

If you are foreign to an environment where you had never been, you are nervous as well as the people who were there before your arrival, are also nervous until they come to know who you are? That means, until you make an impression on them, they are tentative. Depending on the impression they will have a measure of you.

Let us take a work place scenario...

If you are novel to the particular environment, then your personal responsible (commonly known as BOSS) and/or your subordinates and/or your fellow team members are eagerly waiting to grab the FIRST impression on your behaviour, attitudes and work. Thus it is obvious that the first impression counts a lot especially when it comes to professionalism.

(I do not comment whether it is good or bad, we have to have a balanced view on this topic). Sometimes it will take just a few minutes for others to capture an image of your character by looking at your attire. Guessing a person by outer appearance is not acceptable, but to be honest, it happens more often than not.

Working on time Being unique at a work place

Doing the given work with quality

Hence, we need to be careful! Sometimes it will take two-three days, even a month to get an impression of your work, your talents, your desires and your attitudes. Anyhow, you need to realize the relevant scenarios and present yourself in a way that others get a good impression (On the other hand, pretending such that others get a good impression on you, may not last longer)

The most important fact is that, the so-called first impression will last longer....Whether it is good or bad that is the truth. If the first impression of your boss on you is unpleasant, then thereafter he or she looks at you with a badly pre-set frame of mind.

Then you may not be given responsibilities; you may not assigned important duties; your increments might be limited; foreign trainings might not come to you....If I compile core of the article in a lucid and palatable way, it is really important to give a good impression to others especially when you take up a new job! In a short time, the other person forms an opinion about you based on your appearance, your body language, your demeanor, your mannerisms, and how you are dressed.

With every new encounter, you are evaluated and yet another person’s impression of you is formed. This first impression can nearly be impossible to reverse or undo, making those first encounters extremely important, for they set the tone for all the relationships that follows.

So, whether they are in your career or social life, it is important to know how to create a good first impression. Some little hints to make others to have a good first impression on you:

* Smile, nothing is free like smile...

* Be on time; work on time

* Be yourself, be unique

* Do the given work with quality; with the BEST way you can!

* Present yourself appropriately

* Avoid gossip filled tea time discussions but make it a habit to bring your opinions directly to your personal responsible

* Be open and confident

People are different; different people will recognize you differently; but if you were able to make a “good,” general first impression then you are on your way to success. (Remember, making a good first impression may be easier than maintaining it!).

Sometimes, I personally argue with myself, why the first impression is so important; can’t a person be successful even after a bad impression? Can, but it is not the general scenario. Normally when you make the impression bad; it is hardly reversible (means not irreversible). But on the other hand, if you have already created a good impression among your superiors or subordinates then, sometimes it can be easily reversed if you frequently do something out of the box of your caliber. (Not suitable for you). That is the nature of the world; human life is streaming around an environment such that “GOOD” is remembered shorter; “BAD” is remembered longer.

We have to adapt to that situation (I think it is a universal truth!) So, if the first impression is bad then the good work you do thereafter may not be appreciated. Your superiors and subordinates will seek your weaknesses. They might be counting fingers to catch one of your small mistakes and highlight them, even they are negligible.

That is the disadvantage of having a bad impression for the first time. If you own a good first impression then your small mistakes (might be happened once in a blue moon) will not be counted. They are easily forgotten.