A first impression is key when it comes to different life situations. Our appearance (especially our face), the way we talk, and even the way we sit can influence the first impression we make on other people.
First impressions play a central role in all human interaction. This comes true whether in a face-to-face job interview or in your online presence, think of Instagram. Based purely on appearance, we classify a person within milliseconds and assign them special character traits. For example, we decide to trust someone immediately, because the physiognomy of their face triggers a certain feeling in us. For example: “The person seems trustworthy” or “This is the hottest selfie”. Even if we are later confronted with obvious evidence to the contrary, our first judgment is very difficult to reverse. Since this topic can become quite scientific, we broke down the basics and made an easy-to-follow list of 6 key factors for the perfect first impression. This will help with any job interview.
Facial Features
The first impression is generally the same for most observers. Behavioral scientists have shown that no matter the ethnicity, gender, or age, people assign character traits to certain facial structures equally.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could make our facial features be perceived differently, to trigger a different reaction in our counterpart? If all people intrinsically connect certain facial features with certain traits, we should focus on highlighting these facial features to allow for a certain reaction.
In a way most people have already been doing this by using make-up. For example, whenever you highlight your eyes using eyeshadow, you have been making them seem bigger and therefore triggered a more attractive reaction in people. FacePlus takes this one step further, with FacePlus you can use our scientific background to slightly adjust your facial features for a more adjusted first impression. Thereby giving you the ability to create the most attractive impression in the sexy photos you are posting online. Even more so, when taking a selfie, you can use FacePlus to adjust your impression towards whichever impression you want to leave with the audience. Choose from a list including competent, trustworthy, attractive, and more.
Facial Expression
“Facial expressions are important even when you think no one is looking.” Judson Vaughn said, (a former character actor, turned CEO of First Impressions).
Facial features play a big role on how people perceive you, which is why you should “work” on your facial expressions before an important meeting or event. To do that, you can simply stay in front of the mirror and take some photos or simply take selfies with different facial expressions. After such “photo shootings” you can either analyze them yourself or ask friends and relatives what they think of your pictures. Never forget to “wear” a smile on your face. People can easily feel if your smile is fake, so train it to leave a wonderful first impression. A warm and confident smile will put both, you and others, at ease.
The Importance of Body Language
The first and most important thing when it comes to body language is to “Never hide your hands”.
If you hide your hands, it gives off the impression that you are uncomfortable and perhaps even hiding something. Make sure people see your hands to feel that you are open and comfortable with them. Choose a comfortable, but formal sitting pose. Moreover, remember to unfold your arms, uncross your legs, and avoid hunching.
This becomes even more important when meeting someone for the first time. Everyone gets a little nervous and that’s ok, but this can in fact lead to unwanted side effects, such as nail biting or sweaty palms. Being aware of your nervous little habits/ ticks, can help you to keep them in check.
Eye Contact
Imagine yourself on a date, you’re trying to have a conversation with the other person, but they are looking at everything going on around them instead of paying attention to you. You’d feel pretty ignored and stressed, right?
Research has shown that eye contact activates the limbic mirror system. This means that the same neurons that are firing in someone’s brain will also fire in yours when you share eye contact with them.
In conclusion, eye contact is an important reflection of honesty during a conversation.
Use Your Voice Properly
Voice is a powerful tool. Research suggests that when the pitch of your voice rises toward the end of a sentence, it undercuts your trust and confidence ratings, so try your best to avoid that mistake.
You can try to record your voice while practicing various pitches, rates, and tones, which is the best way to become more aware of how you sound and how it makes others feel. In addition to that, you can analyze the voices of other people and find inspiration in how they express themselves.
Choose Your Outfit in Advance
Your physical appearance is usually the first point of reference for other people. Unfortunately, your physical appearance and personal dressing style sometimes give off a (sometimes unpleasant) first impression even before you greet anyone.
Find the suit that fits exactly YOU and the occasion you are attending. Moreover, it is important to know which colors, styles and shapes suit you the best.
The tips are not limited by the 6 mentioned above, but you can start with these small steps to work on yourself to make a great first impression on other people!