Impressions Important in Job Interview
by Ron Kurtus (updated 17 December 2021)
The impressions you make when interviewing for a job is a major factor on whether you will be hired. Your cover letter, resume and application creates the first impression. A telephone interview creates the second impression. The personal interview creates the final impression that will determine your future in being hired. It is important that each impression brings out the best in you.
Questions you may have include:
- How do you make a good written impression?
- What is a good telephone impression?
- How do you make a good personal impression?
This lesson will answer those questions.
Written impression
When you send in your resume to apply for a job, along with a cover letter, you create an initial impression concerning how desirable you are to the company.
Be careful of what you submit
Certainly, your background should fulfill their needs. But if you submit material that is carelessly done, has misspellings and typos, or is of poor quality, you are creating an impression that you are the type of person who does everything that way.
Harvey sent in a highly detailed 8-page resume. Anyone who read the resume would go away impressed at his skills and experience. Unfortunately, few hiring managers cared to weed through the resume. The impression was that this person didn't know how much is enough.
This does not mean you should send in a resume written on expensive gold-trimmed bond paper. Instead, the resume would be neatly done and to the point. Overly fancy paper can give a negative impression that you are trying actually to impress.
Check samples for ideas
Take a look at some sample cover letters and resumes to see what impression they give you, if your were hiring that person. Is the person organized? Is the person careful? Do it look like this is an intelligent person? A hard worker?
Telephone impression
Often companies will do an initial interview over the telephone before bringing in an candidate for a personal interview.
Be prepared
In such a case, it is good to have your resume and other material in front of you for reference. You can even have a script of answers to typical questions to which you can refer.
Be friendly
You want to give the impression of someone who is friendly and skilled in his or her profession. You want them to feel you will be a valuable member of their team.
Betty interrupted her phone interview twice with call waiting signals. The impression she gave was that the job interview was not too important to her. She did not get hired.
A trick to improve your telephone impression is to have a mirror by the phone. Look at yourself in the mirror and try to have a friendly and confident look on your face. Your facial expression will be reflected in the sound of your voice.
Personal impression
The impression you make in your personal interview is the most important. You want to come across as knowledgeable and likable. Often, your personality is more important than your experience.
Be on time
Obviously the first part of a making a good impression is to be on time. Get to the location early and prepare yourself mentally. That is much better than rushing to get there just on time.
Jill had all the educational requirements with top grades, but for some reason she couldn't seem to get a job. It might have had to do with the fact that she was usually up to 1/2 hour late for her interviews. That made such a poor impression that employers would rather pass on hiring this talented person.
Dress for the part
Make sure you are dressed for the part. Dress about 10% better than you expect the interviewer to be dressed. Don't wear the latest styles or some outfit that you might wear when going out with your friends.
Be confident
Before you go in to talk to people on your personal interview, take a few deep breaths to relax yourself. Visualize that the people interviewing you will be friendly and anxious to hire you. Walk in the room with confidence as a professional.
Don't be too anxious
Although you want to make a good impression, you also don't want to appear too anxious. You need to read the interviewers to try to figure out what they are interested in hearing. In some cases, the person may want to do all the talking. In other cases, they may want you to "tell what you know."
The impression you want to make it that your are the type of person that will fit into the company team.
Summary
The impressions you make are major factors in determining if you will be hired for a job. There are three initial areas where you make an impression on the people doing the hiring. First, there is your cover letter and resume, next there is the telephone interview, and finally there is the personal interview that creates the final impression that will determine your future in being hired. It is important that each impression brings out the best in you.
Make them feel you are a champion
Resources and references
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Impressions Important in Job Interview