Decoding – The First Impression

Dexter Gyan Session

Dexter Gyan Session

Decoding – The First Impression

Dear Candidate – do you know that a smart recruiter can assess your candidature within minutes?  Just one scan of yours and time spend of atleast 2 – 5 mnts will give the gut feeling whether you will clear the interview or not.

So it is essential to be prepared at each step.  When I say preparation I am talking about the soft skill behavior than your technical skills.  Most of the great companies have even hired candidates who are technically worst but have an amazing attitude. 

Here are few extracts for your reference on how to make a great first impression:-

• Enter the interview room confidently.  Take a deep breath.  Relax, think about nice things.  Smile without fail (A smile can brighten the darkest day).  Keep your back straight.  Re-align your body posture.  Enter straight & stiff.

• Hand Shake & Eye Contact.  Firm handshake (But be careful – once I had this experience where my hand became straight because of the candidates over-acting ;-).  I had no scope to bend my hand around the candidate’s as he was over firm rather stiff.).  Practice it.  A cool but little firm hand shake where the other person should feel the confidence in you when you shake your hand.  According to a psychological study, a proper eye contact clearly conveys to the opponent that you are an honest & open for feedback person.  So a proper eye contact is very essential.  (Again when I say proper eye contact, please don’t keep on staring the interviewer;-)) 

• Sitting: Sit straight, don’t slough. Comfortable clothing also adds on to your sitting posture.  Make yourself in a comfortable posture to answer better.  (In one of the campus interviews in Tamil Nadu during summer, I had come across students who were wearing full sleeve shirts with tie.  By the time their turn for interview came, they were exhausted / dehydrated) 

• Postures during discussion: Shaking legs / hands is a distraction to the interview discussions.  Have an open hand gestures, don’t fold your arms.  Folded harm means that you are a closed kind of person; don’t want to give away the information so easily.

• Listening: Listen to the questions completely.  Answer to the questions.  Go by interviewer.  If he/she is formal, you be formal.  If he / she is informal or fun kind you can be little casual.

Last but the never the least:-

Leave that wow impression with the interviewer.  You should be the best interviewee.

Best wishes to you all