First Impressions happen all the time. They can be at a tryout, an interview, the first day of school, or just when meeting someone new. Regardless of the time or circumstance, first impressions are very important. They set the bar for how people think of you. Whether it goes good or bad can be the difference between if they like you or not. They can be formal, planned meetings, like an interview, or they can be a casual, unexpected meeting, like running into someone new at a park or store.  I believe that first impressions are important because they can make or break a relationship, last a lifetime, and can be the determining factor of whether you get the job or not.

Most of the time when you first meet someone you basically decide if you want to continue talking to them and be friends or if you want to stay away from them. There was this one time all the way back in fifth grade when I was forced to be reading partners with this girl named Taylor who was in my class. We picked up our things and headed toward the hallway without saying much. When we sat down we started to work but she made it difficult to get anything done because she didn’t care to do the work. I don’t remember it all but I do remember her being very outgoing which for me was weird because I was such a shy kid. I wouldn’t really talk or say much unless I was around people I already knew or that I was already friends with. She laid on the floor and threw her legs up in the air and made me feel them because she had just shaved and thought they were soft. I remember thinking that she was crazy weird. But after we talked longer I realized that she was actually pretty cool and we had a lot in common. Her personality pulled me out of my shell and we ended up becoming friends. The even crazier thing is that we are still best friends to this day. From the very first day I met her I know that she was someone I would never have to act different around to impress. I could act completely myself and she would never care, regardless of how weird or dumb I was. To this day, we both continue to laugh about the first time we meet whenever it gets brought up.

First impressions are something that should be taken very seriously. You might laugh and think it is a joke when people say first impressions can last a life time, but it’s true, they really do. You want to make sure you act your best because changing someone’s opinion they have of you is a very hard thing to do. Obviously it can be done but even then they will still have a faint memory of the way in which you acted that first time they met you.

Job interviews are a big one on the first impression scale. You are given a short period of time to try and convince someone to like you enough to hire you for the job. There are many different factors that go into having a good interview. A couple of the important ones include your attire, your body language, and your arrival time. You want to make sure that you dress appropriate to your age and to the situation that you are in. If you are unsure then it would be smart to call the office and figure out what their dress code is. Normally for any job that would mean formal wear. For women that would include a nice dress or a sharp looking pant suit. For a man that would include slacks with a slick tie and jacket. When at your interview you should make sure you demonstrate good body language like maintaining eye contact with your interviewer while speaking or while they are speaking to you. Being on time to things is a big key. It shows that you are responsible and organized. Plus nobody likes having to wait around on others. All these things must be done well so that they remember and like you or they will simply pick someone else for the job.

Overall, first impressions should not being something that you spend hours stressing about but they should be something that you take seriously. They can be scary sometimes but it is positive that you will live through them. Just make sure you remember that first impressions are important because they can make or break a relationship, last a lifetime, and can be the determining factor of whether you get the job or not.