by Ana-Maria Gavrila, PR & Communications Manager at Clifford Chance Badea
It only takes 7 seconds. Whether it’s good or bad, the stranger you have just met will X-Ray you in 7 seconds and made an opinion about who you are and whether you present some interest. And you will be stuck with that first impression for a long time. Should you want to change it, it will take some effort. Sometimes, it never happens.
We are all concerned about the first impression. Mostly because in business, professional or social occasions this is all we get. Worldwide, employers are beginning to conduct “CV-blind interviews” when recruiting graduates, looking to get the best people on the market, and not the ones with the best CV writing skills.
It’s about all those things the CV will never tell: your personality (are you a team player?, are you compatible with the current team?, are you reliable?, are you honest?), your value as a new employee or business partner (are you fit for the job?, will you make a difference?, will I benefit?), your intellect (how you think, how you put theory into practice, how quick you are at understanding different issues), your social and communications skills (how you dress, how you speak, how open you are to changes).
There’s no need for a trained eye to spot “the red flag” in the person in front of you. And, unfortunately for the ones trying to fake it, it’s almost always a subjective, inner-feeling decision.
A former employer once confessed to me that she was not entirely sure that I was a safe bet when she recruited me. I had as many chances to become her biggest mistake or her greatest achievement. It turned out she had a good instinct, as we did great things together. So I asked her, “What was it that made you decide?”. And the answer was, “I sensed and liked who you really were”.