How to Make a Good First Impression on your Interviewer

So you go out for shopping a week before, to get yourselves the perfect clothes and shoes. You revise all your concepts and put down all your documents in a very expensive folder, very neatly. But a night before you’re all nervous and on the interview day, you’re sweaty and scared about making any awkward or embarrassing mistake inside the interview room. You have all these negative thoughts running up and down your mind. Yeah, leave all that behind, and read the following article to make a really great first impression that may help you cover up for some silly little act.

• First of all, get your clothes right. Dress according to company you are interviewing for, a suit or a simple pair of formal button downs and pants. Don’t put on glittering accessories or a really strong perfume. Make sure your clothes are washed clean and properly ironed. If you are sloppily dressed, your interviewer would be instantly turned off. “Costumes are the first impression that you have of the character of the person before he opens his mouth.”
• When you enter the room, keep your head up and appear confident. Smile and greet properly, with a hello or maybe a Good-morning. Check your smile and avoid eating before you go for interview. You don’t want food sticking in between your teeth or a bad breath.
• When you greet your interviewer make sure you have a proper eye contact with him/her. Be the first to make a polite introduction by extending your hand for a hand-shake and mentioning your name. A firm handshake, not too tight and not at all limp, demonstrates confidence. With these little gestures you are conveying that you are ready, excited and confident.
• Keep your phone away. Not only when you’re inside the interview hall, but also when you are waiting for your chance. If you are waiting in the lobby or the reception, don’t just pull out your smart-phone and start reading your Facebook newsfeeds, instead go through your resume and other documents. Because your interviewer plans to make a sudden appearance at the lobby or reception, you won’t be embarrassing yourself by hiding your phone somewhere behind the sofa or stuffing it into your pocket.
• Make sure you have a proper resume prepared, and printed in color, and obviously with multiple copies. Also make sure your documents are neatly arranged in the folder, easily accessible to your interviewer. You should be able to pull out your resume, documents or even a pen on command, because you’re your interviewer has probably made a decision while you are ruffling through your bag to find yourself a piece of paper. Be quick, be efficient, be sharp.
• And the most important part, BE ON TIME. Infact be early. Make yourself comfortable with the surrounding, talk to the receptionists or other interview candidates. The interviewer is the last person who would like to wait for you.

Before you go on to answer the question, “Why should we hire you?”, get these little things right, and the man behind the desk would be willing to listen to what you are about to tell him. If you get even one of these wrong, you lose the opportunity of convincing him why you need the job. After all, first impression is the last impression, and you never have second chance to make the first impression.