Last week I was a member of a panel at our local WorkSource (the WA State unemployment center). After the panel, for about an hour I met for a few minutes individually with members of the audience. I must say, the people I spoke to didn’t seem to understand that the impression they were giving me during our short 1:1 meetings WERE a first impression. First there was the gentleman that showed up in torn jeans, a black t-shirt with a skull on it, with unkempt hair and smelling of alcohol. He handed me his resume and surprisingly he looked like he could be a fit for one or two of the positions my company has open. But given his impression do you think I have any intention of forwarding his resume to a hiring manager?
Then there was the gentleman that was dressed nicely and started off the meeting well. But then he went into a story about his health issues the last year, and told me that he has several revenue streams, so he’s looking for something to challenge him, not because he "needs the money". OK, this is someone with too much drama in his life. And this was BEFORE he even offered me his resume. He’s been unemployed for the last couple of years, and he WAY over shared, to the point where red flags were going off.
I had a phone screen with someone last week and at the end of the conversation, she started asking me how she could get her foot in the door at another company I have worked with. This doesn’t exactly give the impression that my job is of interest to you, and indicates a low emotional quotient.
It bears repeating: first impressions do last.