First Impressions in Business

First impressions are forever going to play a role in human behavior. Anytime a person is in a situation for the first time, her or she forms an impression of the other party. First impressions take seconds to form, but can have major implications if the wrong impression is portrayed. Very little about the other person is left untouched by our subconscious minds during the formation of the first impression. We tend to think that we have figured out who the whole person is, all within a single minute. This creates immense pressure on us to ensure that the right first impression is portrayed.
The formation of the first impression happens very quickly. As stated by Jane (n.d.), "it takes just 30 seconds after meeting to form key impressions about an individual's education level, career competence, success levels, personality, trustworthiness, social background and sense of humour" (p. 7). In just 30 short seconds, we are capable of forming an impression of someone that spans just about every aspect of their life. One of the most important situations we encounter where the first impression is emphasized is the job interview. Evans (2007) states that the hiring managers frequently use the first impression of candidates to base their hiring decisions. The author goes on to explain that this is why it is so important that we make great first impressions, because it just might be the last impression we get (Evans, 2007). There are many ways one can influence the first impression formed by the other party. One must be willing to be intentional and to think about his or her attitude, appearance, and nonverbal cues when interacting with others. In addition to the familiar job interview, we also experience first impressions in our everyday life. Helmstra (1999) points out that "we begin to form our first impression of the people around us as soon as we see them, often well before we actually meet and the first words are exchanged" (p. 71). When you first walk into a public place, your body language and facial expressions are seen by others, and people immediately begin to form an impression of you.
After reading the first scenario of John as an extrovert, I pictured him as a friendly, very social and an outgoing person. I pictured John as social and friendly because in the story he talked with people all along his journey from the office, to the stationary store and back to the office.