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Hiring Rock Star Employees, Part 10: The Power of a First Impressions

Hiring Rock Star Employees, Part 10: The Power of a First Impressions
Laura Hatch

In the last installment of this series, I recommended that you give equal weight to the first impression of a candidate by your current staff..

 

Now that your staff has had a chance to weigh in, it’s time to consider your first impression of the candidate.

 

At this point, I suggest that you trust whatever your gut tells you—any initial like or dislike. Much of the information you gain during an interview is based on nonverbal communication: posture, eye contact, facial expressions etc.

 

However, it is wise to mix in some calculated judgments.

 

What does your initial glance tell you? Take a good look at your potential new hire.  Is he or she put together well?  Or are you dealing with someone who just rolled out of bed? Do they appear to take good care of clothes and other belongings?  Would he or she match the culture of YOUR office?

 

Also, pay attention to the details of how he or she interacts with you in the first few moments being in the room together. Does the candidate make appropriate eye contact and offer a warm smile? What immediate thoughts do you have about his or her personality?

 

First impressions may not always be 100% accurate, but they do provide useful information to round out the total picture of the candidate later on, when you are weighing your hiring options.

 

Remember that this person is going to represent you and your office, so make sure you aren’t trying to just make the person “fit” even though your gut feeling is that they don’t.  Too often offices wait too long to hire someone or they get so discouraged with the candidates that they lower their expectations and hire the wrong person, even though they knew at this point that this person wasn’t a fit.

You’re almost there—the magic moment of actually hiring a rock star job candidate! Tune in next time for part 11 of this 12-step series, when I’ll share my favorite job interview questions to elicit useful information about a candidate.

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