How Important Are First Impressions?

BEAT

Do you stick by" A first impression is a lasting one" or do you not much think about such things?

I have this client who when I first met him was a complete jerk...even accused me of having a bad attitude , which has never happened before in the workplace..I was so upset that he would even say such a thing that his first impression has never left me and every time I have seen him since all I think is what a jerk he is and smile like nothing happened.

He has proven my point though, he is a shallow miserable little man who likes to make others as miserable as he is...but is that really the first impression you want to leave with someone?

I have bad days like everyone else and I make mistakes but I would hope that if I did something stupid when meeting someone new (which has happened) that they wouldnt hold it against me for the rest of my life.

what are your views on the subject?

SantaHoe

Screw it tbh, there's nothing you can do but be yourself really, too nice and they'll probably think you're one of those false painted-on-smile types... too cold and they'll think you're stuck up or dull.
I tend not to make decisions about people until I've had a number of bad interactions with them, although it depends on just how bad the first impression is!
I think first impressions count more when you're meeting someone that you're not likely to see regularly... you don't get a chance to prove them wrong, and for all that time their negetive view of you is just stewing away.

jesus_thats_gre

First impressions only last if it is a one off meeting and you dont have a chance to redeem yourself..

As you said, you just walk past the chap and just smile as if nothing happened after your initial meeting. Ye could end up having a totally different opionion if you sat talking to him for 5 mins again.

Ste-

They are very important and I tend to stick to them but with everything there are exceptions to every rule.

Johnny Versace

First impressions are incredibly important - you never quite recover from them.

As an ex of mine (who interviews people) said, "I know whether to employ them or not after 10 seconds."

So there you go.

Mossy Monk

first impressions mean **** tbh

simu

I'm very wary of first impressions because I've noticed that people interpret my expressions etc in completely different ways than I expect them to.

Johnny Versace

simu wrote:

I'm very wary of first impressions because I've noticed that people interpret my expressions etc in completely different ways than I expect them to.

Indeed. I am also aware of "first impressions" not being accurate, but I think most people are not like us. They are too busy or dumb to use their brain.

simu

If only everyone was as wonderful as us, eh?

:-)

uberwolf

important? If the person is willing and available to change their impression then no, it's not important. So it depends on attitude. Because if the person is not going to be around to change the impression then i guess it matters not.

Suaimhneach

There was a show on TV a good while ago about first impressions, and it was the same as Johny said bout the interviews.

Three actors were hired to go for an interview, one told to be sloppy, one told to be shy and one to be confident. Each were given equal qualifactions, but they did things like give the sloppy ones bags so she'd have to drop them and stuff. And the people taht were interviewing them didnt know they were actors, and basically psychologists had set it up so the confident one in a suit with hair tied up would be employed, which she was...

It was interesting to see how first impressions could get someone a job like.

CathyMoran

First time I met one of my best friends I felt that he came across as an arrogant, ignorant person - it was only after a few months when I got to know him better that I realised that why he is arrogant and ignorant he is also very caring and we just clicked. First impressions only matter if you never meet the person again.

BEAT

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

First impressions only last if it is a one off meeting and you dont have a chance to redeem yourself..

As you said, you just walk past the chap and just smile as if nothing happened after your initial meeting. Ye could end up having a totally different opionion if you sat talking to him for 5 mins again.

As a rule I dont generally make the first impression the most important one, but in this instance I have met with this client of mine several times after and his first impression was an indicator of what type of person he is. He isnt going to change and I have to deal with him whether I like it or not so I just smile when he is talking to me and try to remember that I dont see him that often so keep my mouth shut...cuz I wanna say something so bad about his attitude...now if it was out of work I'd let him have it
Damn the workplace and keeping a professional face!

Sleepy

I tend to just be myself unless it's a job thing where I probably act more confident and overtly helpful than I am in real-life, it's just professionalism really.

I do tend to judge people quite hevily on first impressions, though I'm always open to having my mind changed.

KlodaX

people do it subconciouslly ... you can't help it.. you have to judge someone on their first appearance if you only have a brief meeting with them .. what else are you going to go by? As much as we'd like to think it isn't important.. it is. If you come across as one way to a person .. untill you prove them otherwise that is how they see you. I try not to see people as a certain way untill I know for a fact that that is how they are. I leave blanks as opposed to filling them in with a trait that someone may have due to their first impression. On the other side people seem to stick first impressions with me ... its been said to me a few times by people .. oh you are nothing like what I first thought you where like. I think it takes time to knock off first impressions.

Blisterman

I don't judge people on first impressions, but other people do, so I try to make a good one.

Unpossible

It depends on the context, in an interview or on the first day at work first impressions make a big difference. But as you get to know people you see them differently.


Im going to stop rambling because I don't know where Im going with this