Work on improving your body language and presence

How often do you judge others based on their appearance and how they present themselves when you first meet? Do you notice their wrinkled shirt, frayed socks, and dirty shoes, and then form your opinion of this person? Or perhaps you notice their hunched posture, their nervous and weak handshakes, and their muttering as they introduce themselves before you have your point? Either way, I'm sure you're like many people who form impressions and views on others within the first few moments of meeting them.

I have spent more than ten years working as a recruiter and during those years I have spent an average of 45 minutes interviewing nearly 5,000 job seekers, until I have come to realize that my first impressions of each candidate and my opinions at the end of each interview are often compatible. Weak people didn't make good first impressions while the stronger candidates did make better first impressions.

It is very important that the way we express ourselves when we are with others is the way we want to be seen and recognized by others. Ideally, you should try hard to present yourself as best you can and be someone to remember, someone people want to work with and relate to. .

The way we express ourselves includes both visible and unseen elements. Visual elements include factors such as how we dress, how we speak and stand, where we focus our eyes when we speak, how well we shave our hair and beard and what kind of makeup we might wear. Invisible elements are partly related to visual elements. It may include how confident, nervous, arrogant, or happy we appear. We may dress and act professional or very confident, but still give others the opposite impression, because we have unconsciously revealed to others the fact that we don't feel comfortable in the suit or formal dress we are wearing.

First impressions matter

Here are some top tips on how to make a memorable, positive and lasting first impression on anyone you meet or communicate with. This advice is equally appropriate in all your interactions, even with colleagues you know well.

I cannot give you advice about what to wear in terms of clothing, shoes, accessories, hair style, and the like, except to say that you must feel comfortable in your choices, and they must be professional enough to suit the work environment in which you are, for example, someone who works in an investment bank may need To appear more formal than the person who works in a food factory. I always like to remind those I train of the old saying: (If you are in Rome, act as the Romans do), look around you and try to imitate and emulate some of your successful colleagues or superiors in the way they dress and behave.

In addition to mastering how to choose your clothes, here are some important things that you must follow:

Always look at the person you're communicating with face-to-face, even while speaking via video conference or Skype - people get uncomfortable when people avoid eye contact and may think you're nervous, uncomfortable, or hiding something.

Sit or stand up straight, keep your shoulders back, and avoid slouching with an arched back. Good posture builds confidence and is important to remember when you're both sitting or standing.

Shake hands with a confident and firm hand while maintaining eye contact. Allow others to cross the entrances before you.

Pay attention to how others treat you and imitate them whenever necessary, for example do not take off your coat until after others in the meeting do so, this imitation happens naturally, and often without our realization, and it is called (postural conformity), it is useful to be aware of this, and note how People often unconsciously imitate each other. In a meeting, people may sit with arms or legs crossed almost simultaneously.

Be Aware of Cultural Differences, Norms, and Expectations Cultural norms and taboos vary widely. For example, in many parts of the world you should not ask a woman for a handshake, you should not sit with your heels up, and you should not touch the other person.