Blog, Career, Motivation, Self Development, Self Improvement
Recruitment: The First Impression Evolution
Sep
Recruitment: The evolution of the first impression
Recruitment, First Impressions and Professional Online Network
Thanks to modern technology, when it comes to recruitment, first impressions are no longer what they used to be. Before the internet, when you met a recruiter at an interview, it was almost certain to be the first time they had seen you. However, with the ever-increasing number of online social networks (both professional and personal), it’s safe to say that recruiters can find out a lot more about you before that first meeting, than ever before.
Based on this, you need to be mindful of your online presence. Do not just focus on how you handle yourself when you meet people face-to-face.
Opening the door digitally – LinkedIn the Worlds Number One, Online Professional Network
The first thing a potential employer will see when they research you online is most probably your profile picture. Whether we like it or not, its human nature for us to form opinions about people based on their appearance alone. So we need to make sure these convey who we really are. LinkedIn in the worlds number one, online professional network, with the majority of recruiters using it as a tool to identify and review potential clients (side note: if you don’t have an profile on LinkedIn set up, we suggest you create one today!).
Your profile picture on any professional network such as LinkedIn, must be just that – professional. A picture of you drinking with friends at a party is fine for some social sites such as Facebook, but you have to ask whether its gives off the right confirmation of your professional capabilities.
Even fact will not change first impressions [1]
Headshot London, who are a commercial photographic agency, tell us “Almost every client and/or company employee we shoot now has, as part of their photographic brief- requirements for Linkedin portraits“[2]. They have seen a huge rise in the amount of clients that come in for professional head shots. Ranging from people who are just starting out in their career, to the well-established top executives. The styles of portrait range considerably from standard looking portraits to more and more interestingly lit, character portraits. The range increases as people discover better aesthetic values in order to get noticed by other professionals. This goes to show that whilst you might not be able to invest in professional pictures, you should make sure that you put some thought and effort into the picture you choose.
Closing the deal in person – Now put on Your Tailored Suit
Once you’ve secured an interview, be sure to make sure your first ‘in-person’ impression eradicates any concerns they might have had over your online persona. As soon as you walk into a room, you want to make a clear statement to your potential employer; about who you are and why you’re the best person for the job. Before you have a chance to speak, your attire will have already been speaking for you. So you need to ensure you’re dressed the part.
“We judge books by their covers, and we can’t help but do it,” said Nicholas Rule, Ph.D., of the University of Toronto. “As soon as one sees another person, an impression is formed,” Rule said. “This happens so quickly — just a small fraction of a second — that what we see can sometimes dominate what we know.” [3]
A Great Tailor Made Suit is the Perfect Item Now
For both men and women a great tailored suit is often the perfect option to delivering a great first impression. A bespoke tailored suit says you care about your appearance. It says you prioritise and invest in how you look. This shows the recruiter that you could have the potential to be a strong ambassador for their company too.
And that’s not all, when you dress the part you begin to feel and act like the part too. Feeling successful means you’re in the right mind state for any interview. This can actually help you edge ahead of the rest of the candidates.
Everything in your job search wont always go smoothly, and curve balls can be expected. But always remember you can control how you come across visually, both online and in person. And whilst looking the part is only the beginning, it will mean that you’re off to a flying start.
Let us know what you think of recruitment today and the first impression.
Have any style questions you want answered? Send them into ask@mortsandmore.com
As always contact us here to come in and have a suit consultation to take your first impression to another level
See you soon
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[1] http://www.spsp.org/?PressRel_14Feb14_1 ,Society for Personality and Social Psychology [2] www.headshotlondon.co.uk , Headshot London [3] http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/02/15/the-power-of-a-first-impression/65944.html