In a study conducted by Prof Tricia Prickett and colleagues at the University of Toledo, Ohio, the decision that trained interviewers made in a 20-minute interview looking at job experience and skills was predicted by random observers looking only at the first 20 seconds of the interview.
A study on first impressions in
interviews by Bryan Swider and colleagues at Scheller College of Business,
Georgia Institute of Technology, found that interviewees who made a good
initial impression on the interviewer(s) received better scores for the
questions they answered in the interview than those who made a poor first
impression. Research indicates that the first 20 seconds – the initial greeting
when you enter the room and walk across to your chair – in an interview could
be key in determining the outcome of the entire interview.
Qualifications
for the job, how you answer questions etc. are assessed after the first
impression in a live interview. The most qualified candidate who makes
the right first impression gets the offer.
