First impression is always lasting in people’s minds. This is not just a saying anymore. Neurobiology studies have actually proven this. Employers just need around 3 seconds to decide whether they like you or don’t. So it’s essential for you to make a good presence online, so no one can doubt you. In today’s digital age it’s very important what you say, how you look and behave, as those are tools vital for job application. Several years ago, most of the impressions for jobs were formed through connections in real world, often times through the handshakes. So the first impression was gained face to face, and later on someone could learn about other through web. Now, it’s not about that anymore, what comes first is digital first impression.
There’s a saying that you don’t get a second chance to make first impression, and that’s true. For you, this means that digital identity has the full power do dissuade or engage. People are first going online to better get to know you, before even connecting with you in reality. So employers can make decision about you only based on what they can see on web. What was surprising to me to see was the fact that many professional companies still don’t threat online identity as something that’s absolute must to have. The truth is that, you never know who’s searching for you, and deciding that he’s not going to contact you because of the bad first online impression.
Ways to master the digital first impression
There are many ways you can build a nice portfolio to leave great first impression for employers and show yourself on the top of the pages. First of all, you must be creative. This means having something compelling and authentic about you. When you build a profile make sure to offer more than just pure facts, because people don’t attach emotionally to them. Let people know what’s your passion, who are you and how you create value. Try to get feedback of your portfolio from people you are trusting. Ask them their opinion, then if something is not right try to refine it and update until it looks right. First impression is so hard to change, we can see this from the fact that after we learn something about someone we’ve just met few seconds ago, in our mind we try to align information learned online with what we saw in reality.
This is why it’s important that your online identity represents the real you, if you want to max out your opportunities for pursuing career and connecting with others. For many people, LinkedIn is probably start point when they decide to learn something about someone. If you want to have real professional first impression then LinkedIn is your top priority page. Make sure to invest money in creating professional headshot, people like to connect a name to a face. You have to remain vigilant. This is not a one time event, so manage your brand all the time, be active and you will succeed in both digital and real world.
