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How to Make a Good First Impression
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This is a true story. Years ago, I interviewed for a job with a well-known, multi-billion-dollar global company. I was flown in the night before, and interviewed with the hiring manager, the hiring manager’s boss, and the hiring manager’s HR partner.
The interviews ended at noon, so around 1 p.m., the agency managing the search called me to ask how it went.
“How did it go?” I answered. “I honestly have no idea!”
The interview with the hiring manager had gone well, and she even suggested that we get together at the end of the day for an unscheduled debrief, so I was feeling good about the job. At the end of the last interview, though, the HR manager abruptly walked me to the elevator without asking me if I had any questions. I was sent on my way without so much as a “thanks for visiting.”
I probably looked ridiculous standing there on the sidewalk in my suit, staring back at the building with my little file folder of extra resumes in my hand! As I recovered, I realized that no one had discussed next steps with me, let alone given me a timeline. I hadn’t even received a company brochure! Mama mia, what had I done wrong?
It’s so difficult to do everything right when you’re working with a candidate. Not a week goes by that you don’t read about the shortage of talent, so there’s just no room for mistakes in managing the “candidate experience.”
In addition, finding talent is now quite complex, and best-in-class companies and recruiters are doing more proactive sourcing, so the process is likely to include more steps. This means potentially dozens, even hundreds, of emails, phone calls, discussions, and interviews before a hire occurs.
The point is, with so many distinct interactions with candidates, simple statistics make it unlikely that you’ll be able to ensure every single step comes off flawlessly. Instead of trying to be perfect, I recommend you concentrate on making the first and last interactions count the most.
In studies going back to the 1920s, scientists noticed a peculiar pair of phenomena now known as the Primacy Effect and the Recency Effects. These effects were noted when experimental subjects were asked to look at lists, then recall as many items as they could. It was observed that people tend to recall items from the end of the list first, and when attempting to recall earlier items, they recall the first few items best.
Subsequent research led to many fascinating insights about how our memory works, and most psychologists and sociologists acknowledge that the phenomena probably result from the processes our brains use to store information.
Primacy occurs because as we begin filling our short-term memory with items, there are fewer items to remember, allowing them to make a stronger impression on the memory center. Earlier items are also more likely to end up in our long-term memories.
Recency is probably just due to the fact that the items memorized last are freshest in our mind, and are stored in our “working memories.”
As I recall my visit to that company years ago, these two phenomena are definitely at work. The first memories that come to mind are the call I received when I was first told about the job, and the odd sensation associated with being unceremoniously escorted from the building after I thought things were going so well.
Can you recall a similar experience from a past interview experience? If you’re like many people, you’ll remember things that happened at the end of the process, and then things that happened right at the beginning.
Whether you run an agency, perform contract recruiting, or work for a large company, it’s important to make sure all your candidate interactions are awesome. However, the old adage about making a good first impression is more that just a piece of quaint advice. In fact, it is a scientific fact that your first impression is one that will stay with your clients.
Here are four ways you can ensure people have a great “first impression” when you contact them:
How important is it to manage your company’s first impression? Consider your candidate database and determine how many names are in it right now. Thousands?
Even if you’re the busiest recruiter in the world, most of your candidates will not get a job with your company. However, every one of them will remember their first interaction with you, even if it’s only a visit to your website.
Leaving people with a great impression is also important, and I believe this is the area of greatest opportunity for most of us.
Here are four suggestions for leaving candidates feeling good:
In today’s recruitment market, no one can get away with randomly interacting with job seekers and simply hoping for the best. While an unbroken chain of perfect interactions is the goal we should all be shooting for, making the first and last interactions the best interactions is the next best thing.
By the way, in case you’re wondering how my adventure in the big city turned out all those years ago, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, I never heard back from the hiring manager, nor did I ever hear from the agency with whom I was working.
Every once in a while I run into a colleague who works for that company, and she always promises to find out “what ever happened with that job.” She needn’t trouble herself, though. Whether I like it or not, my brain has already stored some very powerful memories about my experience!