Written by Vaclav Koranda

How to Make a Great Second Impression

Every “interview guru” will tell you that you absolutely must make a great first impression at an interview, otherwise you are finished. But really?

Throughout my career, I have conducted hundreds of interviews. Guess how many times we had the following discussion with the hiring manager: “I want to hire this guy; he has the perfect skills and experience we need and is a great fit for the team!” — “True, but he didn’t make a great first impression.” … Yes, you are right, NEVER. Have I witnessed candidates who managed to create a fantastic first impression, only to shatter it in the final moments when the interview was drawing to a close? Absolutely!

There is even a study that scientifically proves that the belief that most interviewers make very quick decisions about job applicants may be overstated.

Of course, you should make every reasonable effort to create a good first impression – no doubt it will help you throughout the interview. However, you shouldn’t stress about it too much. The general rule says that an interview should never last less than 20 minutes so you will have more than one chance to prove yourself.

The key to acing an interview isn’t just about making a great first or second impression; you need to maintain a positive impression throughout. However, it’s essential not to obsess over the impression you’re creating. Constant fixation on it can negatively impact your overall performance.

There are only two things you should focus on in an interview to create the most favourable impression possible:

  1. Being the best version of yourself;
  2. Demonstrating in your answers that you are the perfect fit for the job.

Whilst doing so, observe the interviewer’s reactions, especially nonverbal cues and microexpressions. If you sense that something is going wrong, don’t panic; you can always try to remedy it with your next answer (you can learn how to master answering job interview questions in my book).

Impressions can be tricky, however. I think we’ve all experienced this: Sometimes you meet a complete stranger, and they like you from the first minute, and you don’t really understand why. Sometimes it’s the opposite – you meet a person, and everything goes wrong from the first moment no matter what. This is often due to the other person having a conscious or unconscious bias towards or against you. Perhaps they like or dislike your clothing, hairstyle, or facial features, which might resemble someone with whom they had positive or negative experiences in the past.

Remember that you can only control your behaviour, not the interviewer’s perception of it. No matter what you do or say, you can never be sure beforehand whether the other side will like it or not. Don’t forget to take every interview as a learning opportunity. If it doesn’t work out, well, at least you did your best and got a chance to practise your interviewing skills which brought you one step closer to success.

Good luck!

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