You Have Just Thirty Seconds

Social psychologists studying the impact of image have determined that's how long it takes for someone meeting you to form a whole laundry list of impressions about your character and abilities. The list of impressions encompasses:

• Educational level
• Career competence and success
• Personality
• Level of sophistication
• Trustworthiness
• Sense of humor
• Social heritage

Now, thirty seconds doesn't give time to pull out your collage transcript, showcase your resume or present character references. It doesn't allow any time to explain that you have talent, skills, training and a substantial list of truly satisfied employers and customers.

In thirty seconds, people form all those different impressions based almost entirely on what they see -your clothes, hairstyle, carriage, smile and the rest of your nonverbal communications. Appearances do count.

These quick impressions can be lasting ones. Psychologists call it the halo effect. When your visual message is positive, the person you've just met will tend to assume that other aspects about you are equally positive. But unfortunately, if your visual message is negative, that new customer, client, coworker or prospective employer may not spend the time and effort to discover the talented person inside, even with a terrific grade point average.