Number of words: 218

There are jobs where first impressions should count. A salesperson is going to be meeting people all day. Whatever combination of charisma, appearance, and body language makes a good first impression is a legitimate factor in a hiring decision. For most other jobs, first impressions are less important. For someone who is going to be sitting in a cubicle writing code, they may be irrelevant.

Just as substance abusers need to admit their problem before they can get help, interviewers should recognize their first-impression problem. It really does appear that many interviewers make an unconscious decision within the first seconds of the interview. They then ask wishy-washy questions whose answers may be interpreted as they please.

It is important to ask questions where the answers may challenge the first impression. For many types of jobs, logic puzzles are one way of doing that. It’s also a good idea to always make a mental note of your first impression of acandidate. At the end of the interview, compare your opinion to that first impression. If it’s the same, make sure that you can justify why it’s the same. If your opinion of thecandidate has changed, make sure you know why that is too.

Excerpted from page numbers 140-141 of ‘How Would You Move Mount Fuji?’ by William Poundstone.