Digitally Curious

CHAPTER 14YOUR DIGITAL FIRST IMPRESSION

When you meet someone for the first time, what is the first thing you do?

Apart from a handshake or other formal greeting, you most probably look them in the eye, perhaps at what they are wearing and notice whether they are smiling or not.

In many cases, we arrive at our first impressions about someone new in the first 90 seconds. In this initial period, the other person has an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on you. Do you continue to speak with them, or make excuses and find someone else to talk to?

We take great care to form a great first impression in real life, but do we also consider our digital first impression when we meet online?

In many ways, this is more important as people can “meet you” digitally before you meet in person. As the world continues on a path of hybrid and remote working post-pandemic, we can expect many of our “first impressions” to be formed online.

Analogue Networking

I’ve been networking at events all my adult life, and before that I watched my father do this at events we went to. When I provide career advice to students at universities and schools, I speak about how much easier it is to network today, and how I and others had to do it the old-fashioned, “analogue” way before LinkedIn and Twitter were invented.

Now people can form a first impression about you before you even meet in person.

I am fortunate to meet many senior business leaders from around the world, and I often ask them a probing ...