Quick Confidence

1Make Strong First Impressions

If you've ever sat there, sweating in a blazer, while people lob difficult questions at you, you get it. Those special things called job interviews are just one example of the first impressions that can feel “make-or-break” in your career. How is it that so much can ride on other peoples’ 30- or 60-minute assessment of you as a human being? And how can a simple Q&A have such a disproportionate impact on your bank account, résumé, and future? We job candidates have our own power and agency (like the ability to walk away or not apply in the first place), but it's easy at moments like this to feel like they have all the power.

It's no wonder that situations like this make our heads spin with tension! In so many career moments, you are being sized up by others in a matter of minutes. But what makes this even trickier is that the rules are ambiguous: at a networking event, for example, we're told to present ourselves in an assured, confident way—but at the same time, we shouldn't come off as over-rehearsed or like a try-hard. And in pursuing a new role, just because we may want a job, we shouldn't convey that we need the job. Then, on our first day of a new job, we should make sure to dress in a smart, polished way, but we're cautioned about looking overly formal or out of touch. Talk about mixed messages!

The human need to search for acceptance from others, even early on in an interaction, is real. We evolved in such a way that sharing resources with ...