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Job Interviews & Careers vocabulary · The Interview

First impression

Meaning in job interviews & careers, with examples

nounCore term

In job interviews & careers, first impression means: The opinion someone forms about you in the first moments of meeting you, based on how you look, speak and behave.

In Turkish: ilk izlenim

How it is used

Often heard in job-seeking contexts: 'make a good first impression', 'first impressions count'. It is linked to being on time, clothing, greeting, handshake and body language, and is also used about CVs and LinkedIn profiles.

Example sentences

  1. Arriving late is not the best way to make a first impression.

  2. Your CV is often the recruiter's first impression of you.

Common collocations

  • make a good first impression
  • positive first impression
  • first impressions count
  • strong first impression
  • body languageThe messages you send with your posture, facial expressions, eye contact and hand movements, often without saying a word.
  • job interviewA formal meeting in which an employer asks a candidate questions to decide whether they are right for a job.
  • video interviewAn interview held over a video call, or one in which you record answers to set questions on camera for the employer to watch later.
  • elevator pitchA short, clear summary of who you are and what you offer, short enough to say during an elevator ride, about 30 to 60 seconds.

More terms: The Interview

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