First Impressions

A friend said first impression is very important as you would not be given a 2nd chance to improve it. True. Mostly. I happen to also think that first impression can be somewhat superficial and circumstantial. I have congratulated myself many times when I was proven right, to have avoided making a mistake about someone, and other times I was glad I had been wrong.

The saying that one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover holds considered caution applied to people too. All of us have more than one facet to our personality and character, which are influenced by emotions as well as circumstances. The first meeting between two strangers already lay down the invisible barrier somewhat, that each is not at total ease with the other. That alone alters people's manners, behaviour and speech to some extent.

Say you are being interviewed for a position. Understandably you might be a bit nervous, that could give the impression of timidity. If you are over anxious to please you might be construed as being too subservient, lacking self assurance. If you want to show off that you are well and fully qualified for the job, you might speak decisively and for too long illustrating your capability, but that could be interpreted as being over arrogant. While in real truth, you are none of that, you are just not sure really what kind of a person the other is, or what his pre set concept is, nor what he wants to find in you, so that you know how to fit the requirement.

When I worked as a model, the profession demanded a certain image I must keep. I needed to dress in a certain style, frequent only places where my presence might be beneficial to whatever product I was connected with at the time, to give it support and further promotion, I must be seen drinking only the brand of coffee or wine I had given my image to ... and never wear my hair long while my next hair show was to promote the short style. Well that was Me, but not exactly.

There had been a short period when I overlapped the modelling job with my profession as a teacher, in an English school for adults. I needed to change into my rather plain and prim dress without the mascara, 2 inch long dangling earrings and 4 inch high heels. That's Me too, but again not really. If the headmaster who interviewed me was also the company director who was seeing me for a modelling job, he would get two entirely different impressions of the same Me, perhaps on the same day.

Off duty as teacher or model, The 3rd Me was almost sloppy. I occasionally wrote titbits for newspapers and magazines, nothing serious nor important, only short articles on varied and light hearted themes. I went about with my hair gathered by a rubber band, T-shirt and jeans, if at home often bare footed and usually chewing something, likely with food crumbs all over the front of my shirt. I did mention in a couple of Blogs that I love eating, right?

Tags: 1stImpressions,TeacherModel