Tran 1

Tuyet Tran

Professor Mina Thompson

English Composition 1

September 13, 2015

False impression

People usually overestimate how important first impressions are, especially in an

interview situation. In my opinion, in the space of seconds, it is so hard to draw an appropriate

conclusions about somebody when we just meet them for the first time.

For example, two years ago, in an interview for the institutional broker position at a

securities company in Vietnam, I overcame many competitors to get that job finally. The reason

why I succeeded in that situation was not come from my interview skills, but it depended on my

professional knowledge and competence. I recalled my manager really impressed on my long-

term investment plan report during the interview in which I gave a transparent economic outlook

for Vietnam on yearly basis.

During the time I worked for that company, I often had lunch with my manager to discuss

more about our weekly reports. One day, he told me that his first impressions on me are false. He

admitted that when he met me at the interview, he only judged me from my appearance, my

voice, my eye contact which conveyed an impression of lack of confidence. However, my ability

to handle a stressful job proved me to be a valuable asset of the company. I realized that I did not

equip myself enough interview skills such as my appearance was not professional through the

style of my clothing, and my body language was not so persuasive. That was also a lesson for me

to improve myself.