First impression is the best impression. This is a famous line which almost everybody uses when someone goes to a new place or does something for the first time. I would like to state that impression management is a technique in which people attempt to influence the opinions of other people about an individual. It is generally accompanied with self-presentation, in which a person tries to influence the perception of their image.
I would like to explain Impression Management by citing an example of a credit card user. If a person pays his bills on time, then he would maintain a good credit history, and could create a good image (creating an impression) for himself. This could have good impact and would enable the person to apply for loans and sanctions. But on the other hand if the same person does not pay his bills on time, and becomes a delinquent customer, then his image (bad impression) could go bad and he might potentially be denied any loans and his interest rates may go high, just because he created a bad impression by being a delinquent customer.
What I would like to convey is - one could face mask, but character masking is tough. Impression Management is not acting like a good guy, it is behaving like a good guy and it should be self-motivated one so that it appears real without any faking or masking.
People easily make a judgment based on one incident (impression). If a guy is found robbing a place and is arrested for theft, he creates an image for himself as a bad guy. If another theft occurs and this guy happens to be in that place, but is not involved in the theft, he still gets arrested because of his previous impression as a thief; he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. In this case for this guy, his first impression turns out to be his worst impression.
Another example of Impression Management with respect to an office environment is - an employee could impress his boss and be in good terms with the boss, if this is successful then the employee might not have the fear of job-security, since he is close to his boss. This is the reason why people say – “YOU DON’T HAVE TO KNOW YOUR JOB, YOU JUST GOT TO KNOW YOUR BOSS”
I have posted about this topic not to impress anyone but to create an impression that impression is impressive
On the topic of impression management, I would like to bring awareness to the fact that more and and more employers are "Googleing" their potential employees, after all this is becoming the "first impression".
About 2.5 billion images are uploaded to just Facebook each month, many of them are teenagers and college students advertising the great party they attended over the holiday, or weekend. What they don's consider is that those images are property of the internet and everyone and everything that gets ahold of them. As of right now, a Facebook page can only be deactivated, it cannot be deleted, therefore your imformation will always be in their database. Just googling your email address or email handle can come up with everything you have ever signed up for on the internet. Go ahead... try it. So as many teenage and college students move into their career path, they need to be taught about what to say and not so say on the internet. These comments and images can paint a very clear picture of the person they are researching.
Many people like to share their lives with friends, family, and even some strangers, but when you are job searching or your job is searching you because they need to maintain an image, the impression you paint of yourself in world wide community also can project views of the company you work for.
Personally speaking, I have a job site where I place my portfolio and job history. This site allows you to see the version of your portfolio that the employer will see when viewing your profile, and next to my name is a "Google Me" button.
So before you wonder why you can't find a job or lost the one you have, perhaps you should research your digital self and find out what information is floating around the world about you.
This is a great part of impression management in the new age media scene, and with the growing number of internet jobs via telecommunication, this is the only image anyone ever knows you by, so make it a good one.
Impression Management To begin, I would like to say that I agree with the opinions of each of the previous bloggers. However, I feel that impression management goes much beyond an online or company profile or information in an SQL database. Impression management is an essential tool for any successful businessman or woman. Business can be conducted anywhere, any place, and at any time. This requires that we are capable of attracting the type of individuals who are potential allies in our goal achieving journeys. This also requires us to not detract potential individuals for any reason. Impression management, under this premise, is more than just our physical appearance. We want to promote an image of intelligence, affability, and potential. This requires us to present ourselves as individuals who have a more than limited concept regarding current events, fluency in business or industry related topics as well as knowledge about social on goings such as music, politics, literature, and sports. The way we communicate is also very important. Having a grasp of English or the rregional language is important. We should be able to excite and intice people through our communication skills. In social settings, it is important to maintain the correct image as well. At important functions, we are representing ourselves and maintaining dignity is important. We don’t want to leave someone with an impression that we drink too much and can’t keep it together or that we say inappropriate things or act out of context. Our ability to network is an integral part of our future success and people want to network with individuals they believe are successful or have the potential to be successful. Impression management is our passport to making such things happen.
Impression Management (IM) is basically a conscious or unconscious goal, which is directed towards controlling the impressions we give of ourselves to other people. We do this almost every time when, we interact with new people, give a job interview, etc. These everyday interactions are strategic encounters in which people try to ‘sell’ a particular self-image. In regards to how we use IM during job interviews, it is good to remember that there is an extent to which IM is effective. Just because we employ more IM does not necessarily mean the other party gains a better impression of us, hence there is a very fine line between just the right amount of IM and overdoing it. Interviewers sometimes mark you down for not managing impression sufficiently (e.g. not being smart enough, not being assertive enough, etc.) or they could mark you down for managing it too much (e.g. boasting, exaggeration, etc.). According to Human Resource researchers, whether or not you get the job depends heavily on what they think of you as a person, it can sometimes be even more important than qualifications and experience. Once hired, IM can help people in organizations get favorable evaluations, superior salary increases and more rapid promotions. There are situations in which individuals are more likely to misrepresent themselves and even get away with it! But misrepresentations can come at a very high cost, therefore as an impression manager one must be cautious not to be perceived as insincere or manipulative.
Impression Management is a very dynamic process which we are all participate in on a daily basis whether we desire to or not. Everyday you are making new impressions on others and others are forming new impressions about you.
In the workplace, good impression management is critical to getting a job. While on the job it is still extremely important because it can affect your relationship with your boss, co-workers, and others within the organization. I know in my work experience I have also seen plans get turned down when presented by a certain individual, but then see the same plan get passed when presented by a different individual with better impression management skills.
With that being said, I think that while impression management is important it should not be used as a substitute for achievement. One without the other will not achieve the lasting results that most of us want to achieve in our lives. Although the following quote underemphasizes the value of a “first impression”, I think it sums up my point.
“My dad told me when I went into high school, 'It's not what you do when you walk in the door that matters. It's what you do when you walk out.' That's when you've made a lasting impression.” -Jim Thome, professional baseball player
IMPRESSIONS are definitely something which should be created good if someone has to have a good opinion about you. Well, impression management is one thing which is very vital as well as hard to create . I mean, eg. If you had incomplete task assigned to you at work, you could be in a hot seat next day because it creates an impression that you don't work! But impression is not just about how you work but also about how you talk to people, how you behave, how you treat people etc etc. Just a simple smile can give people impression about you being polite.
We had a small seminar a few months back at workplace which was related to Cross-Cultural Behaviors. I was really surprised at one thing that i learned. Even the way of saying "Hi" can effect our impressions on others. I mean it can create a impression on people around us that we are arrogant or we do not have a good attitude. Who knew just a casual way of saying "Hi" has different representation in different cultures. Even the way you shake hands counts for impression of people that one is feeling less confident or is confident or is scared etc etc.
And ofcourse impressions are something which you have to deal with in our day-to-day lives too. One of the important things of Impression Management is being Expressive. Why? Because the way you express yourself in front of people gives them an impression of the kind of person you are. Imagine if you are always frustrated or angry at your workplace or home, Everybody will feel like you have a bad attitude and cannot take pressure at work. But on the other side if you are polite and do your work, everybody will have an impression that you are calm and composed, hard-working, have positive approach at work and have a good attitude. Impression Management is something which everyone deals with, i mean, whether its you, or corporate people or people around you or your friends or your workplace colleagues. Eg. People don't really hire candidates who do not give good impression on them as well. It means just being knowledgeable in the corresponding subject doesn't count at all times. Sometimes you need to be Confident, Communicative etc. Because, that gives the impression to the person that not only the candidate is sharp in subject but also confident which can land the candidate in achieving the Job. And that is just because of one impression.
I think it is definitely not easy to create good impression on everyone or even maintain a good impression always But Being Communicative, Being Polite and Expressive, Confident, Enthusiastic, Being at good Behavior as well as having positive approach and good attitude do count for Impression management.
For me, getting ahead in the workplace used to mean just working hard. My dad used to say work longer hours than your boss; that will get you ahead. While he was right, I used the extra time at work not just to complete all my assigned tasks but also to learn more technical skills that enabled me to get ahead, there was one key piece missing that I did not learn until several years on the job: the art of ingratiation and self-promotion. While I still have much to learn on this art, I have learned to capitalize on some of these key elements to gain a valuable reputation for myself in the workplace. Although self-promotion is innate in some people, for me, it had to be learned and I am still actively learning it today.
One example of ingratiation is to exhibit behaviors or outcomes that are in line with the boss’ objectives. At a company function, I unknowingly sat next to a top-level manager in my first week on the job. Once he found out what I did, he said there are five things that are my key watch items right now and you are instrumental to the success of two of them. So I became an expert in one of the key watch items that were of upmost importance to him. I spent extra hours on the job devoting myself to learning all I could about one of these key areas. I developed a grass-roots acknowledgement on my knowledge of this subject which eventually made its way back to this top-level manager. In developing this niche in my workplace, I had a task autonomy that came to be viewed as valuable.
I then practiced some self-promotion tactics by becoming the “go-to” person for which this top-level manager could go to learn more about the state of this key watch item. I took a trip to California to visit a site that was in dire straits in this critical metric. When I returned, this top-level person asked me about my trip to California. The more immature me would have said, “The weather was great but man, the traffic was a real bummer.” However, I anticipated this question in advance and gave a more relevant response. “The team made some key observations on why their site was unsuccessful and some of the challenges they faced. Challenge A is faced because their organizational hierarchy is fragmented and the functions are centrally-managed away from the actual execution of production.” These key observations were critical in changing me from a passive participant to an active observer and communicator to the state of affairs to upper-management.
The next challenge I have is in establishing myself as a leader, who is not just good at planning but also managing others. I hope that as I learn more about impression management; I can take it to the next level of developing and branding myself as a leader.
Impression Management is a very simple concept that we deal with on a daily basis, especially at work. Here is a story that was told to me recently: One my girlfriend currently worked as a QA engineer for a large IT corporation. She is told by her direct boss on Friday to interview a possible candidate that he is thinking about hiring for one of the positions he has available. And this position besides the skills needed demand a great level of team spirit and team work. My friend is sent to the meeting with a list of questions and is supposed to take notes and later on report to her manager with of course her “impressions” of the person she is going to meet. During the meeting, the candidate who was a woman seemed much stressed and was not courteous she said. She almost never answered the questions asked but was rather asking her own questions which were mostly irrelevant. She was actually trying to read some of the notes my friend was taking and ended up asking her very quickly if she knew what her compensation will be like in case she gets the position she is line for. My friend left the room with this thought in her mind: “I have a bad vibe about this particular person”. Now, thinking about this story took me of course to Impression Management. Can we say here that this candidate completely missed this simple contest of “First impression” or can we say that she was misjudged? Kimberly D. Elsbach, a pioneer in Management and Organizational Behavior, calls “Impression Management” “Perception Management” to talk about this concept on a more individual level. She explained that the way one will present himself is the ground from which ideas (or perceptions) will be formed about the individual. This candidate could have been a perfect one for the position she applied for but the fact that she left a rather “bad” impression reduced her chances tremendously. In conclusion, Impression Management is also what we call “self-representation”. The way we want to be perceived by our environment is totally up to us in a way. The way we present ourselves set the ground on how others will classify us or how others will approach us.
Impression management can have a strong impact on the things we do in our everyday lives. If impression management is perceived as insincere it could entail some risks, thus it may apply when it is encouraged by certain goals. In case of job interviews, candidates tend to apply impression management when they strongly desire a job. While an interviewees’ exercise of self-promotion and ingratiation may influence interview outcomes regarding the candidates in a more positive manner, hiring process is still a more sophisticated measure and usually rely on multiple performance factors. Thus, we consider such effects to be unique and to expand far from the impact of interns’ in-role job performance. Some positive impacts of impression management resulting from job interviews are employment opportunities and better interview ratings by interviewers. Since impression management styles could discriminate against candidates with lower impression management skills, there are ways available in order to limit and control the impact of undesirable impression management during job interviews. One option is to being able to modify interview questions if impression management tactics used are appropriate for that job position. Second option can be in great assistance when interviewee uses misleading impression management tactics which the organization should be able to cope with that by being flexible. The interview process is a state in which conscious impression management is used due to its win or lose situation. Therefore, most of the pressure is concentrated from outcomes related to the impression management impact. Equity theory proposes that candidates normally demand fair and equal returns in the interpersonal relationship which is the equal ratios of their input to their output. The exchange of information between an interviewer and interviewee during a job interview is considered as an input which will at the end impact the outcome of their own interview. This impact on the outcome could either result in candidate’s selection for the job position by the organization or impresses the interviewee enough so the selected candidate accepts the job offer.
Thank you so much Annette for your focus on actually employing Impression Management. One of the greatest errors we make as individuals is recognizing but not always employing our knowledge. The key to impression management is not only to be able to recognize how you appear to others but also how to manipulate that appearance. And this is not limited to your online or in person appearance - but can also be brought into your impression in a resume. In an article I read "A Rose by Any Other Name: Identity and Impression Management in Resumes”, Kaplan and Fisher examine typology in resumes and how job applicants influence perceptions of their identity using either assertions or omissions. I found this concept fascinating because it was very informative on the fact that what you are including in your resume is actually just as important as what you are leaving out. An example of these the authors address up are leaving out your involvement with a GBLT group in college, a woman called Shanice Nicole Cooper labeling herself Nicole Cooper on her resume and another woman labeling herself A.J. Monroe instead of Ashley Jean Monroe. These omissions are to curb those reading a resume from biases on gender, race, or sexual preference. Although these are important aspects of who we are - it is important to realize that the items you include on your resume may unfairly allow that person to create a bias of you - and if there are aspects of yourself you can control - fairly - in omissions - then we should take advantage of the ability to use impression management.
An example of the primacy effect, the first impression is usually the strongest. The first impression, even if modified, always lingers in a person's mind because of the nature of human memory and can be either an amazing personal aid or an obstacle that must be consistently overcome.
There is a great deal of pressure to be at the top of one's game when first interacting with a person, pressure that some know how to manage and others crack beneath--ultimately giving an even less than average impression of themselves.
Whether it is on a date, at a job interview, or waiting in line at the bank, your first interactions with a person hit hard, but regardless of the impact this impression can be changed through consistent behavior to the contrary or additional impression management tactics. A strong, direct leader may come off as insensitive, to manage this impression that same leader may hold a celebratory day or a casual Friday where a fun, goofy environment is the theme.
It is common for individuals to label others with adjectives like "lazy" or "outgoing" without taking the time to really find out what that person is about and what their motivations are. Humans are complex and in both forming and understanding impressions this complex nature must be observed and respected when making decisions. Additionally, impressions can be managed and balanced through employing various impression management tactics.
As I have been studying impression management, the topic of dress code for my position has been under reevaluation. I work in a position where I facilitate communication between patients and families and the hospital staff. Historically, the position has called for business professional attire. When I asked my supervisor the purpose of this, he stated that on occasion, we must speak on behalf of the hospital administration, so business professional is appropriate. In addition, we often have to work with physicians and hospital directors and give them our recommendations for communication. Business professional attire may give the perception of authority and competence, and aid in facilitating communication with the staff.
On the other hand, a huge part of the position is gaining trust and empathy with the patients and families. Our patient family population historically is of a lower socioeconomic status. Often a full suit can be a barrier to open communication. You often have to “work past the suit.”
I would also state that business professional may be more helpful to some individuals than others. For example, one gentleman in our department is 6’5’’. When he wears a full suit and tie, he comes off as somewhat intimidating. I am 5’0’’ with a very young face. I would argue that I would not come off as intimidating, and business professional may actually help the perception that I am trying to portray.
Bottom line, there are arguments for business professional and business casual in this position that both are valid, depending on who you are trying to relate to.
Here are some of the statistics with respect to impression management.
1. Body language makes for 55% of the first impression, 38% is made tone, pitch & pace of your voice and 7% is made of what you say.
2. Doing a good job accounts for 10% of the impression you give, 90% of the impression you give of being capable is based on perception 1)Presentation of work 2) Presentation of self 3)Being seen to be “doing a good job”
3.Situated Identities proposes that for each social setting there is a pattern of social behavior that conveys an identity particularly appropriate for that setting. We need to have our identity situated before we can proceed in an interaction. If you confuse a customer with an employee in a store, the interaction is confusing until the situation is clarified, and the roles are properly identified. Here is where impressions, including first impressions, come into play, as they can situate a person's identity.
One of the aspects of impression management that I have always found interesting is its relationship to and effect on the hiring process. As others have previously posted, impression management is all about how to identify and manipulate the appearance others have of you. Creating a positive appearance is never more crucial than during the pre-employment screening process. Companies utilize several pre-employment screening processes in order to find ideal candidates for a job opening. The main screening processes have previously been resumes, applicant testing, and the interview. Although these screening techniques are still widely used another major tactic has surfaced – your digital image. Companies now routinely “Google” an applicant just to see what information they can dig up. If the image portrayed online is not one that you would want future employers to see, my suggestion would be to clean it up. This digital image is becoming just as important as what you would put on your resume and what you would say in your interview.
One of the aspects of impression management that I have always found interesting is its relationship to and effect on the hiring process. As others have previously posted, impression management is all about how to identify and manipulate the appearance others have of you. Creating a positive appearance is never more crucial than during the pre-employment screening process. Companies utilize several pre-employment screening processes in order to find ideal candidates for a job opening. The main screening processes have previously been resumes, applicant testing, and the interview. Although these screening techniques are still widely used another major tactic has surfaced – your digital image. Companies now routinely “Google” an applicant just to see what information they can dig up. If the image portrayed online is not one that you would want future employers to see, my suggestion would be to clean it up. This digital image is becoming just as important as what you would put on your resume and what you would say in your interview.
One of the aspects of impression management that I have always found interesting is its relationship to and effect on the hiring process. As others have previously posted, impression management is all about how to identify and manipulate the appearance others have of you. Creating a positive appearance is never more crucial than during the pre-employment screening process. Companies utilize several pre-employment screening processes in order to find ideal candidates for a job opening. The main screening processes have previously been resumes, applicant testing, and the interview. Although these screening techniques are still widely used another major tactic has surfaced – your digital image. Companies now routinely “Google” an applicant just to see what information they can dig up. If the image portrayed online is not one that you would want future employers to see, my suggestion would be to clean it up. This digital image is becoming just as important as what you would put on your resume and what you would say in your interview.
I agree with you Brian, about creating a positive appearance. It is said that first impression is the last impression, this might be true for hiring process but gradually when one works and start showing what h/she truly is, that when you need to micro-manage your impression.
In my personal experience, one should always smile while greeting the recruiting manager. It always helps. We need to be confident and look the best. Impression management is also necessary once you start working. That is what will decide your future. Having the first good impression helps you get the job and impression management is what will help you keep your job.
Impression management is also different amongst different cultures. It is important that when you are working in a different country, you learn about the work culture in that country. This is very important in managing your impression at work. In a country like India, one does never address his/her boss with their first names, because that is considered a disrespect and that damages your impression a lot. This is just one of the few examples, that need to be considered.
• Although I agree with everyone, I feel more often we put in lot of extra efforts in actually portraying ourselves 'Comfortable', Smiling, or Outgoing. • If too many efforts are applied in this direction I think this might actually be observed and our main aim of putting across a positive impression about ourselves won’t work out in our favor. • So I think the Basics of Impression Management drill down to "Positive Attitude towards life" and such key Core Values. If a person is uncomfortable not matter how much he tries someway or other we would come to know about it. • Impression Management is about portraying Best of Yourself and you can be the Best version of yourself only when you are Happy. • So Impression Management I feel, is a Long term process and can’t be perfectly implemented in a short duration.
First impression is the best impression. This is a famous line which almost everybody uses when someone goes to a new place or does something for the first time. I would like to state that impression management is a technique in which people attempt to influence the opinions of other people about an individual. It is generally accompanied with self-presentation, in which a person tries to influence the perception of their image.
ReplyDeleteI would like to explain Impression Management by citing an example of a credit card user. If a person pays his bills on time, then he would maintain a good credit history, and could create a good image (creating an impression) for himself. This could have good impact and would enable the person to apply for loans and sanctions. But on the other hand if the same person does not pay his bills on time, and becomes a delinquent customer, then his image (bad impression) could go bad and he might potentially be denied any loans and his interest rates may go high, just because he created a bad impression by being a delinquent customer.
What I would like to convey is - one could face mask, but character masking is tough. Impression Management is not acting like a good guy, it is behaving like a good guy and it should be self-motivated one so that it appears real without any faking or masking.
People easily make a judgment based on one incident (impression). If a guy is found robbing a place and is arrested for theft, he creates an image for himself as a bad guy. If another theft occurs and this guy happens to be in that place, but is not involved in the theft, he still gets arrested because of his previous impression as a thief; he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. In this case for this guy, his first impression turns out to be his worst impression.
Another example of Impression Management with respect to an office environment is - an employee could impress his boss and be in good terms with the boss, if this is successful then the employee might not have the fear of job-security, since he is close to his boss. This is the reason why people say – “YOU DON’T HAVE TO KNOW YOUR JOB, YOU JUST GOT TO KNOW YOUR BOSS”
I have posted about this topic not to impress anyone but to create an impression that impression is impressive
On the topic of impression management, I would like to bring awareness to the fact that more and and more employers are "Googleing" their potential employees, after all this is becoming the "first impression".
ReplyDeleteAbout 2.5 billion images are uploaded to just Facebook each month, many of them are teenagers and college students advertising the great party they attended over the holiday, or weekend. What they don's consider is that those images are property of the internet and everyone and everything that gets ahold of them. As of right now, a Facebook page can only be deactivated, it cannot be deleted, therefore your imformation will always be in their database. Just googling your email address or email handle can come up with everything you have ever signed up for on the internet. Go ahead... try it. So as many teenage and college students move into their career path, they need to be taught about what to say and not so say on the internet. These comments and images can paint a very clear picture of the person they are researching.
Many people like to share their lives with friends, family, and even some strangers, but when you are job searching or your job is searching you because they need to maintain an image, the impression you paint of yourself in world wide community also can project views of the company you work for.
Personally speaking, I have a job site where I place my portfolio and job history. This site allows you to see the version of your portfolio that the employer will see when viewing your profile, and next to my name is a "Google Me" button.
So before you wonder why you can't find a job or lost the one you have, perhaps you should research your digital self and find out what information is floating around the world about you.
This is a great part of impression management in the new age media scene, and with the growing number of internet jobs via telecommunication, this is the only image anyone ever knows you by, so make it a good one.
Impression Management
ReplyDeleteTo begin, I would like to say that I agree with the opinions of each of the previous bloggers. However, I feel that impression management goes much beyond an online or company profile or information in an SQL database.
Impression management is an essential tool for any successful businessman or woman. Business can be conducted anywhere, any place, and at any time. This requires that we are capable of attracting the type of individuals who are potential allies in our goal achieving journeys. This also requires us to not detract potential individuals for any reason.
Impression management, under this premise, is more than just our physical appearance. We want to promote an image of intelligence, affability, and potential. This requires us to present ourselves as individuals who have a more than limited concept regarding current events, fluency in business or industry related topics as well as knowledge about social on goings such as music, politics, literature, and sports.
The way we communicate is also very important. Having a grasp of English or the rregional language is important. We should be able to excite and intice people through our communication skills.
In social settings, it is important to maintain the correct image as well. At important functions, we are representing ourselves and maintaining dignity is important. We don’t want to leave someone with an impression that we drink too much and can’t keep it together or that we say inappropriate things or act out of context.
Our ability to network is an integral part of our future success and people want to network with individuals they believe are successful or have the potential to be successful. Impression management is our passport to making such things happen.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteImpression Management (IM) is basically a conscious or unconscious goal, which is directed towards controlling the impressions we give of ourselves to other people. We do this almost every time when, we interact with new people, give a job interview, etc. These everyday interactions are strategic encounters in which people try to ‘sell’ a particular self-image. In regards to how we use IM during job interviews, it is good to remember that there is an extent to which IM is effective. Just because we employ more IM does not necessarily mean the other party gains a better impression of us, hence there is a very fine line between just the right amount of IM and overdoing it. Interviewers sometimes mark you down for not managing impression sufficiently (e.g. not being smart enough, not being assertive enough, etc.) or they could mark you down for managing it too much (e.g. boasting, exaggeration, etc.). According to Human Resource researchers, whether or not you get the job depends heavily on what they think of you as a person, it can sometimes be even more important than qualifications and experience. Once hired, IM can help people in organizations get favorable evaluations, superior salary increases and more rapid promotions. There are situations in which individuals are more likely to misrepresent themselves and even get away with it! But misrepresentations can come at a very high cost, therefore as an impression manager one must be cautious not to be perceived as insincere or manipulative.
ReplyDeleteImpression Management is a very dynamic process which we are all participate in on a daily basis whether we desire to or not. Everyday you are making new impressions on others and others are forming new impressions about you.
ReplyDeleteIn the workplace, good impression management is critical to getting a job. While on the job it is still extremely important because it can affect your relationship with your boss, co-workers, and others within the organization. I know in my work experience I have also seen plans get turned down when presented by a certain individual, but then see the same plan get passed when presented by a different individual with better impression management skills.
With that being said, I think that while impression management is important it should not be used as a substitute for achievement. One without the other will not achieve the lasting results that most of us want to achieve in our lives. Although the following quote underemphasizes the value of a “first impression”, I think it sums up my point.
“My dad told me when I went into high school, 'It's not what you do when you walk in the door that matters. It's what you do when you walk out.' That's when you've made a lasting impression.”
-Jim Thome, professional baseball player
IMPRESSIONS are definitely something which should be created good if someone has to have a good opinion about you. Well, impression management is one thing which is very vital as well as hard to create . I mean, eg. If you had incomplete task assigned to you at work, you could be in a hot seat next day because it creates an impression that you don't work! But impression is not just about how you work but also about how you talk to people, how you behave, how you treat people etc etc. Just a simple smile can give people impression about you being polite.
ReplyDeleteWe had a small seminar a few months back at workplace which was related to Cross-Cultural Behaviors. I was really surprised at one thing that i learned. Even the way of saying "Hi" can effect our impressions on others. I mean it can create a impression on people around us that we are arrogant or we do not have a good attitude. Who knew just a casual way of saying "Hi" has different representation in different cultures. Even the way you shake hands counts for impression of people that one is feeling less confident or is confident or is scared etc etc.
And ofcourse impressions are something which you have to deal with in our day-to-day lives too. One of the important things of Impression Management is being Expressive. Why? Because the way you express yourself in front of people gives them an impression of the kind of person you are. Imagine if you are always frustrated or angry at your workplace or home, Everybody will feel like you have a bad attitude and cannot take pressure at work. But on the other side if you are polite and do your work, everybody will have an impression that you are calm and composed, hard-working, have positive approach at work and have a good attitude. Impression Management is something which everyone deals with, i mean, whether its you, or corporate people or people around you or your friends or your workplace colleagues. Eg. People don't really hire candidates who do not give good impression on them as well. It means just being knowledgeable in the corresponding subject doesn't count at all times. Sometimes you need to be Confident, Communicative etc. Because, that gives the impression to the person that not only the candidate is sharp in subject but also confident which can land the candidate in achieving the Job. And that is just because of one impression.
I think it is definitely not easy to create good impression on everyone or even maintain a good impression always But Being Communicative, Being Polite and Expressive, Confident, Enthusiastic, Being at good Behavior as well as having positive approach and good attitude do count for Impression management.
For me, getting ahead in the workplace used to mean just working hard. My dad used to say work longer hours than your boss; that will get you ahead. While he was right, I used the extra time at work not just to complete all my assigned tasks but also to learn more technical skills that enabled me to get ahead, there was one key piece missing that I did not learn until several years on the job: the art of ingratiation and self-promotion. While I still have much to learn on this art, I have learned to capitalize on some of these key elements to gain a valuable reputation for myself in the workplace. Although self-promotion is innate in some people, for me, it had to be learned and I am still actively learning it today.
ReplyDeleteOne example of ingratiation is to exhibit behaviors or outcomes that are in line with the boss’ objectives. At a company function, I unknowingly sat next to a top-level manager in my first week on the job. Once he found out what I did, he said there are five things that are my key watch items right now and you are instrumental to the success of two of them. So I became an expert in one of the key watch items that were of upmost importance to him. I spent extra hours on the job devoting myself to learning all I could about one of these key areas. I developed a grass-roots acknowledgement on my knowledge of this subject which eventually made its way back to this top-level manager. In developing this niche in my workplace, I had a task autonomy that came to be viewed as valuable.
I then practiced some self-promotion tactics by becoming the “go-to” person for which this top-level manager could go to learn more about the state of this key watch item. I took a trip to California to visit a site that was in dire straits in this critical metric. When I returned, this top-level person asked me about my trip to California. The more immature me would have said, “The weather was great but man, the traffic was a real bummer.” However, I anticipated this question in advance and gave a more relevant response. “The team made some key observations on why their site was unsuccessful and some of the challenges they faced. Challenge A is faced because their organizational hierarchy is fragmented and the functions are centrally-managed away from the actual execution of production.” These key observations were critical in changing me from a passive participant to an active observer and communicator to the state of affairs to upper-management.
The next challenge I have is in establishing myself as a leader, who is not just good at planning but also managing others. I hope that as I learn more about impression management; I can take it to the next level of developing and branding myself as a leader.
Impression Management is a very simple concept that we deal with on a daily basis, especially at work.
ReplyDeleteHere is a story that was told to me recently: One my girlfriend currently worked as a QA engineer for a large IT corporation. She is told by her direct boss on Friday to interview a possible candidate that he is thinking about hiring for one of the positions he has available. And this position besides the skills needed demand a great level of team spirit and team work. My friend is sent to the meeting with a list of questions and is supposed to take notes and later on report to her manager with of course her “impressions” of the person she is going to meet. During the meeting, the candidate who was a woman seemed much stressed and was not courteous she said. She almost never answered the questions asked but was rather asking her own questions which were mostly irrelevant. She was actually trying to read some of the notes my friend was taking and ended up asking her very quickly if she knew what her compensation will be like in case she gets the position she is line for. My friend left the room with this thought in her mind: “I have a bad vibe about this particular person”.
Now, thinking about this story took me of course to Impression Management. Can we say here that this candidate completely missed this simple contest of “First impression” or can we say that she was misjudged? Kimberly D. Elsbach, a pioneer in Management and Organizational Behavior, calls “Impression Management” “Perception Management” to talk about this concept on a more individual level. She explained that the way one will present himself is the ground from which ideas (or perceptions) will be formed about the individual. This candidate could have been a perfect one for the position she applied for but the fact that she left a rather “bad” impression reduced her chances tremendously.
In conclusion, Impression Management is also what we call “self-representation”. The way we want to be perceived by our environment is totally up to us in a way. The way we present ourselves set the ground on how others will classify us or how others will approach us.
Impression management can have a strong impact on the things we do in our everyday lives. If impression management is perceived as insincere it could entail some risks, thus it may apply when it is encouraged by certain goals. In case of job interviews, candidates tend to apply impression management when they strongly desire a job. While an interviewees’ exercise of self-promotion and ingratiation may influence interview outcomes regarding the candidates in a more positive manner, hiring process is still a more sophisticated measure and usually rely on multiple performance factors. Thus, we consider such effects to be unique and to expand far from the impact of interns’ in-role job performance. Some positive impacts of impression management resulting from job interviews are employment opportunities and better interview ratings by interviewers. Since impression management styles could discriminate against candidates with lower impression management skills, there are ways available in order to limit and control the impact of undesirable impression management during job interviews. One option is to being able to modify interview questions if impression management tactics used are appropriate for that job position. Second option can be in great assistance when interviewee uses misleading impression management tactics which the organization should be able to cope with that by being flexible.
ReplyDeleteThe interview process is a state in which conscious impression management is used due to its win or lose situation. Therefore, most of the pressure is concentrated from outcomes related to the impression management impact.
Equity theory proposes that candidates normally demand fair and equal returns in the interpersonal relationship which is the equal ratios of their input to their output. The exchange of information between an interviewer and interviewee during a job interview is considered as an input which will at the end impact the outcome of their own interview. This impact on the outcome could either result in candidate’s selection for the job position by the organization or impresses the interviewee enough so the selected candidate accepts the job offer.
Thank you so much Annette for your focus on actually employing Impression Management. One of the greatest errors we make as individuals is recognizing but not always employing our knowledge. The key to impression management is not only to be able to recognize how you appear to others but also how to manipulate that appearance. And this is not limited to your online or in person appearance - but can also be brought into your impression in a resume. In an article I read "A Rose by Any Other Name: Identity and Impression Management in Resumes”, Kaplan and Fisher examine typology in resumes and how job applicants influence perceptions of their identity using either assertions or omissions. I found this concept fascinating because it was very informative on the fact that what you are including in your resume is actually just as important as what you are leaving out. An example of these the authors address up are leaving out your involvement with a GBLT group in college, a woman called Shanice Nicole Cooper labeling herself Nicole Cooper on her resume and another woman labeling herself A.J. Monroe instead of Ashley Jean Monroe. These omissions are to curb those reading a resume from biases on gender, race, or sexual preference. Although these are important aspects of who we are - it is important to realize that the items you include on your resume may unfairly allow that person to create a bias of you - and if there are aspects of yourself you can control - fairly - in omissions - then we should take advantage of the ability to use impression management.
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ReplyDeleteAn example of the primacy effect, the first impression is usually the strongest. The first impression, even if modified, always lingers in a person's mind because of the nature of human memory and can be either an amazing personal aid or an obstacle that must be consistently overcome.
ReplyDeleteThere is a great deal of pressure to be at the top of one's game when first interacting with a person, pressure that some know how to manage and others crack beneath--ultimately giving an even less than average impression of themselves.
Whether it is on a date, at a job interview, or waiting in line at the bank, your first interactions with a person hit hard, but regardless of the impact this impression can be changed through consistent behavior to the contrary or additional impression management tactics. A strong, direct leader may come off as insensitive, to manage this impression that same leader may hold a celebratory day or a casual Friday where a fun, goofy environment is the theme.
It is common for individuals to label others with adjectives like "lazy" or "outgoing" without taking the time to really find out what that person is about and what their motivations are. Humans are complex and in both forming and understanding impressions this complex nature must be observed and respected when making decisions. Additionally, impressions can be managed and balanced through employing various impression management tactics.
As I have been studying impression management, the topic of dress code for my position has been under reevaluation. I work in a position where I facilitate communication between patients and families and the hospital staff. Historically, the position has called for business professional attire. When I asked my supervisor the purpose of this, he stated that on occasion, we must speak on behalf of the hospital administration, so business professional is appropriate. In addition, we often have to work with physicians and hospital directors and give them our recommendations for communication. Business professional attire may give the perception of authority and competence, and aid in facilitating communication with the staff.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, a huge part of the position is gaining trust and empathy with the patients and families. Our patient family population historically is of a lower socioeconomic status. Often a full suit can be a barrier to open communication. You often have to “work past the suit.”
I would also state that business professional may be more helpful to some individuals than others. For example, one gentleman in our department is 6’5’’. When he wears a full suit and tie, he comes off as somewhat intimidating. I am 5’0’’ with a very young face. I would argue that I would not come off as intimidating, and business professional may actually help the perception that I am trying to portray.
Bottom line, there are arguments for business professional and business casual in this position that both are valid, depending on who you are trying to relate to.
Impression Management:
ReplyDeleteHere are some of the statistics with respect to impression management.
1. Body language makes for 55% of the first impression, 38% is made tone, pitch & pace of your voice and 7% is made of what you say.
2. Doing a good job accounts for 10% of the impression you give, 90% of the impression you give of being capable is based on perception 1)Presentation of work 2) Presentation of self 3)Being seen to be “doing a good job”
3.Situated Identities proposes that for each social setting there is a pattern of social behavior that conveys an identity particularly appropriate for that setting. We need to have our identity situated before we can proceed in an interaction. If you confuse a customer with an employee in a store, the interaction is confusing until the situation is clarified, and the roles are properly identified. Here is where impressions, including first impressions, come into play, as they can situate a person's identity.
One of the aspects of impression management that I have always found interesting is its relationship to and effect on the hiring process. As others have previously posted, impression management is all about how to identify and manipulate the appearance others have of you. Creating a positive appearance is never more crucial than during the pre-employment screening process.
ReplyDeleteCompanies utilize several pre-employment screening processes in order to find ideal candidates for a job opening. The main screening processes have previously been resumes, applicant testing, and the interview. Although these screening techniques are still widely used another major tactic has surfaced – your digital image. Companies now routinely “Google” an applicant just to see what information they can dig up. If the image portrayed online is not one that you would want future employers to see, my suggestion would be to clean it up. This digital image is becoming just as important as what you would put on your resume and what you would say in your interview.
One of the aspects of impression management that I have always found interesting is its relationship to and effect on the hiring process. As others have previously posted, impression management is all about how to identify and manipulate the appearance others have of you. Creating a positive appearance is never more crucial than during the pre-employment screening process.
ReplyDeleteCompanies utilize several pre-employment screening processes in order to find ideal candidates for a job opening. The main screening processes have previously been resumes, applicant testing, and the interview. Although these screening techniques are still widely used another major tactic has surfaced – your digital image. Companies now routinely “Google” an applicant just to see what information they can dig up. If the image portrayed online is not one that you would want future employers to see, my suggestion would be to clean it up. This digital image is becoming just as important as what you would put on your resume and what you would say in your interview.
One of the aspects of impression management that I have always found interesting is its relationship to and effect on the hiring process. As others have previously posted, impression management is all about how to identify and manipulate the appearance others have of you. Creating a positive appearance is never more crucial than during the pre-employment screening process.
ReplyDeleteCompanies utilize several pre-employment screening processes in order to find ideal candidates for a job opening. The main screening processes have previously been resumes, applicant testing, and the interview. Although these screening techniques are still widely used another major tactic has surfaced – your digital image. Companies now routinely “Google” an applicant just to see what information they can dig up. If the image portrayed online is not one that you would want future employers to see, my suggestion would be to clean it up. This digital image is becoming just as important as what you would put on your resume and what you would say in your interview.
I agree with you Brian, about creating a positive appearance. It is said that first impression is the last impression, this might be true for hiring process but gradually when one works and start showing what h/she truly is, that when you need to micro-manage your impression.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal experience, one should always smile while greeting the recruiting manager. It always helps. We need to be confident and look the best. Impression management is also necessary once you start working. That is what will decide your future. Having the first good impression helps you get the job and impression management is what will help you keep your job.
Impression management is also different amongst different cultures. It is important that when you are working in a different country, you learn about the work culture in that country. This is very important in managing your impression at work. In a country like India, one does never address his/her boss with their first names, because that is considered a disrespect and that damages your impression a lot. This is just one of the few examples, that need to be considered.
• Although I agree with everyone, I feel more often we put in lot of extra efforts in actually portraying ourselves 'Comfortable', Smiling, or Outgoing.
ReplyDelete• If too many efforts are applied in this direction I think this might actually be observed and our main aim of putting across a positive impression about ourselves won’t work out in our favor.
• So I think the Basics of Impression Management drill down to "Positive Attitude towards life" and such key Core Values. If a person is uncomfortable not matter how much he tries someway or other we would come to know about it.
• Impression Management is about portraying Best of Yourself and you can be the Best version of yourself only when you are Happy.
• So Impression Management I feel, is a Long term process and can’t be perfectly implemented in a short duration.