--- description: First impressions matter even more than you think. They’re the most important part of any job interview. And once they’re set, they are very hard... title: 6 Things That Can Make All the Difference in Your Next Job Interview image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a350d25852bd437/698762f0e20a87e6d8a82b13/job-interview2.jpg?branch=production&width=1080&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 6 Things That Can Make All the Difference in Your Next Job Interview by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 28, 2014 4:01 AM CUT  Reminder for Job Interview Reminder for Job InterviewGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 28, 2014 4:01 AM CUT First impressions matter [even more than you think](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-first-impressions-really-that-big-a-deal "undefined"). They’re [the most important part](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-most-important-part-of-a-job-interv "undefined") of any job interview. And once they’re set, they are [very hard to resist](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-we-a-slave-to-our-first-impressions "undefined"). Optimize first impressions from the outset by framing the conversation with a few well-rehearsed sentences regarding how you want to be perceived. [This will end up being the structure the other person forms their memories around](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/07/is-there-a-way-to-strategically-optimize-firs/ "undefined"). Your [handshake](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/04/is-your-handshake-the-most-important-part-of/ "undefined"), [body language](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/02/what-body-language-signals-motivation-social/ "undefined") and [appearance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/11/do-looks-matter-in-job-interviews/ "undefined") all matter. In fact, the [weather](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/01/do-we-perform-better-during-interviews-on-sun/ "undefined") matters. If you have the option, schedule it [earlier in the day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/is-it-best-to-have-job-interviews-early-in-th/ "undefined"). People prefer things that are first and are more likely to say “yes” to things when they don’t have a lot of things going on. Getting the interviewer to explain why they wanted to bring you in is [a good persuasion technique](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/02/a-great-persuasion-technique-to-use-during-a/ "undefined"). [A course](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-learn-to-be-more-charismatic "undefined") that was successful in making managers more charismatic focused on these techniques: * framing through metaphor-stories and anecdotes * demonstrating moral conviction * sharing the sentiments of the collective * setting high expectations * communicating confidence * using rhetorical devices such as contrasts, lists, and rhetorical questions together with non-verbal tactics such as body gesture, facial expression, and animated voice tone. Finally, don’t get too stressed out. People who have [no job are happier than people with a job they don’t like](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/03/are-people-who-have-no-job-happier-than-peopl/ "undefined"). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/10/5-difference-job-interview/ "undefined")**_._** **Join 25K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3542128/job-interview-tips-advice/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3542128/job-interview-tips-advice/"},"headline":"6 Things That Can Make All the Difference in Your Next Job Interview","datePublished":"2014-10-28T04:01:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T07:59:03.223Z","description":"First impressions matter even more than you think. They’re the most important part of any job interview. And once they’re set, they are very hard...","url":"https://time.com/3542128/job-interview-tips-advice/","keywords":["Psychology","Careers & Workplace","Business topic","advice","job interview"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a350d25852bd437/698762f0e20a87e6d8a82b13/job-interview2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a350d25852bd437/698762f0e20a87e6d8a82b13/job-interview2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Reminder for Job Interview","caption":"Reminder for Job Interview","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/psychology/","name":"Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3542128/job-interview-tips-advice/","name":"6 Things That Can Make All the Difference in Your Next Job Interview"}}]}] ```