--- title: 6 Things That Can Make All the Difference in Your Next Job Interview 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... canonical: https://time.com/3542128/job-interview-tips-advice/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-28T04:01:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T07:59:03.223Z article:section: Ideas og:title: 6 Things That Can Make All the Difference in Your Next Job Interview og: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... og:url: https://time.com/3542128/job-interview-tips-advice/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a350d25852bd437/698762f0e20a87e6d8a82b13/job-interview2.jpg?branch=production&width=514&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 514 og:image:height: 289 og:image:alt: Reminder for Job Interview og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 6 Things That Can Make All the Difference in Your Next Job Interview twitter: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... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a350d25852bd437/698762f0e20a87e6d8a82b13/job-interview2.jpg?branch=production&width=514&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 6 Things That Can Make All the Difference in Your Next Job Interview > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Oct 28, 2014 4:01 AM UTC  Reminder for Job Interview Reminder for Job Interview Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Oct 28, 2014 4:01 AM UTC First impressions matter [even more than you think](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-first-impressions-really-that-big-a-deal). They’re [the most important part](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-most-important-part-of-a-job-interv) 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). 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/). Your [handshake](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/04/is-your-handshake-the-most-important-part-of/), [body language](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/02/what-body-language-signals-motivation-social/) and [appearance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/11/do-looks-matter-in-job-interviews/) all matter. In fact, the [weather](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/01/do-we-perform-better-during-interviews-on-sun/) 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/). 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/). [A course](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-learn-to-be-more-charismatic) 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/). **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/10/5-difference-job-interview/)**_._** **Join 25K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD). ```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. 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