First impressions are crucial. They can make or break an opportunity. It's human nature to make a judgement about someone when you first meet them, but did you know that people can formulate an opinion about you in less than 20 seconds!

We are hard-wired to make snap decisions about others in a quick, non-reflective way that is unconscious.

When we first meet people, we form impressions of them based on the slightest cue. Nonverbal communication plays a major role in first impressions as well. Very limited exposure to other people based on extremely brief snippets of behaviour is often enough for us to form meaningful first impressions about their abilities or personalities. When we are trying to understand other people, we can use just a few observations as a starting point, though it may not be accurate. Our initial impressions, are often based on trivial factors such as physical appearance.The first impressions individuals give to others could greatly influence how they are treated and viewed in many contexts of everyday life.

So how do we make a great first impression. Focus on two areas: (1) going on a job interview (2) creating an online dating profile.