Blink! Because it's not just what you say that matters...

First Impressions: What Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink Can Teach You About Job Interviews

Level: B2 (Upper-Intermediate)

Topic: Job interviews, body language, and first impressions

Skills: Reading, vocabulary, and real-world communication

🔍 Introduction

In a job interview, many people focus on giving the “perfect” answer. They practise talking about their experience, their achievements, and what makes them a great fit for the company. And so they should. It's very important to practise this, and we will go into more detail about it in other posts.

But for today, here’s another thing : your interviewer probably already forms an opinion about you before you answer the first question.

This blog post is about first impressions, and how we judge people very quickly.

You'll learn how to make a strong impression in the first few seconds of an interview, even before you speak. Let’s start!

🧠 What Is a First Impression?

A first impression is the opinion someone forms of you when they see or meet you for the first time. It happens very quickly — usually in the first few seconds. Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink says that people can make decisions very fast, with very little information.

This is called thin-slicing.

Gladwell doesn’t talk about human history, but we can think about this idea in another way too: our brains have done this for thousands of years. In the Palaeolithic era (early human history), people had to decide quickly if someone was safe, dangerous, or helpful — often without speaking.

This helped them survive.

So even in a modern office or video interview, your brain still uses those ancient instincts. And the same happens to your interviewer.

👀 What Do Interviewers Notice First?

In job interviews, these are the things people usually notice first, before you say anything:

What Interviewers Notice	What It Might Say
Your posture (how you sit/stand)	Confident or nervous?
Eye contact	Friendly? Honest? Engaged?
Your smile	Relaxed or stressed? Warm or cold?
The way you say hello	Calm, clear, friendly?
How you enter the room or call	Prepared or uncomfortable?

These small things create a first impression before you begin your answers. And once that impression is made, it often affects how the rest of the interview goes.

💪 How Can You Make a Good First Impression?

Well, the good news is: you can practise making a strong first impression. Here are some easy things you can do:

1. Smile and breathe before you enter the room or join the call

2. Stand or sit tall – don’t slouch or cross your arms

3. Make eye contact and say hello with a calm voice

4. Practise your body language with a friend or mirror

5. Prepare mentally before the interview starts

   
   

Even if you feel nervous, these small steps help you look more confident, and interviewers will notice.

🏁 Final Thoughts

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and it usually happens before the first question.

Malcolm Gladwell’s idea of thin-slicing shows us that people make decisions fast. And if you prepare your non-verbal communication, you can make that first impression a good one.

So before you say a word, your body language is already speaking. Make sure it says:

“I’m ready, I’m confident, and I belong here.”

✏️ PRACTICE TIME

✅ Exercise 1 – Vocabulary Check

Match the words to the correct meanings.

Word	Meaning
A. posture	1. Looking directly into someone’s eyes
B. slouch	2. Not nervous or stressed
C. engaged	3. A quick decision based on very little information
D. first impression	4. The way you sit or stand
E. eye contact	5. The first opinion someone has of you
F. relaxed	6. To sit or stand in a bent or lazy way
G. prepared	7. To do something many times to get better
H. practise	8. Focused and interested in something
I. body language	9. When your body shows feelings or attitude without words
J. thin-slicing	10. Ready for something to happen

✅ Answer Key:

A–4 B–6 C–8 D–5 E–1 F–2 G–10 H–7 I–9 J–3

🧩 Exercise 2 – Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in brackets.

1. You should always make a good first __________. (impress)

2. She looked very __________ during the interview. (relax)

3. The manager was clearly __________ in what I had to say. (engage)

4. We need to __________ our introductions before the next session. (practise)

5. His __________ showed that he was confident and professional. (posture)

✅ Answer Key:

1. impression 2. relaxed 3. engaged 4. practise 5. posture

🎯 Task – Practise walking into a room and giving a strong first impression. Use a mirror or record yourself. Focus on:

• Posture

• Eye contact

• Smile

• Tone of voice