By: Matthew McCloy, Edited by: Jack Tucker

Can you recall a time when you felt good about the impression you left with someone? In a competitive and booming city like Nashville, making the right first impression is crucial. As my dad says, “Remember, a firm handshake and make eye contact.” I may brush it off as nothing at times, but it is important enough to either make or break an opportunity. When it comes to internships and jobs, it’s all about standing out. Whether it’s an e-mail or interview, the way one communicates interpersonally can make a big difference. Research shows that details matter. For example, a smile or an e-mail impact that first impression, but it all comes down to the individual and how they want to be remembered.

A warm, authentic smile can say a lot about a person. Giving an authentic smile is pivotal in making the interviewer or customer feel that you truly care about them and about what they have to offer. To emphasize the importance of a smile, my workplace has even listed it as “a service basic.” Whenever I work, I am sure to give a smile and make eye contact. The smile says a lot about your attitude and what you are like as a person.

However, how you smile is just as important as whether or not you do. Eva Krumhuber, a researcher at the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, and her colleagues examined the effects of the smile on impressions and decisions made in a simulated job interview. The participants in the study, published in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, viewed short videos of female interviewees giving multiple facial reactions, some fake, some real, some neutral. The participants perceived those who gave authentic smiles more favorably than who showed fake smiles or neutral expressions. Those results were consistent with previous research—a genuine smile makes a good first impression in a job interview.

E-mail is also a crucial way to solidify a good first impression. I can clearly recall my professor, Mrs. Reade, instructing my class on how an e-mail to a teacher should look. She said there should be an opening salutation and closing one that are appropriately formatted. Always addressing the individual by their last name and title is a great start. She emphasized the importance of this and stated that there should be no mistakes in punctuation and grammar. This has helped me greatly when I have wanted to make a good impression on someone through e-mail.

Shannon Marlow, a researcher at Rice University, and her colleagues studied whether a first impression made through e-mail is influenced by the sender’s closing salutation, method of sending, and/or gender. When the study was complete, the results were surprising. The sending mode (“sent from my iPhone/BlackBerry,” etc.) had no impact on the impression made, and there were no significant differences among impressions based on the various closing salutations. However, females were regarded as less professional when they used “Thanks!” Surprisingly, the same closing had no effect on males. The impact that evolving e-mail features like these may have on first impressions will become more important as the technology continues to involve.

The way in which one handles that first e-mail or interview can make a big difference on the impression that he or she makes. Always being conscious of the situation and one’s professionalism will serve an individual well. Details matter for getting in the door, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to living up to the potential of a good first impression. As author P.J. O’Rourke once said, “a firm, hearty handshake gives a good first impression, but you’ll never be forgiven if you don’t live up to it.”