Performance Matters. First Impressions Don’t.

The only common trait among the best people is their track record of solid performance, not the quality of their first impression.

I was struggling. It was my first retained search. It was for a National Accounts Manager for a distribution company in Southern California. The location of the client was bad, the compensation was low, and the job was mediocre, but the promise of a guaranteed fee was alluring. I took the assignment without hesitation. But four weeks later, with no viable candidates, pressure was mounting along with some sleepless nights. Finally I struck gold. I found a great person willing to relocate to the lowlands of LA.

I always conduct a 30-45 minute phone screen using the Most Significant Accomplishment (MSA) question before meeting anyone. I would then invite those who passed to a full onsite interview. John aced the phone screen, describing how he landed a major sale with a major retailer. He was exactly the person my client needed to help double their sales within two years.

I called my client and enthusiastically told him I found a super candidate. While I said I hadn't met John in person, I was sure he was perfect. Since I was meeting John the next day, I suggested we set the onsite client interview for the day later. He agreed. The pressure was off. Success was assured. The next day, I rushed to the office anticipating my interview with John, and was fully prepared to close the deal in 24-48 hours.

But then John arrived.

In walked an extremely large man, far too big for the chair. Within seconds my deal collapsed. No way was this guy a good salesman. I’d have to cancel tomorrow’s interview. The pressure to find more candidates would increase dramatically. I was a failure as a recruiter. My nerves were shattered, my heart pulse accelerated, the pressure was intense, and I was thinking how I was going to extricate myself from this self-induced dilemma. This all occurred within 30 seconds after meeting the candidate. I don't recall anything about the next 20 minutes, but then something clicked and I vaguely recalled the phone call from the day before.

For the next 15 minutes I questioned John about every detail of the major sales accomplishment we had discussed. This included dates, dollars, time frames, the name of the buyer, how he got the lead, the process of closing the deal, what the big objections were and how he overcame them, what the point-of-sale display looked like, and the details of the negotiations. Every detail rang true. John was a remarkable sales rep. Surprisingly, during these 15 minutes I was oblivious to John's appearance. Then when I looked at him I was stunned, he was both taller and slimmer than when he arrived 40 minutes earlier.

During the interview I found out that John had played college football as an offensive lineman. This is the twisted logic of first impressions, biases and emotions. Whether John played football or not, we all make instant judgments about a person’s ability, fit, and personality based on things that don't predict success. John turned out to be a remarkable person, a top performer, but few companies ever gave him a chance, because his first impression didn’t meet their standards. What a loss.

I called my client and confirmed the interview for the next day, with the caveat that John was a very, very big guy. However, I also said he had obtained one of the largest orders ever from the same major retailer my client wanted to secure. The client called me after his interview with John, saying he wasn’t that big, but seemed like a great national accounts manager, and after the normal due diligence, made him an offer. John went on to achieve the same level of success selling to all types of buyers.

As a result of this and related experiences I developed some techniques to help minimize the impact of first impressions. You might find them helpful.

• When meeting someone for the first time, wait at least 30 minutes before making any yes or no decision. Conduct the two-question interview instead. Do this for everyone, since we tend to ask easier questions to those we like and harder questions to those we don’t.
• Conduct a phone interview before meeting any candidate to minimize the visual impact of first impressions. Ask the Most Significant Accomplishment Question as part of this.
• At the end (not the beginning) of the interview, objectively ask yourself if the person’s first impression will help or hinder on-the-job performance.
• If you’re a job-seeker who doesn’t make a great first impression, make sure you’re assessed first during a phone interview. Begin the interview by asking about real job needs and give some examples of things you’ve accomplished that are most comparable. This will help shift the assessment to performance from first impression.

I’ve worked with thousands of candidates, and tracked hundreds of them over the past 30+ years. The only common trait among the best is their track record of solid performance, not the quality of their first impression. Even with sales people. The best people work harder, deliver consistent results, work well with others, don’t make excuses, and can be counted on when things don’t go as planned. Don’t judge people on their first impression, good or bad. Judge them instead on their performance. You won’t be disappointed.

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Lou Adler (@LouA) is the creator of Performance-based Hiring and the author of the Amazon Top 10 business best-seller, Hire With Your Head (Wiley, 2007). His new book, The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired, (Workbench, 2013) has just been published. Feel free to joinLou's new LinkedIn group or 'like' us on Facebook to discuss all types of hiring issues.