Harnessing the Halo Effect

A brand-new intern. A Parliament in a foreign land. A disastrous introduction email. Oh, and quote: “Californians…invading in large herds from the southwest [into Idaho], buying land, scenery and cadillacs.” Sound too crazy to be true?

We break down this first impressions breakdown in our article today, as well as walk through the psychological—and professional—power of what many have called, “The Halo Effect.” We’re giving five strategies to become better at professional first impressions so that you have the chance to make a great second impression—unlike our friend, the brand-new intern.

We’ve heard it before. Foreign policy expert Elliott Abrams said, “First impressions matter. Experts say we size up new people somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes.” Motivational speaker Robert Cheeke said, “Go out of your way to make an outstanding first impression. You only have one chance to make a first impression that lasts a lifetime.” Or the classic Will Rogers saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

Talk about pressure! A few minutes and then— set in stone? Frozen as that kid that ran into the interview late, one shoe untied and the other—well, a different shoe, entirely—with a yogurt stain on a misbuttoned shirt, saying something about there being traffic on I-15 and that your dog ate your resume?

We’ve all had those first-day nightmares, waking up convinced that you missed your opportunity to make good on that essential first impression. Some, like myself, have lived them (it’s a miracle I got hired at all—shoutout to Amelia, you kind supervisor soul, you!).

So, is all this true? Can you overcome a poor first impression? Or, can you ever hope to make a good enough first impression in the beginning, anyway?

Let’s do a little exercise, friends. Let’s imagine that you are looking to put together the dream team at work. You’re in charge of picking people for your team, and you want the best for the job. You’ve got to pick between the two, and you hear this:

Betty: intelligent—industrious—impulsive—critical—stubborn—envious

And then you hear Sam’s description:

Sam: envious—stubborn—critical—impulsive—industrious—intelligent

Which one would you pick? Betty? Sam?

You may have noticed that the two lists contained identical traits. Both were intelligent, industrious, impulsive, critical, stubborn, and envious. Or, if you were poor Sam, envious, stubborn, critical, impulsive, industrious, and intelligent. But most people tend to view Betty more favorably because, as Daniel Kahneman writes, “the initial traits in the list change the very meaning of the traits that appear later.” Betty’s first traits were positive, Sam’s were negative, and Betty gets the place on the team.

Sam goes home sad.

What’s our conclusion here? Initial information carries more weight than subsequent information. First impressions do matter, however much we can try to break them apart later. This is called the “halo effect” by everyone from your employer to Daniel Kahneman, and is defined as “a tendency to like (or dislike) everything about a person—including things you have not observed” based upon first impressions. It’s a cognitive bias that weighs first impressions the most heavily and discards subsequent information.

First impressions can have unexpected, real consequences. Which brings us to the story we hinted at in our intro: our brand-new intern, headed to work at the Scottish Parliament for a semester. Now, a few things to know: BYU has a long-standing tradition of sending excellent interns to go work for a semester abroad in Edinburgh at the Parliament Building, right at the base of the Royal Mile. And as part of the preparation process, students are required to send an introductory email to their internship supervisor in Scotland—the high-tech “first impression.”

So, we’ve got this brand-new intern that we’ll call—Jimmy. Jimmy wrote the following email. I’ll quote him directly.

Jimmy wrote, “Hi, I am Jimmy, and I will be your intern for the Fall semester. My flight arrives in Edinburgh at 8:00 a.m. on the first of September and I plan on making a stop to your office that afternoon. I just watched your video [about the Parliament] and I also have a question.

“’What do you think of gun control?’ You don’t have to answer right back. I’m sure I’ll find out more about it when I get there.

“I am from the unknown state of Idaho, whose borders were drawn not on purpose, but by default. The Media would tell you that this state is full of ‘right wing exteamists [sic], neo-nazis, and large potato farms.’ But this is not true—there are also beet farms. Oh, and Californians are invading in large herds from the southwest, buying land, scenery, and cadillacs.

…I am a traffic control supervisor for road crews. Well, I look forward to being in the land of my forefathers and at your service. Good day.” [Sincerely] Jimmy.

Jimmy also attached a lovely picture of a gun rights t-shirt that was labelled, like a meme, with a bold “Hooaahh!” in the upper left-hand corner. Go, Jimmy.

So, what was your first impression? What were your thoughts about Jimmy, beyond that he should learn to spell “extremists” and perhaps consider that just as Americans know where Scotland is, Scottish lawmakers may indeed have heard of the “unknown state of Idaho”? What do you think his supervisor’s first impression of Jimmy was?

If you guessed “disturbed” and “concerned,” you’d be right. The supervisor emailed our placement supervisor and withdrew Jimmy’s invitation to work with the Scottish Parliament in any capacity. Jimmy didn’t go to “the land of his forefathers” after all. His first impression spoke louder than he ever would have in person.

While Jimmy’s story is extreme, he is certainly not the first person, nor the last, to have his first impression be the most important—and potentially disastrous—thing in his professional development.

So, are we back to the beginning with more confirmation that the pressure is almost paralyzing, that we might as well go home, pull the covers over our heads, and put off the inevitable first impression terror until—well, hopefully never?

Nope, covers off and heads up, friends. We’ve got this because of a little thing we call “Harnessing the Halo Effect.” We might not be able to change the fact that first impressions matter, but we can take control of our first impressions. And yes, I know you’re all thinking, “Well, I can control not sending an email like Jimmy’s.” This is true. Let’s learn from Jimmy’s example. But we can also remember five key principles to help others see a halo, not horns, after your first impression.

Halo Effect principle number one: Don’t let the basics get you down. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think “make a good first impression?” Probably the basics—we all think them: show up on time, dress professionally, iron slacks like your mama taught you. Wear your nice pants (I’d recommend you do this even when working from home, but you do you, friend. Wearing nice pants gets me in a professional mood.). Shower. Smile, showcasing that you remembered to brush your teeth.

But let’s remember, too. You are here to exceed expectations, not just meet them. Here’s a little secret—you’ve been wearing nice pants and demonstrating you can read a clock since elementary school picture day. So, we can’t rely on only the basics to get your halo on. Failing at the basics will make you look bad, but nailing the basics doesn’t necessarily make you look really good. So, we’ve got to do more. Which takes us to—

Halo Effect principle number two: Do your homework. Research. Know what you’re getting yourself into. If you’re working as a content creator for a blog or website, read what’s on their blog (at least recently) before showing up your first day. If you’re interning at Domo on Silicon Slopes, don’t rely on their billboards to help you know what they do, and what you’ll probably be doing. They tell you nothing except that their marketing team has a great sense of humor. Read up. Investigate. Be prepared with a few key facts or points of interest—things that stood out to you—that you can use as talking points your first day. If you’re looking to work at the Scottish Parliament, research how they feel about guns and Idaho and neo-nazis before you go be a Jimmy in your introductory email. This will pay off. Be the intern who read up the night before. This will help you be a boss at—

Halo Effect principle number three: Have three questions at the ready. Really. Having three quality questions ready to go is key because we all know what is coming at the end of your first sit-down with your supervisor, or after your tour of the office, or after your first team meeting: “So, do you have any questions?” Being prepared with questions about things beyond, “Yeah, where was the bathroom, again?” or “When did you say I got to go home?” will help you stand out. It will earn you your Halo. Having great questions reads as “curious,” “capable of taking initiative,” and “creative” in people’s minds. The rule of three means you’ll have a new question at the ready when asked to ask. You’ll be ready, and you’ll shine bright.

Halo Effect principle number four: Have three professional goals in mind. Brainstorm before you go. Make your Pinterest mood board. Find your purpose. Goals in minds, friends.

These can be what you hope to accomplish at your new position, something you want to do in your five-year plan, or your long-term ambitions. I’d recommend having one of each—a three-month goal, a goal from your five-year plan, and a long-term, big-picture idea. This is so you can be ready when the questions come: “Why’d you pick this internship?” “What drew you to this position?” “Where do you see yourself in five years?” And, if no one takes the initiative and asks you these questions, you can work them into your introduction with ease, something like: “Hi, I’m Jimmy. Excited to be here and work on my data analytics and teamwork skills.”

Bonus points for you if you can throw one of your questions, informed by your research, at the end. “I’ve heard great things about your data analytics program. Can you tell me a little more about what you’re doing right now?”

Halo Effect principle number five: Breath deep and be yourself. Yes, wear your best pants and be on your best behavior, and try to ask good questions and share good things about yourself and your professional interests, but at the end of your first day, remember that as a developing professional, you’re learning to be better, not best.

And, if at the end of your first day, you feel that there is room for improvement—that’s great! That means you see your potential to be better—not best, just better than you were yesterday and better than you were three months before that. Better, not best. If you try to do the first four Halo Effect principles as well as you can, then you be assured: you, unlike Jimmy, will get an amazing chance: a chance at a second-day first impression. A second-day first impression that can be better than your first-day first impression. Because you’re learning through experience, and it’s working.

The great thing about our Halo Effect Top Five? It’s like brushing your teeth (which, again, you should definitely do for a good first—and every—impression): Brush. Rinse. Repeat. And each time, focus on getting better, not best. You’ve got this, friends. Your supervisors and coworkers will sing along with the Queen Bee, Beyonce: “I can see your Halo, Halo, Halo.”