We’re all familiar with the old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” While we aspire to refrain from snap judgments when meeting new people, we should not assume others will always show us this same courtesy.

Studies have long demonstrated that people make a judgment based on their first impression of you within the first seven seconds of interaction. Newer research shows this time frame may be shrinking—along with our attention spans—to a mere five seconds!

This means that whether you’re on a job interview, at a business meeting, or attending a networking event, you have just a few seconds to make a good first impression and establish yourself as the successful person you strive to be. READ MORE