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eetings coming up, we can talk another day… Nevertheless, she continued talking and her tone became quite negative. After 40 minutes, I had to be firm and end the call because I really needed to go.In the end, we didn’t establish a true connection. She spent the whole time talking about herself and her struggles, and I was giving advice she didn’t take. In retrospect, I could have expressed more empathy instead of just reacting to her questions and giving advice.She did not contact me again after this meeting. While I understood her intentions and totally forgave her, I did not feel like following up because the first impression for an informational interview was not the right one.<h1 id="a2c1">Making a good first impression</h1>If you’re meeting someone for the first time for a somewhat formal meeting related to your professional goals, I’d suggest the following tips.<ul><li>Build your self-awareness. Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions because they will affect your behaviors. The job search process can be long and draining. Practice mindfulness and keep a journal. If appropriate, when you finish a meeting, ask the other person to give you feedback. Also make an effort to ask for feedback regularly from mentors, instructors, peers, and other people you deal with in your new country.</li><li>Respect people’s time. Make sure you’re on time for all meetings and events, especially in countries where punctuality is important. If you know you’ll be more than five minutes late for a one-on-one session, send a quick note to let the person know. If you requested the meeting, keep track of the time that was agreed upon.</li><li>Polish your communication skills, including your listening skills. When you meet someone new, focus on asking questions, listening well, and making eye contact. Prepare your talking points as clearly and concisely as possible. If you feel nervous, practice before the meeting by roleplaying with someone you trust, such as a friend or a mentor.</li><li>A Thank-You note does the trick. Sending a thank-you email or message after a meeting helps build trust. If a person spent time with you, even if the meeting did not feel productive, you should always send a note to appreciate their time.</li><li>Keep in touch. If you’re the type of person that reaches out to others only when you need a job, that will be part of your reputatio

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n. To keep in touch, you can comment on their LinkedIn posts or send a quick message or email to say, How are things? It’s been a long time and I just wanted to see how you’re doing. You could also send a Happy Birthday or Congratulations note when you get a LinkedIn notification. If you signal that you remember them regularly, they will keep you in mind too.</li><li>Mind your LinkedIn activity. Avoid complaining or talking badly about organizations, programs, or recruiters on LinkedIn. Remember that anyone visiting your LinkedIn profile can see your posts and comments in the Activity section. If you had a negative experience, LinkedIn is not the place to publish it.</li><li>Amend others’ impressions. Anyone makes mistakes. If you realize you were ineffective, send a message with your thoughts. A genuine message like this would do it: I realized I might have come across as negative or even angry during our meeting, so I apologize. I do appreciate your advice and hope we can keep in touch. Maybe the person did not notice it so much, but you’re taking a proactive step to ensure they remember you positively.</li></ul>If you want to learn more about how to conduct effective informational interviews, you can read <a href="https://lilynaka.medium.com/how-to-conduct-virtual-informational-interviews-a5adb0ef786d">my other article here</a>.<h1 id="62d5">It’s a small world out there</h1>Remember that people know people, and building relationships is for the long term. Not every person you speak to will refer you to a job or give you the results you expected right away, but if they get a positive first impression and you keep in touch afterward, they might help you in the future.I can say that this is true because I have first-hand experience moving countries twice. I am forever grateful that my first boss taught me about first impressions linked to professional reputation.I hope that you can also find the right people to build your network and your reputation in your new home.Join Medium! If you enjoy reading my stories and want to support me, consider <a href="https://lilynaka.medium.com/membership">becoming a Medium member through this link</a>. The USD $5 a month gives you unlimited access to all Medium stories. If you sign up using my link, I’ll earn a small commission to cover my next coffee :)</article></body>

How to Create a Positive First Impression and Reputation in a New Country

A good first impression will help you go a long way

We build our reputation every day through each word and action, but our first impression is the most critical foundation to our reputation ~ Aurora O. (my first boss)

Although my very first manager taught me this when I was working in my home country Argentina many years ago, her words couldn’t be more accurate today.

When you move to a new country as a professional, you’ll hear over and over that relationship building is critical to finding a job and advancing in your career. And the first impression is usually a lasting impression.

What you say and how you say it matters

When you’re trying to build new relationships, your words, actions, and attitude play a huge role in whether the other person will continue talking to you or be willing to help you. To illustrate, I’ll share an example of an ineffective interaction that left me with the wrong impression.

A newcomer to Canada approached me on LinkedIn and asked for an informational interview about career paths in human resources. I thought we had a lot of things in common in terms of background and interests. Even though my schedule was quite packed, we arranged a 30-minute phone call during one of my breaks.

When the meeting started, I mentioned I had a hard stop at the 30-minute mark because I needed to prepare for another meeting. This lady spent about 10 minutes introducing herself, her studies, and every job she held in her nine-year career and ended her spiel with: What opportunities are out there for me? I was a little baffled about all the details but suggested possible job titles in Canada that matched her prior roles and potential groups she could join to expand her network.

She thanked me and continued to talk for another 10 minutes about her disappointment with job placement programs and her recently acquired certificate that did not help her get a job. I gave her tips from my experience and a couple of times I said, Well, I have other meetings coming up, we can talk another day… Nevertheless, she continued talking and her tone became quite negative. After 40 minutes, I had to be firm and end the call because I really needed to go.

In the end, we didn’t establish a true connection. She spent the whole time talking about herself and her struggles, and I was giving advice she didn’t take. In retrospect, I could have expressed more empathy instead of just reacting to her questions and giving advice.

She did not contact me again after this meeting. While I understood her intentions and totally forgave her, I did not feel like following up because the first impression for an informational interview was not the right one.

Making a good first impression

If you’re meeting someone for the first time for a somewhat formal meeting related to your professional goals, I’d suggest the following tips.

Build your self-awareness. Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions because they will affect your behaviors. The job search process can be long and draining. Practice mindfulness and keep a journal. If appropriate, when you finish a meeting, ask the other person to give you feedback. Also make an effort to ask for feedback regularly from mentors, instructors, peers, and other people you deal with in your new country.
Respect people’s time. Make sure you’re on time for all meetings and events, especially in countries where punctuality is important. If you know you’ll be more than five minutes late for a one-on-one session, send a quick note to let the person know. If you requested the meeting, keep track of the time that was agreed upon.
Polish your communication skills, including your listening skills. When you meet someone new, focus on asking questions, listening well, and making eye contact. Prepare your talking points as clearly and concisely as possible. If you feel nervous, practice before the meeting by roleplaying with someone you trust, such as a friend or a mentor.
A Thank-You note does the trick. Sending a thank-you email or message after a meeting helps build trust. If a person spent time with you, even if the meeting did not feel productive, you should always send a note to appreciate their time.
Keep in touch. If you’re the type of person that reaches out to others only when you need a job, that will be part of your reputation. To keep in touch, you can comment on their LinkedIn posts or send a quick message or email to say, How are things? It’s been a long time and I just wanted to see how you’re doing. You could also send a Happy Birthday or Congratulations note when you get a LinkedIn notification. If you signal that you remember them regularly, they will keep you in mind too.
Mind your LinkedIn activity. Avoid complaining or talking badly about organizations, programs, or recruiters on LinkedIn. Remember that anyone visiting your LinkedIn profile can see your posts and comments in the Activity section. If you had a negative experience, LinkedIn is not the place to publish it.
Amend others’ impressions. Anyone makes mistakes. If you realize you were ineffective, send a message with your thoughts. A genuine message like this would do it: I realized I might have come across as negative or even angry during our meeting, so I apologize. I do appreciate your advice and hope we can keep in touch. Maybe the person did not notice it so much, but you’re taking a proactive step to ensure they remember you positively.

If you want to learn more about how to conduct effective informational interviews, you can read my other article here.

It’s a small world out there

Remember that people know people, and building relationships is for the long term. Not every person you speak to will refer you to a job or give you the results you expected right away, but if they get a positive first impression and you keep in touch afterward, they might help you in the future.

I can say that this is true because I have first-hand experience moving countries twice. I am forever grateful that my first boss taught me about first impressions linked to professional reputation.

I hope that you can also find the right people to build your network and your reputation in your new home.

Join Medium! If you enjoy reading my stories and want to support me, consider becoming a Medium member through this link. The USD $5 a month gives you unlimited access to all Medium stories. If you sign up using my link, I’ll earn a small commission to cover my next coffee :)