Job interviews are meant to how well a person will perform at work, but traditional, interviews are often poor at this. Interviewers tend to opinions in the first few and then look for information that them. Structured interviews, in every candidate answers the same and is scored with the same , are much more .

In a famous 1993 study, the psychologists Nalini Ambady and Robert Rosenthal showed students silent video clips of university teachers. Some clips lasted only a few seconds. The students rated the teachers on qualities such as confidence and warmth. Remarkably, these quick ratings were strongly related to the evaluations the teachers received from their own students at the end of a full semester.

Researchers call such brief observations ‘thin slices’ of behavior. The findings suggest that people can pick up meaningful information very quickly from facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice.

However, first impressions are not always accurate. They can be influenced by appearance, accent, or stereotypes that have little to do with a person’s real abilities. Once formed, impressions are also hard to change, because people tend to notice evidence that supports what they already believe.

For job seekers, the research has two lessons. First impressions matter, so it is worth practicing a calm, confident manner. At the same time, organizations that want to make fair decisions should rely on structured methods rather than gut feelings.