"You never get a second chance to make a first impression"
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"You never get a second chance to make a first impression"
Most people have heard this cliche and think of it in terms of body language.
Look people in the eye, have a firm handshake, dress nicely, and remember names.
All good advice.
However, at Amazon, we discovered that tech interns who committed code changes during their first week were more likely to succeed long-term.
There is a second kind of first impression, a deeper one, which is what kind of employee and coworker you will be.
Will the first impression you leave on bosses and colleagues be that of someone who jumps in, rolls up your sleeves, and starts delivering results? Or will it be of someone who needs a lot of time to get your bearings and who moves more slowly to start contributing (leaving skeptics to wonder if you ever will)?
Perhaps at some companies, the latter approach works and I understand there is value in more contemplative styles. But I've coached many new Amazonians, at different levels, on how to thrive quickly at Amazon, and it means acting quickly, "Bias for Action." It's worked for them.
Wherever you work, you can reset your "first impression" with each new boss, project, or colleague.
Become known as a doer early and everything will roll your way.
Audience Insights
Additional ideas worth considering from my LinkedIn audience:
In a 2018 Amazon Fishbowl (fireside chat) with Alexis Ohanian (cofounder of Reddit) he advised: “Be relentlessly resourceful and have a bias for action to get things done. If you wait for someone else’s approval or are afraid of taking risks and failing, then opportunities will pass you by.” This was exemplified in the early days of Reddit.
Teach engineering teams early how to ship. If they already know that, then teach them how to ship the right things. You will never really know what customers will love unitl you ship it and get feedback.
For interns, one superpower you have is most people at the company will take a 15min meeting with you. Leverage it and use key introduction and closing phrases, for example:
Introduction — "Hi, I am XYZ, I am a student at XYZ and currently an intern on XYZ team under XYZ manager. I am working on XYZ and just shipped ABC. I would love to learn how my work contributes and aligns with your work and mission."
End every networking conversation with — "I enjoyed meeting with you and am eager to learn more about the company and meet more people. Who is 1 person you recommend I connect with?"
Share this post with someone who will benefit from it, including interns and new hires.
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Level Up is a newsletter from retired Amazon Vice President Ethan Evans that breaks down how he succeeded and how you can get to the next level.
Very True, there is the old saying (not scientific) that you become the average of the five people you spend time. Take that concept to the workplace and it becomes an interesting discussion. Unfortunately, it is the disengaged population that welcomes new employees with open arms. Their reputation is often unknown to the new hire. Thus, it is critical for new joiners thinking about their first impressions is also who they choose to associate with.
I never heard this, but I love the takeaway.
Working at small companies pretty much all my career, I couldn't have imagined people functioning other than being doers. When you don't have hundreds of engineers, production is on fire; you don't sit and wait until you get an answer from a senior engineer on whether you name a package surveyComponent or survey-component.
You look at the current naming, and if it's inconsistent, propose a naming resolution. Write a doc with your suggestions, and open it up for comments. The next engineer joining will already have an easier time, and your peers will be blown away.