How to make a good first impression at the beginning of your career

I look young for my age. Seems like I always have. Or at least I never have. aspect older no matter how old you are in fact get. While it’s nice to see my parents’ advice to respect the sun have paid off (so far), it’s often been hard on my career.

It is perhaps revealing that when I sit down with new work acquaintances and they ask me when I graduated, I have to tell them that I graduated not just once, but three times from post-secondary institutions. I also had a 7 year career in a corporate environment; I spent two years as an archaeologist (after graduating with a degree); and another two years as a teacher (after graduating). There were also a couple of years there where I didn’t work at all, but enjoyed traveling full time. They look at me in astonishment, the same comment on all their lips, “But you don’t look that old!” To which I always reply: ‘Thank you!’ It is all I can do.

For those who have as long a track record as I have and still look young, or for those who are genuinely young and new to their jobs, here are some tips to help you combat this ‘problem’.

play with your youth

You may have been hired because you offer new ideas and insights for your position, so play on that. Express new ideas with the preface ‘From my perspective’ or ‘Speaking for my generation’. You can have your team sit down and listen to your thoughts if they are inconsistent with yours, in a good way.

tackle it head on

Talk early about your experience, but not your age, and then let it slide. Explain his story in such a way that it sounds like she has lived a long time, even if she hasn’t. Don’t say how long you were in each position, but overwhelm them a bit with the list of positions you held and the education you have. The hint that even though you may look young, you have a long life behind you.

Dress and behave appropriately

While I’m not a fan of telling people to dress outside of their comfort zone, if you dress too ‘young’ for your position, you open yourself up to scrutiny. If dressing in bright colors is your style, stick with that, but update your look to make it appropriate for the job you’re doing. This is especially true if you work in a corporate environment.

Forge a style, both in dress and attitude, that is uniquely yours, without compromising your position. I often think of Drew Barrymore in this regard. He dresses in nice clothes, rarely showing cleavage or too much leg, and always looks very boyish, even though he is almost 40 years old. However, he speaks eloquently and chooses parts that fit his real age, never younger.

It’s tempting to tell everyone your age, either to highlight that you’re older than people think or to highlight the fact that you fit into a certain demographic, but I’d refrain. Talk about the experience you have and let them wonder how old you really are.