{{B}}Keep the Process Fair{{/B}}
Interviewers who allow first impressions to guide their questions can fall into a pattern that shifts the balance of the conversation only in ways that confirm the first impression, regardless {{U}}(31) {{/U}} whether it is correct.
For example, an interviewer who is immediately impressed {{U}}(32) {{/U}} a candidate starts chatting amiably, asks easy questions and allows the candidate to pontificate on what they would or should or could {{U}}(33) {{/U}} in some future world when hired. The hiring manager or interview committee spends more time talking {{U}}(34) {{/U}} listening; most of that talking is done in an effort to sell the candidate on the job, {{U}}(35) {{/U}} screen his or her qualifications. The hiring manager or interviewing panel is left with a warm, fuzzy feeling about the candidate and high hopes {{U}}(36) {{/U}} the future but with no real understanding of the skills and knowledge that the candidate would bring to the job, and no impressions to confirm {{U}}(37) {{/U}} deny in the all-important reference-checking stage.
Worse yet, an interviewer who has a negative impression of a candidate often does {{U}}(38) {{/U}} opposite, spending most of the interview disengaged or tearing the candidate apart through overly tough questions or a combative attitude.
To keep the interview fair, remember that {{U}}(39) {{/U}} takes at least 10 minutes for a candidate to get past his or her own nervousness and for the hiring manager or interviewing committee to establish a flow of conversation. Suspending judgment at least until a rapport is established is the most effective way to begin to see candidates for {{U}}(40) {{/U}} they truly bring to the table.