The 90-Second Test: Nailing First Impressions when interviewing

“Every interview has a silent clock. You’ve got 90 seconds to win the room — or spend the rest of the hour trying to climb out of a hole.”

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Whether we like it or not, every interview starts with a silent clock. Within the first minute and a half, the panel has already decided if you look like someone they want to hire — or someone they want to move past. It often sets the pace for the rest of the interview. Will this be a building experience where you get to highlight why you are the right fit, or time spent under fire, or worse yet, going through the motions with a disinterested panel.

This is the once you have gotten to the interview part, there is a long road before this, and even before you sit down, people have formed impressions based on the 30 seconds of your resume they have most likely skimmed.

I’ve been on both sides of the table: as the one sweating through the questions, and as the one sitting in judgment on the panel. With over 200 federal employees hired directly by me over the past few decades and easily a thousand plus interview panels, trust me, that opening minute and a half carries more weight than most people realize.

This critical time determines how much listening, and mental capacity the members are going to dedicate to the rest of the interview be it 30 minutes or an hour.

So how do you win the 90-second test?

Let’s break it down.

Dress the Part:

When in doubt, overdress by half a notch.

For government or corporate interviews: suit and tie, or conservative professional attire.

For startups or creative spaces: business casual that still looks intentional.

For trades, or specializations know where you will be working and be dressed appropriately. If you show up looking like you just wandered in from the grocery store, (or the club from the night before, yes, I have seen this more than I would like to admit) the panel won’t hear a word you say after that.

Ok, I can't believe this is making it into a "how to" interview blog series, but times have changed. Dress the part but also think about things like hygiene.

Even if this is virtual: Shower, hair taken care of, etc. Also, and this has become a big one in the last half decade, when in person: not smelling like anything strongly: Smoke, lunch, alcohol, overuse of cologne or perfume. etc.

Pro tip: Also take the earbuds out please. Hearing aids are one thing, earbuds or headphones are another.

Lead with Confidence:

That first handshake (or greeting on Zoom) sets the tone. Stand tall, shoulders back. Look them in the eye. Smile — not a fake grin, but a “glad to be here” presence.

Energy and posture communicate more than your first sentence ever will.

Pro tip: It is ok to be nervous. The worst thing that can happen is you don't get the job you didn't have to begin with. But you will have gained experience and will be all the better the next time. Keep this in mind. It helps settle the nerves.

Mind Your Non-Verbals:

Your mouth might be saying “thank you for having me,” but your body can betray nerves, or indifference.

So, pay attention to whether you are saying nonverbally, "I am an open book, and want to be here, OR I am postured for defense and ready to push back"

Open stance, not arms crossed.

Nod when others speak. (Look at them if you are in any setting where you can see each other).

Sit forward slightly — it shows engagement.

And for the love of all things holy, silence your phone before you step in. Nothing kills momentum faster than your ringtone singing the song you swore you’d change six months ago.

Pro tip: This goes for all things distracting. In today's environment we are often interviewing over teams, or zoom, etc.

Hearing a TV in the background, or dogs barking, or interruptions by children, spouses, etc. are also momentum killers.

Think about the interview, ask others for help to take care of children, dogs, etc. Let everyone know during this time, "I will be in an interview."

This is important so treat it that way.

"Like preparing for a test"? You ask. Yes, exactly, every interview IS a test. It is a competition, be there to win!

Mind Your Environment:

This can be: The room you are sitting in while interviewing be it at home, on site, or anywhere else.

What does this mean? Well, for example: if you are going on site and interviewing to manage a manufacturing center, chances are that you will be out on the floor at some point, not being able to go because you do not have steel toes on could be an issue. Plan ahead or even ask prior to the interview when it is being scheduled. "Do I need anything"?

If you are in the office, keep your attention of the panel, there are often many other things to look at that are distracting.

If you on virtual, you should look at your space from someone else's computer so you can see what you look like to others. Often the little square you see yourself in on your PC is NOT the view others have of you.

Walls full of pictures, and trophies are nice, but distracting for the panel. You want that precious 90 seconds of focus to be on you.

Not wondering what all you have sitting on the dozen shelves behind you, or where you caught that trophy fish mounted on the wall.

Why This Matters:

I’ve sat in many panels where the decision was basically made in the first two minutes.

The rest of the interview was just confirmation bias: if they liked you, they hunted for reasons to keep liking you (or asked questions probing for strengths). If they didn’t… you were climbing uphill (answering questions that probed for weakness).

Don't believe me? Think about some past interviews. Ones that went well and ones that didn't. Did they ask about experiences that shined a light on your skillset, or probing "We are not sure you are right for us" questions.

Final Word:

You don’t have to be perfect — but you do have to look like you belong.

Show up like you already have the job and let the panel spend the rest of the hour convincing themselves they made the right choice.

Yes, before I get a hundred comments: I know there are many other formats of interviews where there is little to no interaction between you and the panel.

We can what if, and one off all day: But no matter what the scenario: humans are humans, and they bring their experiences with them. No way around it. Sorry.

There is a lot to all of this, the higher you go, the trickier it gets.

Look you spent minutes just reading about prepping for the first 90 seconds.

👉 Next in the Interviewing Mastery Series: The Questions You’ll Always Be Asked — and How to Answer Them Without Rambling. And if you want more than a blog post — if you want to practice, sharpen your stories, and walk into your interview already owning that 90 seconds — check out my [Coaching & Services page]. Let’s get you ready to win.

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