First Impressions

First impressions are a key to starting off a job or internship successfully. Both the "Getting to Know Your Mentor" worksheet and the "Making Positive First Impressions" podcast stress the importance of appearance, attitude, willingness to learn, and determination. Dressing professionally tells your mentor that you are taking your opportunity seriously and that you are treating it as an actual job. However, your professional attire should not draw attention to yourself, be distracting, or be inappropriate. Having a positive and friendly attitude reflects a good character. A positive attitude should be shown by looking your mentor in the eyes and saying hello to him/her with a smile every day and by being very respectful to them and their coworkers. The most important way to make a great first impression is to show how much you want to learn from your mentor. You should prove to your mentor as early as possible that they are someone that you look up to and that you share a similar passion with them.
By this point, my mentor has already been confirmed, and this is my second year with her as my mentor. Luckily, I have known my mentor for 5 years now, and we are far past first impressions. She already knows how hard working and passionate I am about what she does. Although we are done with her impressions, it does not mean that I should stop acting like I did when we first met. I continue to show a positive attitude, and show that I am always willing to learn something new from her. Along with first impression with my mentor, I also need to have a good first impression with her class as I'll be spending the entire year with them. I have gotten to be with them a few times, and I think that they are starting to like me and get used to me. Continuing the way you act towards your mentor goes a long way and should make a greater mentoring experience.