FIRST IMPRESSIONS

1 ………… She was wearing skintight pedal pushers, a flashy, floppy top, and sneakers with no socks - bizarrelyinappropriate even at our very informal company. Soon, Nina was doggedly pumping me for information about the new department Iwas running, where she hoped to get a permanent job. Nor a chance, I thought. Not if Ihaveanything to say aboutit.

2 …………Within a few days she was trying out for me. Igave her a moderately difficult, uninteresting, and unimportant project that I didn't need for months. 3 ………… Although I couldn't have predicted exactlywhat Nina would do, in three minutes flat I had assessed her as someone who could not be relied upon to get a job done.

4 ………… Within seconds after wemeet someone, we take in a host of details and drawrather large conclusions from them. We may decide in an instant whether it is someone’s nature to be warm, cold, friendly or hostile, anxious or calm, happy or troubled. Unconsciously, we often ask and quickly answer certain questions: Will I enjoy talking to him at this party?Will she make aninteresting friend? Will he/she make a good boss/ sales manager/ spouseforme? Ifwe get to know the person better, we may change our minds. 5 …………

From Nina's inappropriate dress and aggressive behavior toward me, I’d decided she was pushy, insensitive, and had poor judgment. 6 ………… It wasas if awarning bell went off in my head. Its message: this person was not to be trusted; her behavior would be unpredictable she wasmotivated by anidiosyncratic agenda of her own that I would never understand.

7 …………

A But we may not have the chance.

B However, I didn't.

C Ialso had alot of vague impressions Icouldn't explain.

D Iwas using a combination of observation, inference and intuition.

E It took that long for her successor to untangle the mess she had made out of it.

F We all make snap judgments about strangers.

G When I first met Nina, I disliked her atonce.