Impression Management

I found our discussion in class last week (3/8) on impression management to be a very interesting topic to discuss. This topic is very important for me because people are always going to judge me by my actions, and this could have an impact on what kind of job I can get in the future.  Even though we may not think it is ok, everything we do is going to be judged; whether it is in a classroom, at a job, or trying to impress your friends.  The definition of impression management “is a goal-directed conscious or unconscious process in which people attempt to influence the perceptions of other people about a person, object or event; they do so by regulating and controlling information in social interaction” (Piwinger & Ebert 2001, pp. 1–2).  It is an interesting thing to consider now that we are getting to the time in life where we will be applying for professional jobs. Especially with all of the different online applications like Facebook, Linkedin or Myspace, it is important that you keep yourself reserved so that a future potential employer does not get the wrong idea of who you are and what kind of professional you will be.  It is important that you manage your impressions and control the information that is distributed about you so that people will take you seriously.  Your reputation will always follow you, so make sure that you think things through before taking action.