Perception

We live in a superficial world. Outward appearance plays such an important role in our life - be it clinching a deal, impressing our superiors, nailing that job interview or attracting the opposite sex. It is the perception that matters.

I experienced this whilst at an interview yesterday. I was dressed impeccably in my crisp white shirt, black pencil skirt, shiny silver cufflinks and killer high heels. The aim was to leave a good impression and hopefully impress, wasn't it?

At some point during the interview, I was asked this question:

Q: On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the strongest, how ambitious are you?

The question wasn't a difficult one. After all, what it asks of me was just to rate my ambitious level. How honest would you be in answering the question? In your mind, what kind of a candidate is the employer looking for? Could there be an ideal answer? I have no idea. But I gave my honest answer after a pause or two. "3", I answered.

As I said, the question wasn't difficult. And when I replied, it wasn't with much deliberation. But it was the response from my interviewer that kinda got me and till today, still resonates in my head. He was surprised. He thought I would say 4 or 4.5. The recruiter too, was surprised during our debrief session. She commented, "...look at you". What did she mean by that? Are you also surprised at my answer? But why?

Then I realised. People judge. They judge before they know you. People stereotype. They do that before they know you. Everyone does that. It is just the extent that differs. And it can be in a good way or a bad way. Because of this human trait, perception becomes important. You do not need to be confident, you just need to appear confident. You do not need to know your stuff inside out, you just need to appear like you know your stuff inside out. You do not even need to be rich, you just need to appear rich. All you need to do is focus on perfecting that perception which you want others to have of you.

I wonder how others perceive me. What kind of a person am I in their eyes? Obviously, others' perception of me seems rather different from who I really am inside. Have I actually 'perfected' a particular perception without even knowing it?

P/S: Have a look at the picture of the dish. What do you think the main ingredient is? Looks can really be deceiving.