Believe it or not (please do), the adage, “timing is everything” can not only be applied to interviewing and performance reviews but also very practically (and easily) used to your advantage.

What are we talking about?

In the study of organizational behavior (basically psychology for the workplace) the “Primacy Effect” and the “recency effect” tell us that …

People tend to remember and favor events that were either the first or the last to happen.

Here’s a wordier definition for you nerds out there:

Primacy effect: is a cognitive bias that results from disproportionate weight on initial stimuli or observations.

Recency effect: is a cognitive bias that results from disproportionate weight on recent stimuli or observations.

Taking this one step further- one can infer that people, things and events in the middle are often forgotten. Basically, don’t be the gooch. Egh.

Like many business concepts, the concept is simple and even obvious but often neglected or not acted upon. How can we work this to our advantage?

How to apply it…

This is very important concept that you can use to position yourself for better results when interviewing and for performance reviews. 

Interviewing…

When interviewing use this strategy not only for scheduling your interview but, in how you choose to present your topics during conversation. When scheduling your interview select a time that is either early (primacy) or late in the day (recency); this will allow you to stand out against the other interviewees. Also when interviewing structure your conversations to be powerful.  Do this by starting out solid with a positive point and/or issue to frame the conversation. Try to mention any weakness or holes in your resume during the middle of the conversation. Saving your best ammo for last will keep you and your best qualities at the forefront of the interviewers mind.

Performance Reviews…

When you are up for a performance review remember that the projects you have recently completed will be the most fresh in your managers mind.  Use this to your advantage by either taking on extra projects right before your review and to also make sure that you wrap up any on-going projects with excellent results. Your manager is more likley to remember your latest success than everything that happened in the middle.

These strategies will help you succeed at your goal of either landing the job or scoring high on your review. Afterall, if human nature tends to work this why not take advantage of it?