You've Got Only Three Seconds [Paperback]

Camille Lavington (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 13, 1998

In the three seconds it takes you to walk through a door and extend your hand to someone for the first time, that person has already made irreversible judgments about you. You send out hundreds of signals about yourself, and people read those signals and react to them long before you've had a chance to say or do anything of substance.



Camille Lavington is a communications consultant who commands substantial fees for teaching personal marketing to business people from corporate executives to mid-level managers. In You've Only Got Three Seconds, she shares her strategies for defining your personal career goals, taking inventory of your strengths and vulnerabilities, and determining what you must do, say, and wear in order to fit the role you want to fulfill.



Personal marketing isn't about social cimbing or trying to be someone you're not. Success at the end of the millennium comes to people who are versatile, who can make positive impressions in any group, who can peg their peers' or superiors' secret agendas, and use psychodynamics to get what they want. With this book, people from entry-level job applicants to stymied executives will be ready to take their internal and external makeovers into the world, make a smashing first impression, and follow through with finesse.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Apparently, as if to emphasize the increasingly fast pace of our lives, Lavington has drastically cut the time we are allotted to make a good first impression. Ten years ago, Norman King gave us The First Five Minutes: The Successful Opening Moves in Business, Sales, & Interviews (1987). Seven years later, it was only 60 Seconds and You're Hired (1994), according to Robin Ryan. Now Lavington, a consultant specializing in personal marketing and "executive enhancement," limits us to three seconds! She claims that within the first three seconds of meeting someone, "that person has already made irreversible judgments." To ensure that those judgments are favorable, Lavington stresses the importance of having self-confidence, a positive attitude, and a neat appearance. She provides self-assessment tests to help people understand their strengths and weaknesses and suggests ways to improve shortcomings. Finally, she recommends tactics for surviving office politics and social intrigue. And, sure enough, behind the hyperbole lies good advice! David Rouse --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Make the right impression in both business and social pursuits in a minimum amount of time, learning here from a communications consultant who teaches personal marketing to business people. Here Lavington shares strategies for defining careers, assessing individual strengths and weaknesses, and honing a particular image. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books; 1st Main Street Books Ed edition (April 13, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385484550
• ISBN-13: 978-0385484558
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars REQUIRED READING FOR ALL SERIOUS BUSINESS PEOPLE October 13, 2005

By Franco

Format:Paperback

This book will change how you see the world because you will learn how the world sees you. It is no secret that people judge us not only on our skills and abilities, but also on our image and social skills. We all know brilliant and hard-working people that reach career plateaus or fail in business because of their lack of image and social skills. What is surprising is how quickly people judge us. Seven years after this book was written, Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" recently confirmed Ms. Lavington's message that people can and do size you up within seconds. Unlike Blink, this book shows you what to do about it. It also describes how to avoid many other image and social pitfalls that arise long after the first impression is made. I've never seen this information and advice anywhere else. What I found particularly unique about this book is that it gives you a rare glimpse of Brahmin class behavior and expectations. If you aspire to reach this class or interact with them, this book is indispensable. I strongly recommend this book for all serious business people.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Career Advice From A Professional! May 3, 2003

By Mcgivern Owen L

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

One on one consultation with First Rate professionals such as Mrs. Lavington can be extremely costly. Here we have an opportunity to pick up her pearls of wisdom for the price of a paperback book. This is a bargain! YOHTS is packed with good solid everyday and tactics that can be used to advance one's career or prevent others from derailing it. There is a downside: I believe that the younger one is, the more he/she will benefit from YOHTS. While it's true that "it is never too late", the earlier in life one is "wised up" the better. I certainly wish that I had encountered this sooner than I did. The upside is that this is NOT a Machiavellian, sneaky, manipulative font of advice. Rather the author concentrates on advising her readers to parry the outrageous thrusts of the manipulative types we have all encountered on the job. Like any good self help work, YOHTS is not to be devoured in a few sittings. One should read carefully, take notes, think about it and let the advice sink into our everyday-working behavior. A personal note: About ten years ago, my church group invited the author to a one-day seminar. I was totally impressed with Mrs. Lavington's poise, sincerity, professionalism and obvious knowledge of the real world. I wish I had hired her then. Rest assured that this lady is on the level. Readers can take her advice to the bank. This reviewer would especially urge younger amazoners to read YOHTS early in your career. Thank me later.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good For What It Forces You To Do... August 1, 2004

By Patrick S Murphy

Format:Paperback

Which is examine your career search tactics. Otherwise, you will not get much in the way of "hidden wisdom" from this volume. Most of the advice in this book -- especially the early chapters -- is fairly simple and obvious. Hopefully, if you're searching for career advancement guides, you know to dress well and shower before a job interview. Too much weight is given to evaluation techniques (Myers-Briggs, Rohrsach, and even handwriting analysis) that provide dubious, if not outright wrong, feedback on whether or not a candidate will succeed in a given career. Never are the tools of "good" employers mentioned: e.g. structured interviews or career assessment camps. Lavington claims to have insider information, but really is only sharing with you what you already know. Use the book to force yourself into a good, strong introspective period. Don't look to it for any real advice.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Advice to Manage Your Career Advancement August 20, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

How would you like to have $5,000 to hire a personal marketing consultant to coach you to success? That coaching is right here in Lavington's book.

As a human resources executive I have hired executive enhancement consultants to coach employees moving up the corporate ladder and those temporarily stalled in their advancement. Sure they come in, spruce up the employee's appearance, and send me their bill...never really getting to the heart of the issue. Lavington's book gets to the heart of all the issues. She helps you evaluate your abilities and learn to showcase your talents. You will explore areas to polish, positioning yourself for even greater success. Not just motivational hype or ivory-tower theories, Lavington gives specific advice that produces real-world results.

If you are just entering the business world, looking to move up, or already enjoying a successful career this book is an excellent resource. I wish it had been around before I paid those costly consultant bills...it's a much better return on investment!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What Impression Do You Make? December 21, 2005

By Virginia Allain

Format:Paperback

Anyone looking for a job needs to prepare beyond typing up a resume. Read this book. It helps you to see yourself as others see you. Run through the checklist for grooming, presentation and body language to tune up your "impression makers."
The boss is looking for someone with energy, enthusiasm, job skills, and who fits with the current team. Far too many candidates have no idea of the image they project. Slumped in a chair while mumbling answers is not likely to impress an employer.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Complicated & Contrite January 2, 2008

By R. C. Planck

Format:Paperback

If you are an average, down to earth middle-class citizen, this book might not be for you. I'm a working class girl and bought this book to check into making better impressions, both at work and socially. I found this book marketed toward upper level executives, CEO's and high-level management types. Most of the scenarios (both professionally and socially) did not fit me. This book is overcomplicated and hard to read. What more can I say - waste of time.