I hate it when I meet a new person and they ply me with a million questions, right off the bat. I realize they’re probably just trying to be friendly, but it makes me feel “put on the spot.” Relax, make some small talk, the interrogation can come later. 
People who remember my name a minute later, even though I am terrible at remembering names, myself.
People who remember my name the way I tell it to them instead of dropping the last two syllables off it.
**bluethree **reminded me of one: people who hear my name and move on. So many people hear my name and hesitate, or make a face. It’s not that exotic, idiot.
Nah. You’re good.
That made me laugh out loud!
YES. I don’t so much notice when people call me by the name I introduced myself with (Jenny, as opposed to Jennifer or Jen), because I expect that, but I definitely notice when they don’t – or if they do it to someone else. It’s another thing I make an effort to do, myself. I also make an effort to get similar-sounding names right: Kristen vs Kirsten, Brendan vs Brandon, Lisa vs Alyssa, etc. Too many times being called “Ginny,” I suppose. 
Firm handshake.
Remebers name after it’s told.
**People who know how to keep every one in the group IN the conversation at hand.
This is a BIG f’n pet peve of mine. There’s nothing I hate more when you walk up to a group of two or more people then they start talking about some one (or some thing) you don’t know. -And they KNOW you don’t know said person; yet they keep chatting amongst themselves not giving a flying fuck that you couldn’t possibly add anything to the conversation.
Talk about rude.
This is probably my #1 good thing that I look for in people! Folks who can go with the flow and have fun in almost any situation. Yay!
Other good traits that I notice right away:
Pleasant and polite to waiters, bartenders and other sorts of staff persons one may encounter in a social setting.
Socially lively – I appreciate it if a person I have just met focuses on me, but I’m extra impressed if we are in a group setting and that person makes the effort (or appreciates it if I make the effort) of easily including another new person in our conversation.
People from my hometown – yeah, we can’t all be so lucky to be from my hometown but I can’t help being extra special pleased to have the opportunity to find out everyone you are related to and went to school with so that we can see who we know in common.
Booky people in general – it’s funny, in general I don’t want to get too rabid about many issues with people I have just met, because I think it’s usually a good sign that you wait and see how the other person feels about sex, politics or religion before expressing a frothy opinion, but feel free to rant and rave right away about stuff that happens in books.
Oooooh, good one.
Ah, yes. People whose first reaction to you, and everyone else around them (including waiters, etc) who hasn’t actually done something offensive to them, is a pleasant/friendly one. Obviously people who first meet each other are doing some sizing up, but some people are fairly obviously judgy, and of course some treat you with disdain after the first ‘hello’. Those people aren’t worth talking to.
I also really appreciate people who can keep the conversation between strangers turned ‘outwards’ - who lighten up on the inside jokes/dishing so new people don’t have to feel so left out. People who are capable of talking/listening about someone other than themselves are great too. I know some people who actually interrupt others’ conversations mid-sentence to ramble about themselves. Ick.
I do appreciate accents. I wouldn’t go all fluttery and forget about the ding in my car if the guy who hit me was German or northern British, but accents are usually just pleasant to hear. southern/eastern ones too. Not necessarily the ‘I haven’t mastered english yet’ ones, but those can also be cute and somewhat disarming.
And I guess I’m a little predisposed to like people from Hawaii. A lot of them give off a gentler/nicer firt impression, and tend to be laid back.
I actually don’t gravitate towards cute/flawless looking men or women; round here they’re more likely to be assholes.
Kind
Witty & wicked sense of humor
Not outwardly conscious of the event being “a first meeting”–natural
Tendency to buy me drinks
I agree, delphica .
This is my ultimate new friend litmus test. I have never waited tables; but anyone who is friendly and polite to waitstaff and sales help automatically earns my respect.
Same goes for those who extend common courtesies that aren’t so common any more: holding doors for others; picking up something someone else dropped; letting someone with less items in line in front of you; allowing a car to merge easily.
Social graces and kindness make an impression on me long before conversational skill or personal attractiveness do.
Well, one should be nice to everybody, no?
I was in the Soc. Sec. office once, replacing a lost card, and was the only customer in there. So, I remarked about how I worked for the city and people would call up immediately angry, ready for a fight. She completely changed, as though I were a confidant, and talked about some of the people she had to deal with. The greatest thing was when she said, “I don’t put up with that anymore. If people want a hard time, I’ll give it to them.”
Another time I was going to a concert and the woman taking tickets kept saying, “Hi, how are you?” to everybody, sort of robotically. When she took my ticket, I said something like, “Oh, I’m doing pretty well, how are you?” and she just brightened and changed completely.
Dropping little compliments and being nice is such a great thing. Our local Sec. of State branch (in Michigan we don’t have a DMV, but a Secretary of State) is brilliantly efficient. They move people, and the last time I was in there, there must have been fifty people in front of me and I got through in less than an hour. So, I told the woman helping me this. “I don’t know how you guys do it here. You’re the model of efficiency! It’s a pleasure just to watch you operate.” Or putting time on my cell phone; there’s always a wait there. “I could never do your job. It’s like you never get a break, yet the service is always good.” Or dealing with the bureaucracy when I was in college, even just saying, “Hi! How are 'ya? Busy day?” (“Busy day?” seems to be a magic phrase.) It’s just — I don’t know — fun, I guess, to be able to do so much for a person virtually costlessly.
Hell, even if you are going to be rude, if you announce it in advance and give a reason, people are totally cool about it! “Hey, I apologize for being a jerk, but I’ve just had one of those days.” And then the person is so cool after that, you can’t help but be friendly!
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