Smile. For some, that big bright toothy smile comes naturally. These job applicants use their pearly whites to send the message that they’re genuinely happy to be in your presence and you in theirs. As an interviewer you are easily drawn to their warm and expressive nature because they appear interested in what you’re saying, even if they don’t understand it. It’s not at all surprising that they get through to the next round. After all, what’s not to like?

For other applicants, smiling is an effort, an afterthought. If they smile it’s as forced as it is fleeting. They may be happy to see you but they’re not sending any signals that they’re feeling that way. In fact, they may not be willing to commit to how they feel about you until you prove yourself worthy.  If you’re like most interviewers, you’ll cut them out of the pack before they have a chance to decide.

If you’re among the smile-challenged, you can learn. You can practice. And when you do, put your teeth into it, even if they’re not as many in there as used to be. Smile. Show that you’re the kind of person who is comfortable in the company of few or many and that you want others to feel comfortable around you.

Resumes: If you’re not getting the response you believe your job history meritsand as a result you aren’t getting interviews, there are a few culprits that may be getting in your way. You may be…

Throwing in the kitchen sink, trying to present yourself as someone who’s all things to all people. Instead, focus your resume on what you do best and want to keep doing.

Too ambiguous, confusing the reader, making it hard to know what job you want because your objective is non- specific and your experiences varied. Specify and clarify.

Too technical and too narrow a focus, writing in jargon that only someone familiar with your area of specialization can understand and interpret.  Instead, use language that suggests the applicability of your knowledge and talent to other fields of endeavor.

Too understated by describing yourself in nondescript, uninteresting ways.

Instead, state your objective in goal specific terms, name the job you’re after and the strengths that make you the pick of the litter. Organize your work history so that it supports your objective. Highlight at least three significant accomplishments per job entry.

Cover letters provide you an opportunity to succinctly and enthusiastically sell yourself and demonstrate the personality that a formal resume won’t allow. Cover letters give the reader a greater understanding of your intentions; your strengths, the outcome you seek and the part the reader can play in making that happen.

Attitude. Want to kill an interview? Carry a chip on your shoulder and a scowl that says I’ve been burned before and I’m not going to let that happen again.  It may sound outrageous, that no self-respecting job seeker would do that, but many do, not because it’s what they intend but because something unresolved is stuck in their craw and shows itself at the most inopportune times. Got a bad attitude? Work it out, work it off, and let it go. It’s getting in the way of your enjoying a productive life.

Energy: If you look as though you can’t get up from the chair you’re slumped in, you don’t have it and I don’t know any hiring manager willing to take a chance that you’re going to find it.  Project upbeat, motivated, can do energy, and you’ll improve your chances of getting the job.

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Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started he own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

You’ve been a loyal employee, hardworking, and honest and you’ve just been laid off. You’re at a turn in the road you hadn’t expected and are having more trouble dealing with it than you had anticipated.  Before you take your fears and frustrations out on an interviewer, or your spouse and family, get some help. Take care of yourself physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Take a walk and get a check-up; check in with a counselor; check out some library books; and soothe your soul by communing with nature or attending your place of worship. Talk to friends, mentors, and spiritual guides. Attend job search support groups. You’ll get a reprieve that may be a short- term fix, but when done consistently and over time, can give you long term relief.

The Match Game: Put your best foot forward. Lead with your strengths and match your abilities to the opportunities that you seek and the company you’d like to join. If you know you’re a people person, find companies that value relationships with employees as well as customers and vendors. If you’re a trouble- shooter match yourself to the company that values quality and is willing to invest in it. If you’re independent and creative, find companies that value out of the box thinking and paradigm-shifting. The match game is about taking the best of what you do and who you are, and connecting with companies with compatible values and expectations.

Networking: When utilized properly it’s an excellent entrée to companies and their decision-makers. When misapplied, it’s not only time wasting and frustrating to you and the people you visit, it is counterproductive. To be effective, you’ll need to be clear about your purpose in arranging these job search, strategy setting meetings. You’re calling on people with whom you share mutual respect and regard, who value you and your work and have something in common with both. You’re informing them of your search and need of their assistance in brainstorming possibilities, and suggesting people, and places to call. You’re emphatic that you’re not asking them for a job. You’re interested in their insights regarding who to call and why you should. Your goal is to walk out of the meeting with names, phone numbers, and the networking contact’s willingness to touch base with each of these people before you do. That’s networking at its best.

Cover letters: Yes. They’re as necessary as they are multi-purpose. In three brief paragraphs you can describe the reason for your contact, how your strengths contribute to company performance, and suggest action steps in the resume-to-interview process. If you’re responding to a want ad, you can describe how closely you fit the requirements of the published opening. A resume, uncovered, is a dry recitation of fact. A cover letter provides an opportunity for you to shine and thereby kindle interest on the part of the reader.

A Few Closing Thoughts: I’m all for wearing fragrances and it’s not my business if you choose to smoke. However, when you interview, you want to be evaluated on the merit of your accomplishments and not hampered by a heavy scent that trumpets your arrival and lasts well after you’ve departed.

And believe it or not, it’s as bad to get to your interview too early as it is to arrive too late. Either way you look time-management challenged. In a market as competitive as this, you want everything to be working in your favor.