July 24th, 2011 
ccurwick 
There is one thing that always makes a good impression in a job interview. However, this thing is almost always overlooked and taken for granted, especially in situations where a solid first impression is a must. This one thing, is a smile.
Even though a smile seems to be such a simple thing, it is one of the most powerful forms of communication. A smile says, “I like you,” or “I am glad to see you.” In a work environment, a smile is a welcomed thing and makes people want to work with you.
From a popular 1930’s book by Dale Carnegie, the smile is identified as one of the principles proven to “win friends and influence people.” When entering a high stress, first interview, it is not easy to remember to smile confidently and warmly. A fake smile usually makes people feel uncomfortable or even resentful so forget about trying to fake it.
No matter how nervous you feel in a job interview, try and smile with friendliness and confidence. If you try it in all aspects of your life, you will be surprised at how doors will just start to open up for you.
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You are correct, first impressions will make or break the the interview for you from the time you enter the office and sit down. Before you leave the interview you need to ask if your background is a fit for the job and ask when you can start. This will save you a lot of time worrying about what the out come of the interview will be.
Thanks for the comment. I agree with you on asking the question. Don’t beat around the bush.
Smiles and laughter can take the tension out of the air and make the process, for the applicant, less stressful. I think that it’s also good to know something about the company you are applying for. This makes conversation easier and shows the employer you are interested in being a team player.
I didn’t know that the ‘smile’ feature was from the Dale Carnegie book but I was told at a young age by a super salesman who most likely read it that….”A smile doesn’t cost you anything. Think….it’s like if you just smile at someone they’ll give you $20 (a sale).”
I recommend that you go to http://www.charlierose.com then click on ‘recent’ for a July 27th interview with Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford. He continued to ‘smile’ for 22 mins while he gloats about Ford’s recent performance. Actually, the interesting part is how they went from a loss of 17 billion in 2006 AND how he jumped on the financing before the lending market tightened up.
Most revealing.