Having good "people skills" will help you get the job that you want and  build the career that you desire.  Very few people are born knowing how to relate well to others.  Michael Crom, in an article for USA Today entitled "Having Good People Skills Can Help Your Career," provided these basic tips to enable you to develop skills so that others see you as a positive, friendly person:

• Smile - A smile shows that you like yourself, you like your current place in the world, and you are happy with the people you are interacting with.  No one will say you are crabby if you are smiling.  Practice smiling as you work on your computer or walk to your car and it will become second nature to you.

• Be a good listener - Most people prefer to talk rather than listen.  Encourage others to talk about themselves.  If you are nervous and talk too much about yourself, it can be interpreted as arrogance.  If you want to develop "people skills," you don't really have to say much at all.  Ask an open-ended question and let the other person begin talking.  Look them in the eye, nod your head, say "uh huh" a few times, and suddenly you'll find you are more popular.  

• Remember names - A person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.  You can never say someone's name too much.  Actually, this is the secret to convincing people that you are not arrogant.  Using others names as you talk will let them know that you are enough to remember this important fact about them.  They also will know that you care thinking about them first and yourself second.

• Look co-workers in the eye - Whenever someone begins a conversation with you, look them in the eye and smile first, then get on with the conversation.  Also, when you enter the room for an interview or a meeting, smile and look around at everyone.  If you want to start a conversation with one person or a group, walk up to them and smile.