Surviving a job interview takes a lot more than simply answering questions. It requires making an excellent first impression. There are thousands of tiny things that go into how a person makes a first impression in something like a job interview. Overall, you need to come across as likable and personable. You need to have people skills. You need to pass “the stink test.”

However, for some, knowing how to act in a stressful environment like an interview doesn’t always come naturally. Thankfully, there are things you can do to increase your chances of success. If you show the following people skills, you’ll have a much better chance at actually obtaining the position you want.

1. The Ability to Communicate Effectively

Communication skills will certainly be something you’ll be judged on while sitting in the interview chair. If you’re not used to persuading people to your point of view, you should probably practice and try debating your friends on different issues. An interview, of course, is not a debate, but you still have to communicate your point of view about why you are the most qualified candidate. Skills to develop include reflective listening, making eye contact, and making your statements decisive. Effective communication, like everything, takes practice to perfect.

2. Confidence

You need to exude confidence in an interview. If the interviewer senses that you lack confidence, it will probably be assumed you will also lack competence while in the workplace. Even if you have to fake it a little bit, try to come off as a confident person with an A type personality. Make and keep eye contact. If you look down during the interview or appear nervous in any way, it will more than likely hurt your chances of getting called back.

3. The Ability to Lead and Collaborate

Something else you should try to establish in the interview is how well you work with others. While this may seem difficult to do all on your own, you can make sure to highlight times you collaborated with or lead others in group projects in your answers to questions. Most workplaces these days work together as teams. Being able to form and participate in teams to accomplish goals is one of the most important things that employers look for in new prospects.

4. Online Reputation

Like it or not, companies these days examine a person’s track record on the internet. Consider it mandatory before every interview to clean up your social media and take inventory of your search footprint. However, just because you emptied out your Twitter does not mean you have removed everything that could make you look bad. Many people forget many of the websites they used in the past. You may want to look at different reputation companies to help you assess your online footprint so you can clean it up.

5. Values

Interviewers also look for candidates that share the values of the organization. This is why how you present yourself matters. Business people want to hire people that take pride in how they look and are thought of. They want you to be a good representative for the company. They want you to try to create a good impression with customers. They want to be able to trust that you won’t steal from the company or embezzle its money. They want to know you will act ethically while employed by them. You must demonstrate that you have strong values and a strong moral core to prove you can be trusted to do the best for the organization.

To make it through an interview to the next step of the employment process, you must demonstrate you have the people skills required. Companies only want to hire the best candidates available. Certainly make the effort to present yourself in the best light possible.