You know how important it is to make a good impression during your job interview. Everything has to be just right, from your appearance to your attitude. So you put on a suit and a smile, and you do your best to appear intelligent, knowledgeable, and motivated. But behind your smile, are you really coming off as likable?

Like it or not, likability has a major impact on your ability to receive a job offer, no matter how qualified you are. Recent research found that an interviewer’s initial impressions of a candidate’s competence, perceived similarity to the interviewer, and degree of likability are predictive of future employment. Additional research found that interns who behaved in ways to increase their likability were 55 percent more likely to receive a job offer, rendering likability more influential than actual job performance.

So if you really want to impress during your next interview, you’ll need to be likable. Here’s how:

1. Research the company. You probably know never to show up to an interview unprepared, but did you know your research can also affect your likability? So cruise the company’s website, press releases, and social media feeds. Also learn about any new projects or recent announcements. You’ll not only show you’ve done your homework, but you’ll come off as genuinely interested in the company and the position, and interviewers like motivation. To take this a step further, if you know the name of the person you’ll be interviewing with, check out their LinkedIn profile or company bio. You might find common ground with a hobby, college, or professional organization.
2. Be polite and friendly to each employee. You never know whether the interviewer will ask the receptionist’s opinion of you, or if the receptionist will share how friendly you were while you waited. So smile and make small talk with the receptionist and any other employee who engages you on interview day. You never know if you might be talking to the CEO!
3. Be approachable. Approachability goes hand-in-hand with politeness and friendliness—they all work together to show you’re someone people want to work with. So maintain open body language, make eye contact, and greet your interviewer with a firm handshake and a smile. You might even throw in a compliment about the facility or the interviewer’s office, or a comment about a shared interest (such as if you see your favorite sports team’s memorabilia on the walls).
4. Be helpful. Helpful people are likable people by nature. Demonstrating helpfulness during an interview will show your dedication to the success of the company and your coworkers. So talk about a time when you went above and beyond to help a coworker or to get a job done. You could also talk about any experience you have volunteering. Helpful, compassionate individuals are likable because they bring genuine care and commitment to their jobs.

Have you done your part to be likable today? By displaying kindness and consideration, you’ll show your interviewer what a great person you’ll be to work with! It may make the difference between moving in to a new job and moving on.