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3 ways to look smart in job interview

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I've needed glasses to see past my nose since I was age 7.

Nearsighted people like me wear glasses to walk straight, drive safely, read, watch TV, see who's at the front door and sit on a beach and watch the ocean. So when someone tells me they're wearing frames with nonprescription lenses just because they "look cool," I am mystified.

But I was downright annoyed when someone interviewing me recently for an article asked if job hunters should get glasses so they look smarter.

I asked her: "Are you serious?" She really meant it.

If you want to look smart to a potential employer, my advice is to act smart. That does not come naturally to many job hunters, according to dozens of employers I've interviewed.

You've got three chances to act smart: before, during and after a job interview.

Before the interview, you'll look smart by not saying things in emails or in a prescreening phone call like this:

"I don't know much about what you do, but I heard you were a good company to work for."

"I'm looking for a job and thought I'd contact you to see if you had any."

If you're clueless about what a company does when you contact them, how can you have an intelligent conversation about the company and how you could contribute? How can you determine whether the company and job are right for you and you are right for the company? You can't.

You'll look smart if you don't crank out the same cold, impersonal letter or email to hundreds of employers. That correspondence will never see the light of day because a onesizefitsall letter is cold and impersonal and shows you don't give a darn about the company and the job.

Instead, write a thoughtful letter that discusses the problems the job addresses and how you can solve them.

During an interview, you'll look smart if you don't sit there like a bump on a log and act blase and unresponsive. That includes responding to an interviewer's description of the job by saying "Wow!" "No worries." "No problem."

Instead, ask thoughtful questions that someone who is serious about finding a great place to contribute would ask, so you can have a meaningful conversation.

If you're smart, you will want to know what kinds of projects you would be working on, who you would work with, problems the job tackles and what it takes to be successful.

You'll look smart if you don't act like the interviewer is your best buddy and address him as "Hey, man" or "Hey, dude" or "Hey" anything in your correspondence or verbal communication.

You'll lo