I have been getting more and more calls from friends and colleagues who have found themselves out of work. It is a very difficult job market with few decent positions and a massive number of qualified and over-qualified applicants. The answer lies in what keeps you in a job while others are dropped.

If you have a job, the best way to keep it is not always being the smartest or most gifted employee. What could keep you in your position is a positive attitude and positive energy. Giving off positive energy is infectious, very similar to a virus. How many times have you seen the demeanor in an office take a down turn when someone complains constantly or panics when things don’t go right? How good does it feel when things go right? Your entire being changes. You reflect it in the energy you give off. It’s infectious and others around you will catch it as well.

I tell my friends that the lesson in all of this is to behave like things are going well. Not just well, great! When you are looking for a job, the first offensive move is the way you express yourself in writing. Most employers will require some type of written application that will be screened against many others. The ones that are most intriguing will win out. The second offensive move comes in the interview. In both, the message must be the same; it must convey positive energy about your entire being. Even the experience of being fired must be conveyed as a tremendous learning experience that can be turned into a positive outcome.

So check yourself out in the mirror. Do you look happy? Are you giving off the right energy? If you do, you’ll have a much better chance at landing your next job. Forget being serious and just be happy. Everyone else wants to be.