There are many ways of being a star in your office, but one thing that I really struggled with is attitude. I don’t have a problem doing menial labor, even getting my boss lunch…in the very beginning. It got to a certain point, 3 years to be exact, when I just couldn’t deal anymore and I started to pout. I was 26 and pouting!

I had taken on more responsibilities, but I was still doing the filing, fetching coffee and scheduling doctors’ appointments. I started to resent my job and the people around me. The smile and positive attitude that I once had turned sour and I was short with everyone. On some level I thought that if my boss saw how miserable I was she would give me a promotion.

In reality, if your coworkers see how miserable you are, they probably won’t want to be around you and will assume that you don’t want to be there. I ended up leaving that job before I changed my attitude or got a promotion, but at my next job, I brought a positive attitude and got 3 promotions in 1 year.

How to change your attitude at the office

Ask yourself why you’re feeling bad. Is it a poor relationship with your boss? Do you want a raise? Or have you just been there too long and you’re ready for a career change?

Start the day with something you enjoy doing. I was in charge of blogging at my last job and I loved reading reader responses every morning. It made me feel like I was truly making an impact. What is that for you?

Meet with Human Resources. Your company most likely doesn’t want unhappy employees. Touch base with someone in HR and really figure out the best way to approach your boss. This is good because it gives you a chance to cool off and get your thoughts together.

Have a conversation with your boss. Once you’ve gathered your thoughts and you’ve taken a few deep breaths you will probably be ready to take care of business. In my last job I outlined the responsibilities that I started out with and how my responsibilities had grown. Most bosses like to see this type of organization and thought.

You will hear people say a job is a job and you’re not supposed to be happy 24/7. This might be true, but just be mindful of how your attitude impacts those around you.

• What are some ways you’ve adjusted your attitude in the workplace?

I’m a firm believer that you don’t just need to have one career. I graduated from college thinking that I wanted to be Editor in Chief of a teen magazine. Three years after I worked in the magazine world I decided to give marketing a go. Then I decided that I wanted to go back to school and now, at the age of 28, I am an entrepreneur.

There was a time when I thought I was floundering, but now I truly believe that I was following my heart and finding my strengths.

So how do you figure out what you want to do? I recently interviewed a 30-year old HR manager and owner of her own networking business and here are some tips she gave:

Listen. Your friends are your best critics, so if they tell you how brilliant you are at throwing parties, giving speeches or whatever, listen to them. They might be onto something.

Journal. Journal. Journal. I could not stress this enough. This is for your eyes only, so don’t worry about grammar or what you put down. Some things to think about: what was fun that happened that day? What do you look forward to? What was the worst part of your day?

What makes you glow? A lot of people believe they have to have a 9-5 job, but there are a lot of successful women out there who set their own hours. Ahem, most entrepreneurs. Is that what you want? Or do you crave the structure of a 9-5? Think about the times when you’re the happiest.

What do you think about switching careers?

What is your advice for women who feel like they’re floundering?

When most people think of the job search, they think of updating their resumes, writing cover letters, preparing answers to interview questions, sending thank yous, etc. But, doing all this means you are only meeting expectations, and maybe doing just a little more than other candidates. To really set yourself apart, you gotta go above and beyond. One way to do it is to prove you are smart and engaged during the interview by researching before it and taking notes during it.

Almost always, employers will ask one of these questions: “What do you know about the company?” or “Why do you want to work here?” The worst thing to do is give a vague answer, BS it, or say “I don’t know.” You may want to work there because you heard they pay well or they have a good reputation. But anyone can tell them this. What can you do to show that you really know this company? Before the interview, Google them, go to their website, visit their Twitter page, check out their Facebook profile, and read any articles written about them. Know the name of the CEO, know when they were founded, know their “about” section by heart, know the job description by heart, etc.

How are you supposed to memorize all this? You don’t have to. In the leather portfolio or folder you bring to the interview (you better have one!), there should be a notepad built in or you should at least have a few loose-leaf papers in it. This is your cheat sheet! While researching the company in the week or so leading up to the interview, take notes in your portfolio and list some major questions that came to mind regarding the job/company. Is there anything you want answered during the interview?

Once you are in the interview, don’t forget to take more notes! This shows that you are engaged, it’ll make you look smart, and then when you get home, you’ll remember what hours the position requires, what the benefits are, what the details of the job duties are, etc.

Trust me—memorized or not—you’ll forget the details about the company and questions you have for them in the heat of the moment, especially if you are applying to dozens of jobs. Don’t get them mixed up! Know the company inside and out. Who knows, you might find out some juicy info that will make you cross the company off your list!

It’s a common frustration. You thought the interview went well. You talked a lot. They nodded. Your resume rocked. They put it in a folder. So, why aren’t they calling back???

Maybe it’s not the resume or your new interview suit or the fact that you got there precisely 10 minutes early. Maybe it’s you. Maybe you are sending signals that are making it difficult for companies to believe you would have their best interest at heart and represent their brand flawlessly. Run through this list of deal breakers and make sure you aren’t shooting yourself in the foot.

• When people talk, do you listen? I’m talking look him in the eye, your body fully facing him kind of listening. People can tell if you are simply giving them face time and your body language will give you away on this one. You can’t keep glancing beyond his shoulder every time someone walks by the door and still appear that you are genuinely interested in what’s happening in the here and now.

• Do you walk your own talk? Do you talk about approachability and friendliness yet get short with the interviewer if he fails to bring your resume to the meeting? If so, you are sending mixed signals. Interviewers take every encounter with you and apply it to a business situation to help him decide if he wants to jump in bed – figuratively speaking, of course.

• Do you have another personality online? Talking smack online and giving off a foreign bravado will catch up with you. Everyone Googles and sites like Facebook and Twitter pay a lot of money to make sure their results show up on the first page. Know that your statuses on social networking sites are viewable to anyone at anytime and this is a cheap way for companies to find out if you are who you say you are.

• Do you look like a professional or a chump? Take a good long look at yourself in the mirror before you leave for an interview. If you are rumpled and slovenly, you will have to work double-hard to let your interviewers know that you are detail oriented, a self-starter and motivated towards greatness. It doesn’t have to be a suit, but it does have to fit perfectly and be clean.

• Do you know who you’re talking to? Be aware of who is listening to you during the interview. If your counterparts are 50 or 60 years old, cut back on the 20-something vernacular. For example, instead of being “jazzed”, you could be “pleased.” Don’t let your message get lost in the shock over your choice of words.

Body language, verbal language and your image are part of the great big pot of gold called interpersonal skills. If you grab hold of these, you can ace any interview with anybody.

Guest Post by, Jenny McCoy

They say it’s easier to get a job when you have a job, but I’m not so sure.

I launched my job search 2.0 last week with this site: SocialJenny.com.

Go ahead, check it out.

My reasons for creating this site were:

• I interviewed with a big NYC ad agency and they thought my resume was boring. I think this is a more palatable way of telling who I am, what I’ve done and what I’m looking for. And that damn cartoon is cute as hell.
• I live in Florida but I’m applying exclusively to NYC companies. They surely have countless local candidates, so I need something to make me stand out and show that I’m serious about relocating.
• It’s much easier to post a link on Facebook and other networks than it is to email my resume/cover letter to all of my contacts and I think this site represents me better anyway.
• In addition to a public listing on Monster and other sites, having a stand alone site gives me the ability to be “found” by potential employers.
• It shows initiative. One potential employer said she could tell I was a “self-starter” from this effort.
• I’m now using this site as a landing page for a Facebook ad campaign targeting NYC social media professionals (thanks to Nicole’s suggestion!)

The first week of my job search 2.0 went well. I landed two phone interviews with great companies, but I  was annoyed that because I was still employed my efforts had to be funneled through an anonymous Twitter account and DMs.

I wanted to openly announce my search and this site to my online network, but I couldn’t because unfortunately my coworkers were a part of the network I’d worked so hard to build. We’re Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, Twitter buddies and a handful of them read my blog.

So I quit. I gave three weeks’ notice with just a couple bites of interest in order to fully utilize my networks.

This decision received mixed reviews, as has my site. For me, both the site and the decision to leave my job only increase my ability to land my dream job in the big city. But I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Do you think a 2.0 approach gives leverage to candidates, or do you think I wasted a little sushi money on a pretty site? Do you think candidates are always more attractive when they have a job? Or it understandable to quit in circumstances like mine?

* Site was written and conceived by me and designed by the talented Andrew Norcross.