You don’t have to be a male supermodel with a perfectly sculpted body and a beautiful face to land a date but you should be at least presentable for the opposite sex to express genuine interest in you. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t dated since Chicago Bulls won an NBA championship, or if you’ve never really had a way with the ladies, what matters is what you do to make sure that you’re interesting enough for women to take notice. Here are a few tips which come to mind when you want to get a date with that girl you just met.

1. Get Cleaned Up

So how does one start getting all geared up for a date? Well let’s start with the basics: hygiene. Hygiene always plays an important role not only with regards to dating women but also in other aspects of your life. People are more accommodating if you don’t smell like old socks, stale sweat or if your breath don’t remind them of what they had for dinner. Taking a real bath, not just a quick shower and towel down would greatly improve your chance of meeting a girl and keeping her attention. Cut your nails and if you don’t want to shave, trim your beard so you don’t look like a caveman looking for a date. Most people say that cleanliness is overrated, maybe, but it still makes people treat you differently, usually because it shows that you can take care of yourself and aren’t looking for a nanny to clean you up.

2. Always Look Your Best

Appearances matter when you’re dating so it pays to make an investment. Most guys have our favorite pair of jeans and shirts, usually, these are the ones that have been with us through thick and thin, through the years and we love wearing them wherever we go. Well because of the years of companionship, your favourite pair may end up faded and full of holes in a number of places which may be inappropriate for a first date. I’m not saying throw these away, I’m saying put them aside for a while and go shopping for some new clothes.

Get yourself some new shirts, nothing too loud but something that can go casually with jeans or pants. Buy some new jeans which could go with either a pair of leather shoes or with your sneakers for a more laid back look. Invest in a suit. A well made and well fitting suit can make a difference between a getting a date and getting rejected, pretty much like a job interview.

You know how some women obsess about footwear? Well sometimes it doesn’t just apply to them but to their date as well. I’m sure you’re worn running shoes are comfortable but they just might make you look like you stole your other clothes. Be sure to find good shoes to go with your new stuff, sneakers, loafers, sandals, even boots should go well with the clothes your wearing and more importantly, they should be comfortable too. You don’t want to be out on the date limping like you were injured just because the shoes are too tight. I’m a believer in not sacrificing comfort for style.

3. Check Your Employment Status

Before you go out on dates, it would help if you evaluated your employment status and your prospects as well. If you’re looking for someone who you’d probably want to see for a longer time, it helps for them to know that you’re doing something to advance yourself in your career. Topics such as these would probably come up during a date so if you can’t say anything good about your job, don’t whine about but instead talk about other future employment plans.

4. Get Current on Current Events

Did you know that the elections just finished or what new international incident shook the world? If not then maybe you could spend a few minutes in the morning or evening watching the news or reading the newspaper or checking out news websites to keep yourself abreast of what’s going on around you. It helps if you could form an opinion about these things and it’s also another topic for conversation over dinner.

5. Keep Your Drinking Stories to a Minimum

It’s fine to take your date out to drinks after you have dinner, but try not to make it seem that a particular bar is where you spend most of your nights drinking with your buddies. Such stories may give an impression that you don’t have anything else to do but drink and you’ve got no other activities.

Try doing something else, preferably sports or some form of exercise like running or spinning (that’s riding a stationary bike in the gym), it creates an image of you as a well rounded person who can still carry your drink if you need to.

6. Don’t Expect Sex on the First Date

If you’re looking for tips on how to score on the first date then you’re reading the wrong article. What this is about is to be able to capture and maintain the attention of a woman for the long term and not just a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. Women respond well to men who aren’t just after a one night stand and your patience will be rewarded. But then, if she initiates it, then who are you to refuse? Just consider its repercussions afterwards though.

7. Get Cultured (Manners and Courtesy)

Women say that chivalry is dead but these need not be the case with you. Courtesy goes a long way when you’re on a date and simple gestures like opening the door for her, pull her chair back for her when you’re going to have dinner or just simply walking on the side of approaching traffic when you’re crossing the street can do wonders for your image.

Knowing how to eat a proper meal, and the different types of cuisine would also win you brownie points with your date. Suggesting a quaint Italian restaurant and knowing what to order can leave a better impression than just meeting up in a burger joint for dinner.

8. Stop Talking About Your Favorite Hobby

Whether it be sports or some other hobby you’re currently addicted to, try to keep addition to a minimum. If you’ve got a tattoo of your favourite sports team or a sign of a dragon based on your favourite video game, then maybe you should consider keep that to yourself for the meantime.

If you’re a certified expert on the topic, don’t try to astound her with your knowledge of scores and historical facts or techniques on winning games because she may not be into the same thing and may feel left out in your conversation. If you’ve got the same hobbies then that’s great, but if she has no idea about it and if you can’t help but talk about it then just give a really short summary of what it is, not a historical account.

9. Start Learning How to Listen

We all know that conversation plays an important role in dating, and conversations are supposed to go both ways, otherwise it becomes a monologue. Try not to talk about yourself too much or what’s been going on with you or your opinion on this or that. Women want to know that they’re with someone who can listen to what they have to say.

But hearing her talk isn’t enough. focus on the conversation and listen, this way you can understand what she’s saying and refer to it at a later time. This skill will certainly surprise her and make you more interesting. If she’s shy and hesitant to talk, this isn’t a license for you to carry the burden of the conversation, it’s a sign that you need to draw her out of her shell and into communicating with you more.

Ask questions, listen patiently and give your ideas. Once she’s comfortable with you then you won’t have to worry about her shyness for long.

10. Learn How to Dance

You know how some women really love to dance? Well, if you refuse to move to the dance floor with her, chances are, another guy on the floor may just scoop her up and take her away. Learn how to dance, even if you can’t pull it off like Michael Jackson, at least you can try. Some would even recommend that you take ballroom dancing classes to make sure that when you do move, you know what you’re doing.

Dancing also improves your confidence and helps you move much better not just on the dance floor but also in your everyday life, it makes you less clumsy and less likely to step on her feet. Also, its a big turn on if you can really bust a move and literally sweep her off her feet.

Conclusion

You might think, “Hey, if I do all this, I won’t be lovable me anymore” but that need not be the case. These tips seek to improve who you are, not necessarily change you into something you wouldn’t like to be. Just how can being clean, looking good, getting a good job, learning something new, exercising and knowing how to listen a bad thing?