1.Keep your cards close. Whether it's on the first date or before, keep your personal secrets to yourself. You barely know this woman and now is not the time to be spilling your heart out. She's not your therapist, so let her get to like you before she sees the 'dark side,' or at the very least your video game collection.



2.Ask first. You're not going to get dates waiting for women to walk up to your desk and ask you out. Ask first and be specific. If she says no to dinner at eight on Sunday but instead suggests Saturday, then you know she's interested. If she doesn't offer up an alternative time, then you've given her the chance to politely refuse and let you know that she may not be interested.

3.Have a plan. You're the man, so be one and pick the restaurant. No one likes sitting in a car asking “I don't know, where do you want to go?” Most women will appreciate your decisiveness and when you get to the second date, she can choose.

4.Pay, or at least offer to pay. Some women will prefer the dutch method of dating, but almost all women will at least appreciate and respect your offer to pay. If she offers to split the bill, insist again that you pay, but if she offers again then she is obviously more comfortable going dutch and you should respect those wishes.

5.Be a gentleman. Tell her that she looks pretty, ask her if she's enjoying her dinner, be interested in her conversation, and make sure she gets home safely. Whether or not the date works out, you will at least have been nothing short of a perfect gentleman.