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» Good
handshake key to interview success
Good handshake skills may predict the results of your next
job interview. Recent research suggests that having a good
handshake influences the opinion of those interviewing you.
Imagine this scenario:
On the way to the interview you check yourself out in the
elevator mirror. It’s all good: your suit looks sharp
and there’s nothing green stuck in your teeth. You
go over your patter in your head, rehearsing answers to questions
you’ll likely be asked. By the time the elevator opens,
you feel ready to knock this job interview out of the park!
Caution: you could ambush yourself when you extend your hand.
Who
would think a handshake could deep-six an interview? A recent
news release from the University of Iowa cites
research that shows handshakes matter more than we think.
This study by University of Iowa business professor Greg
Stewart is the first time researchers have quantified handshakes
as part of the job interview process.
" We've always heard that interviewers make up their
mind about a person in the first two or three minutes of
an interview, no matter how long the interview lasts," said
Stewart, associate professor of management and organizations. "We
found that the first impression begins with a handshake that sets the tone for the rest of the interview."
The press release described how 98 students participated
in mock job interviews with business representatives. At
various times during their interviews, those students also
met with five trained handshake raters who subtly introduced
themselves and shook hands, but otherwise did not participate
in the interviews. The handshake raters scored each student
on handshaking. Interviewers graded each student's overall
performance and “hire-ability”.
The two group's
scores were then compared. The results? Those students
who scored high with the handshake raters
were also considered to be the most hirable by the interviewers.
Professor Stewarts says, "The handshake is one of
the first nonverbal clues we get about the person's overall
personality and that impression is what we remember."
Six
tips for great handshakes
There are some tried-and-true techniques to remember about
a handshake:
1. Aim for firm, but not bone crushing.
2. Avoid the “finger tips” handshake; make
web-to-web contact.
3. Shake up and down. You wouldn’t think folks would
need this next bit of advice, but—news flash—the
motion of a handshake is up and down. In our business we
shake a lot of hands and it’s surprising the number
of times we get a left-right sideways handshake.
4. Pump the hand three or four times — no more. Over
shaking someone’s hand feels odd to the other person.
5. Manage the “wet fish” handshake, if applicable.
This is a challenge because it telegraphs nervousness.
There’s a website for this problem, www.sweatmanagement.ca
but before you resort to something drastic, a worthwhile
exercise to practice shaking more hands, more often, in
less stressful situations. Go to a networking event and
don’t worry about anything except monitoring your
handshake. After shaking hands with five people is your
handshake drier? And by the tenth person, is it even better?
If so, practice may make a difference.
6. Make and hold eye contact with the other person. If
you don’t do that, it doesn’t matter how firm
and confident your handshake is. Lack of eye contact gives
a powerful nonverbal clue, one that will set a negative
tone for the interview. Here’s a tip: when you first
shake hands try to figure out the color of the person’s
eyes. That way you will make eye contact, guaranteed!
Although
your handshake and making eye contact may seem like small
things, they actually have a huge impact on
others. Hone your handshake as well as your other basic
interview skills. |
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