by Jake Betz

Created on: September 07, 2010

Handshakes matter, far more than a potential employer may ever admit. When an interview team meets to assess the interview performances of job applicants, chances are there will be no actual conversation comparing applicants’ handshakes, nor will the quality of the handshakes figure into any formal rating or assessment. But the fact is, handshakes, in just about every setting, social or professional, help us form overall impressions, positive or negative, about the people we meet.

Qualifications and experience open the door for a job applicant to be selected for an interview. What the applicant knows and what he has achieved result in the organization seriously considering him for a position. The interview allows the organization to get an “up close and personal” look at the applicant to determine whether he will fit into the organizational culture and be able to perform well as a member of a team.

How will the applicant get along with his co-workers? Is he straightforward? Is he a person of honesty and integrity? Is he professional in his demeanor and in his interactions with others? The handshake can provide helpful insight.

A light, limp-wristed handshake may communicate a lack of self-confidence and a fear of forming close relationships. Worse, it may suggest a lack of energy, an absence of vitality or a timid personality. The applicant may be dedicated and knowledgeable, but will he adjust quickly to his new surroundings? Will he be afraid to ask questions, or will he be overly sensitive if constructive criticism is offered?

A crushing, finger-breaking handshake may communicate an inner desire to be the Alpha Male (or Female), a wish to dominate others with a sheer force of personality. Interviewers may fear that the applicant may be predisposed to “taking over” and forcing his will, even at the expense of others. How will the applicant react to supervision? Will he try to bully others, especially those with more passive personalities?

Interviewers react most favorably to a business-like handshake that is suitably firm, neither bruising nor sissified, with a quick and subtle release of pressure in mid-grip. Such a handshake, confidently rendered and comfortable to the other party, gives the impression that “this is a guy (or woman) who would be a good person to know, a welcome addition to our organization.”

 When entering or exiting an interview, the applicant should always wait for the persons or persons conducting the interview to extend their hands. It is considered presumptuous for an applicant to initiate the handshake. It is also a mistake for a job applicant to take an offered hand in a shake and then grab the greeter’s opposite elbow; such an action assumes an intimacy that is not there.  The most satisfying handshakes are brief; never try to prolong them.

Those conducting the interview will be paying close attention to whether the interview subject maintains proper eye contact. Therefore, the handshake should always be accompanied by a friendly, not forced, smile as the applicant looks the other person in the eye. Averting one’s eyes to the floor during the handshake or obsessively gazing at the other person’s necktie or cleavage obviously sends a negative message.

Job seekers should not obsess about the interview handshake. Keep it firm, but brief. Be friendly, but professional, and you are sure to pass the informal, but potentially important handshake test.

Learn more about this author, Jake Betz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.