Shake It Up Baby!

This is it. The moment you’ve been waiting for—your interview at your dream job. You’ve got on your best attire and your resume is spotless. You’ve checked your breath for freshness multiple times and you’re sure you’ve got the interview in the bag. But wait! You’re pre-interview check list isn’t over—make sure your handshake has got a firm grip, too.

In a survey involving students and mock interviews, it was discovered that students who put forth a strong handshake received higher reviews. Apparently, a handshake can tell an interviewer a lot about the interviewee. Greg Stewart, a business professor from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa says, “we probably don't consciously remember a person's handshake or whether it was good or bad. But the handshake is one of the first nonverbal clues we get about the person's overall personality, and that impression is what we remember.”

The best-received handshake was firm and pumped up and down while the student made eye contact.  A lazy handshake was said to make you “appear disinterested, sort of like a five-fingered yawn.” The article also says to steer clear of being overzealous; it makes the interviewer distracted and can make you seem annoying.

Tell us what you think about handshakes. Do you think that they really do tell you a lot about a person? What is your first impression of someone’s handshake? If you’ve got an interview story, share it!  [CNN]