For those trying to treat themselves against an employment deficiency, I offer this nugget of advice: You may want to work on your handshake.
The authors examined how an applicant’s handshake influences hiring recommendations formed during the employment interview. A sample of 98 undergraduate students provided personality measures and participated in mock interviews during which the students received ratings of employment suitability. Five trained raters independently evaluated the quality of the handshake for each participant. Quality of handshake was related to interviewer hiring recommendations. Path analysis supported the handshake as mediating the effect of applicant extraversion on interviewer hiring recommendations, even after controlling for differences in candidate physical appearance and dress.
The process of ingratiating oneself into a company can be so arbitrary, can it not? You’re trying to convey a mastery of the skills they require, and their representative is determining what kind of person you are by the firmness with which you shake appendages.
