My blogging friend Jacob Share at Job Mob wrote a great post about the importance of a good handshake.
Here are 10 of his 21 reasons a new friend left a memorable first impression on him with his just-right handshake:
1. Softness – nobody likes shaking hands with sandpaper.
2. No bandages or casts – you don’t want people to think they might hurt you by shaking your hand.
3. Clean – the only thing worse than worrying about hurting someone’s hand is worrying about catching something from them.
4. Few rings or none – the fewer the rings, the less chance of pinching and hurting someone’s hand.
5. Confident reach – don’t wait for someone’s hand to come to yours. Reach for theirs and meet it.
6. Good timing – lock hands without any fumbling, sliding one hand into the other. Aim for the palm, not the fingers.
7. Solid grasp – avoid the dreaded “dead fish”, offering a limp hand. But don’t squeeze so hard you cause pain.
8. Look them in the eye – to prove you’re genuine and sincere.
9. Know when to let go – a good shake usually involves a palm squeeze and release, but be careful if the other person is too quick or too slow, which could lead to an awkward moment. Instead, with a confident reach, be first to engage and disengage.
10. Make it memorable to encourage loyalty – a great handshake is one that makes people want to shake your hand again. For that, they’ll need to have you around them again.
Related post:
Top 10 Best of C-Level Executive Job Search Strategies
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the mention, Meg, and I’m glad you liked the article.
I Stumbled this article for you:
http://jobmob.stumbleupon.com/review/34579399/
Always my pleasure, Jacob. You think of the cleverest things to write about. Thanks for Stumbling the post.
-Meg
Another way to describe a good handshake….make sure the two Vs in the hand interlock.
Rings….they will normally be there –when you have the Vs lock, the pressure is the full length of your hand…rarely hurts.
Kathy Condon, Executive Coach, Speaker, Trainer and Award-winning Author of the Book: It Doesn’t Hurt to Ask: It’s all about Communication.”
http://www.kathycondons.blogspot.com
Thanks for commenting, Kathy, and for adding that handy tip!
-Meg
Great post!
Some excellent tips on a vital courtesy that is often undervalued at job seekers at all levels.
Jill
Thanks for commenting, Jill.
Achieving a just-right handshake should be added to everyone’s job search tool kit.
-Meg
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