By now, you’re beaming

By now, you’re beaming with an ear-to-ear smile, and you look fabulous! The next signal to the employer is your handshake. In every seminar I give, I actually have the participants practice shaking hands, after which they give each other feedback.

Is it (like the story of Goldilocks and the three bears) too soft? Too hard? Or, just right? There is almost nothing worse than a noncommittal “dead-fish” handshake. We’ve all felt them, and there is just something intuitively unpleasant about them. On the other hand, the macho-rearrange -your - finger-bones handshake is not too appealing either. Your handshake signals to the interviewer that you are about to do business. If it feels, unconsciously, like a halfway committed or overly competitive handshake, you will not be getting off to the right start.

• A firm handshake, using the whole hand in the other person’s hand, is an appropriate business handshake.
• There is no reason to shake a woman’s hand any differently than you would shake a man’s hand. Firm and businesslike is the rule to remember.

Many people, both men and women, have no idea how their handshake feels to other people. I strongly suggest that you practice it with a few friends or family members and ask for their honest feedback. Keep testing different strengths and positions until you and the other person feel comfortable.

Taken from : Fearless Interviewing - How To Win The Job