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Handshake 101 - tips on how to make a good first impression

Your handshake may reveal more about you than otherwise thought.

Shaking hands is an age-old ritual that is all about open and fast communication, but doing it wrong could leave you sitting out in the cold.

It is common knowledge that people form an impression of you based on what you are wearing, how you speak and in the world of business - whether or not you know how to a tie a tie.

Pre-interview etiquette has taught us to wash and iron clothes, buff leather shoes and check the mirror for any obvious signs of food stains before leaving the house.

But researchers are now saying that the way you shake hands with your future employer could mean the difference between walking home with a job or into the unemployment office.

According to a recent report conducted by Airdi a fifth of all job applicants are losing out on career opportunities because of a poor handshake.

Bosses who took part in the project said that a limp-wristed handshake was a major turn off, with as many as a third of them determining that the so-called "limp fish" indicates a nervous personality.

In fact, 18 per cent of employers said that they would not take on someone who failed to incorporate a firm handshake into their networking tool-kit.

Speaking on the results was body language expert Judi James who told the Mirror that improving your communication skills was a must for anyone wanting to make a good first impression.

"It's easy to dismiss the handshake as a mystifying social ritual that should be well past its sell-by-date, but it is one of our most important forms of communication.

“It is part of our animal survival response in terms of submission and bonding signals, combining messages of status, power, honesty, trust, confidence and even health in one touch."

But oozing confidence needn't be difficult and following a few simple social cues like letting the boss initiate the handshake, keep your right hand free to grip theirs and making sure you don't hold on for too long can make an enormous difference to your job prospects.

More assertive individuals might even take the initial meet-and-greet as an opportunity to slip the boss their designer eco business card - it might not get you the job, but it will make a great first impression.