Exploring the handshake in employment interviews.

Abstract

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. Although women received lower ratings for the handshake, they did not on average receive lower assessments of employment suitability. Exploratory analysis suggested that the relationship between a firm handshake and interview ratings may be stronger for women than for men.

Good looks and good practice: the attitudes of career practitioners to attractiveness and appearance

“…The practitioners, for example, reported that they believed a firm handshake to have significantly more impact on career success than an individual's accent. Although a firm handshake has been found to influence recruiters' impressions of candidates (Stewart et al, 2008), there is a wealth of research which demonstrates the extensive impact that accent has on perceptions of personality, likeability, credibility, honesty, IQ, competence, employability and status, and evidence demonstrates that accent feeds into discrimination based on race, sexuality, ethnicity and class (see Carlson and McHenry, 2006, for a review). The breadth of the impact that accent has on perceptions and the comparative weight that the literature places on accent over handshake is at odds with the practitioners' view that accent is far less influential than handshake.…”

“…We drew on key methodological thinking in relation to online surveys in the design, recruitment and analysis of this survey (e.g. Couper, 2008;Evans & Mathur, 2005;Hooley, Marriott & Wellens, 2012 Huffcutt et al, 2013, Stewart et al, 2008. Qualitative comments from the career practitioners who completed the survey indicated that the list did not paint a full picture of the topics discussed within career conversations.…”

“…Issues of self-presentation which have been shown to influence career include dress (Karl, Hall & Peluchette, 2013, for example, found that particular styles of clothing were linked with personality traits for city employees in Australia), and adornments such as tattoos have been shown in experimental studies to be linked with negative personality traits (Resenhoft, Villa & Wiesman, 2008). Significant interpersonal skills that have been shown to be important include handshakes (Stewart, Dustin, Barrick & Darnold, 2008, for example, found that a firm handshake was linked to positive hiring decisions, particularly for female applicants) and accents which Eustace (2012) demonstrated had an impact on both the career choice and interview success of unemployed Glaswegians considering frontline customer service roles. Eye contact has been shown to make job applicants appear to be more competent and more hireable (for example, Burkhardt, Weider-Hatfield & Hocking's 1985 study on summer reception jobs) and the ability to make conversation was found to be one of the key predictors of employment interview success in a meta-analysis (Huffcutt, Conway, Roth & Stone, 2001).…”

‘If you look the part you’ll get the job’: should career professionals help clients to enhance their career image?

“…An example of interpersonal skills being interpreted differently is the handshake. A firm handshake creates a positive impression at interview but evidence suggests (Stewart et al, 2008) that the impact is stronger for women than for men, on the grounds that interviewers expect women to have weaker handshakes, so are particularly struck by a strong female grip.…”

“…Voices, for example, play their part in determining success at interview with employers linking a low pitched voice to a dominant character. The handshake too, within Western cultures, has an impact (Stewart, Dustin, Barrick, & Darnold, 2008) with interviewers inferring sociability, friendliness and dominance from a firm grip.…”