Light-Touchers Need Not Apply: Study Finds Firm Handshakes Get You Work

All this limp-fingers nonsense is getting you nowhere. According to Yahoo New’s LiveScience.com, a new study conclusively reports that the firmer your handshake, the better your chances of getting the job you want.

We’ve all heard that first impressions are important, but when all you’ve got is, hopefully, 5-10 good minutes to prove yourself worthy, the handshake is the first impression.

From the article:

In a new study, scientists put 98 students through mock job interviews with businesspeople. The students also met with trained handshake raters who, unbeknownst to the students, rated their grips. Separately, the businesspeople graded each student’s overall performance and hireability. The two group’s scores were then compared.
Students who got high handshake marks were also rated most hireable.

“We’ve always heard that interviewers make up their mind about a person in the first two or three minutes of an interview, no matter how long the interview lasts,” said study leader Greg Stewart, associate professor of management and organizations at the University of Iowa. “We found that the first impression begins with a handshake that sets the tone for the rest of the interview.”

So there you have it. All you light-touchers, tighten up that handshake. Or else it will cost you.