Job Skills - was Re: Tech-support Hall of Shame

[Jason Clinton]

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Dave Hull wrote:
| On Fri, 20 Sep 2002, Aaron wrote:
|
|
|>:)  A strong handshake says allot about a person.  It shows confidence,
|>enthusiasm and friendliness.  In some circles it also speaks about your
|>upbringing and sense of traditional values.
|>
|>I know this sounds like BS, but think of it this way;  It's part of the body
|>language package.  You do it for the same reason you don't pick your teeth
|>or nose, or sit with your arms crossed in front of you staring at the floor
|>when you talk.  It's all part of the social game.
|
|
| Indeed, it's a part of our culture. In some cultures handshakes are taboo,
| in some cultures people bow. My brother lived in Japan for 13 years where
| businessmen still greet each other by bowing with the underlings bowing
| lower than their bosses. These are cultural norms, which doesn't justify
| them or explain them, but being culturally literate can go a long way.
|
| I read recently that extending your hand for a handshake with your palm
| turned up signals submissiveness, if your palm is turned down it signals
| that you are powerful and in control... Some people have too much time to
| think about these things.
|

How strange. This is all very foreign to me in that I live in a different
sub-culture. Within the gay community in the midwest, touch is almost *never*
permitted among aquaintences so a nod and a verbal greeting is all that is
utilized. Any other question of 'power' is left up to how you hold yourself in
intellectual conversation.

Hand shakes are just wierd... You have to leave your personal space and *lean*
in to someone else's to make the connection. Not to mention that you have to
ensure that you're standing exactly the length of each other's arms when you're
ready to do the shake. And when do you do the shake? Before, during, or after
the greeting? What if the other person doesn't shake? Then you're left standing
there doing a James Dean brush of the hair. Too much work.

If you're hiring someone, I hope you don't use the hand shake as a good first
impression. Personally, I think there much more to be read about a person in
whether or not they're able to make eye contact with you.

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