Handshake foolishness (was RE: Job Skills - was Re: Tech-support Hall of Shame

[L. Adrian Griffis]

On Fri, 20 Sep 2002, Brian Densmore wrote:
> I can accept the cultural greeting thing, but
> to seems to me you are being a bit anal on the 
> handshake thing. To judge an entire interview on a
> handshake is, well pardon my French, inane [ok changed word]. 
> Sorry if this insults, but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
> or handshake in this case. A bad handshake might be the 
> result of injury to the hand. Judging a person's ability on
> a handshake is ludicrous. 

I have to agree.  I've been involved a large number of interviews
in my 22 years in this business and I have NEVER judged a candidate
by his handshake.  Further, if I had any sense that any of the other
interviewers was basing his judgement on any such foolishness, I
would recommend against inviting him to participate in further
interviews.  Judging a candidate for a technical position by his
handshake is stupid and unprofessional.  I don't even think I've
ever gotten the sense that any of my fellow interviewers has done
something so foolish.

Anyone who would judge technical candidates on such a basis
needs to wait until he grows up before ever participating in
an interview again.

If you are interviewing with an HR department road block who
has no insight into what technical skills you might have to
offer, and you just want to get beyond this road block to the
real techies, then maybe you should brush up on your handshaking
skills just to avoid being ruled out by an idiot who will never
have a significant effect on you, even if you get hired.  If
you are interviewing with the techies you would be working with,
and they rule you out for a weak handshake, maybe they are doing
you a favor by keeping you from making the mistake of joining a
group of idiots that can't choose good co-workers to save their
lives.

Adrian