Suggested Reading

"The E Commerce Question and Answer Book" by Anita Rosen

"Aligning Pay and Results" by Howard Rishner

"Management Challenges for the 21st Century" by Peter Drucker

“Change Your Handshake- Change Your Life” by Aaron Cooper

Do you know how to shake hands? I thought I did. But I didn’t. For example, that winning hand shake has three parts- the wind up, the grip, and the follow- through. I learned a the hard way that a great hand shake, though unable to make up for a poor resume, lame interviewing skills, and disagreeable personality traits, could vastly improve my job hunting success. What I discovered over 10 years, you can learn in a single day. Once, I learned the secrets to good hand shaking, I decided to share my knowledge. Now I travel the country offering my award winning, low cost seminars, High-Stakes Hand Shakes.

I recently received the following letter. “Can you help me with my hand shake? My problem started when I became a puppeteer. Sure, the life of the stage performer is glamorous, but it has damaged my health. In the big leagues, the pace is whirlwind, as many as seven shows a night, with only minutes to cool down. And certain stunts have strained my hands enormously. Now, when I try to shake hands even with a puppet, using my little finger-I feel pain shoot up my arm, across my chest and back out my other arm. Can you help?

My advice: Put your body into it. Lean forward. Grab a handrail. Take the other person hand. Move it up and down. Then let go.

Another correspondent offers this sad story: I’m a professional arm wrestler. I grab people’s arm in dark, smoky bars and smash them onto tables. When I shake hands at a job interview, I sometimes snap down the hiring manager’s wrist until he or she begs for mercy. This has impaired my job-hunting fortunes. What should I do?

My response: Slow down. Focus. You have the tools. Now add some pizzazz.

Your problem may not be as drastic as these. You may give a technically competent hand shake. But you could be better right? Believe it. After all, if I can give a great hand shake, then you can too. Remember, a strong hand shake has three things- confidence, confidence, confidence. It says: I like me, I like you, I like to shake hands. Now, go shake like a pro.

Now the point of this article is not to endear you to the trials and tribulations of puppeteers and professional arm wrestlers. The point is, that a good hand shake is an important tool that subtlety allows a hiring manager to identify with you. It won’t get you the job on it’s own, but it can certainly knock you out of the running.