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THE FIRST HANDSHAKE

1. Initiate the handshake

Don’t wait for the other person to initiate the
first handshake. Go ahead and initiate the first
handshake if you can. This shows that you feel
confident and that you are ready to start the
interview.

2. Avoid sweaty hands

Do you sweat excessively? Then please refresh yourself
before you enter the building. Make sure you always
carry a handkerchief with you to dry your hands and to
wipe your forehead and neck.
3. Learn to give a firm handshake
Stretch your fingers and make a 45°
angle with your thumb. Let the skin
between your thumb and index finger
touch your partner’s hand and then
close your fingers around his or her
hand.
Avoid giving a soft handshake. This
may give the impression that you feel
uncertain. Don’t squeeze your
partner’s hand either. Such a
handshake may give the impression
that you are too dominant or that you
want to (over)compensate for your
insecurity.
4. Maintain eye contact
Try to ensure a natural smile, a firm voice and
constant eye contact during the introduction with
your conversation partner(s). If your eyes go
away from your conversation partner(s) you may
seem insecure, dishonest, indifferent or
downright arrogant.
 5. Sit up straight
This may seem like stating the obvious, but if
your seat has side rails you may be tempted to
lean to the left or to the right. Try to avoid this.
If you are ‘hanging’ loosely in your chair then
you can come across as careless and/or
6. Stay calm and sit quietly indifferent.
Do not wiggle in your chair and keep
your legs still. As we described
earlier, try to balance between
movement and a formal posture.
Someone who is using his hands and
arms too much can be perceived as
disturbing. The same applies to
someone who is not moving at all.
7. Don’t try to hide your
stress too much
Don’t try to hide your stress too much. You
want to come across as natural and pleasant to
talk with. If you show healthy stress then you
will give the impression that the job is
important to you. If you look too stoically then
you may come across as indifferent.
8. Eye contact while you are speaking
You may have multiple conversation partners in a job
interview. Try to give everyone the same amount of eye
contact when it is your turn to speak. You can never know
whose arguments will decide about your future. Try to
show the same amount of respect for every conversation
partner.
Try to maintain eye contact with the person who is
speaking. This way you will show that you are sincere and
interested. When someone asks a question, look him or her
in the eye at the beginning of your answer and then shift
your eyes to the other conversation partners.

WHAT TO DO WITH
YOUR HEAD AND
YOUR EYES?
Some people are nodding their heads
constantly to show that they understand
9. Nod only when
what the interviewer is saying. This can be
perceived as (too) obedient or not sincere.
you agree
Therefore, only nod your head if you
agree, when you understand an important
point and when you want to invite your
conversation partner to continue talking.
Also, keep your head still as much as
possible and / or mirror the movements of
the head of your conversation partner. If
you subtly mirror the (head) movements
of your conversation partner, you
implicitly show that you agree with what
is being said.
10. Never cross your arms
Crossed arms give a ‘closed’ impression. As a
result, crossed arms are often interpreted as a
symbol of uncertainty, unreliability or lack of
interest. Try to avoid this by not crossing your
arms.

11. Use you arms and hands (only) to emphasize your story
Use your arms (only) to emphasize your message. Practice this at
home in front of the mirror and/or with your friends and family. On
the internet you can find lots of instructional videos that
demonstrate how you can emphasize different messages with your
arms and hands.

12. What to do with your arms and hands if you are

not speaking
Put your hands on your lap or on the table. If you put
your arms and hands on the table, then gently lean
over to your conversation partners. This way you
emphasize that you are listening attentively.
end of presentation

thanks for your

attention