Get a grip on your handshake for interviews

A POOR handshake and tardiness are just two of the reasons why jobseekers are failing to impress potential employers in interviews.

A survey by employment law firm, Peninsula Ireland found that:

* 89% of employers make up their mind about applicants within the first five minutes of an interview.

* 78% of employers admitted having made a bad recruitment decision.

* 66% of employers admit rejecting applicants because of a bad first impression.

The survey also found that Irish employers found candidates not wearing business attire was the most disliked aspect of interview behaviour. On the flipside, it showed 63% of Irish employers do not realise they can be taken to tribunal over interview discrimination.

The top five “what not to dos” were:

* Failure to wear business-like attire.

* Lateness.

* Interest in salary.

* Lack of company knowledge.

* A poor handshake.

“Look smart, give a firm handshake and research the company, then you’re on your way to securing the job,” said Alan Price of Peninsula Ireland. “These are basic things to remember when going for an interview and can make a real difference to an applicant’s success. First impressions make such a big impact and interviewers form an initial opinion from a CV and then have a picture in their mind of how they expect the interviewee to behave.”

As a consequence, dressing inappropriately does not start an interview off in the right way and if combined with poor punctuality, can spell the beginning of the end of a candidate’s chances.

Prior knowledge of the company before an interview has become a vital aspect for employers as they see it as a good indicator of how dedicated the interviewee is to securing the job. It has become one of the top five disliked aspects of interview behaviour, even though it did not appearing at all on the company’s 2003’s list of findings, said Mr Price.

“Irish employers find that prior knowledge allows for a more in-depth discussion of how well the interviewee will fit into the company and what relevant skills they bring to the company, ” he added.

However 63% of interviewers are unaware that they can be taken to tribunal for interview discrimination.

“Irish employers should have clear reasoning for rejecting a candidate as there is legal legislation that permits someone to take a company to tribunal before they have even been employed,” says Price.