Randstad has revealed that 64% of Brits aren't willing to shake their interviewer's hand at their next in-person interview.
In a poll of 735 jobseekers* who were asked if it’s appropriate to shake hands at interviews post-pandemic, only just over a third (36%) voted to preserve the age-old tradition.
The handshake greeting has historically cemented itself as an established part of the job interview process dating back many years. Legend has it that one of the earliest depictions of the traditional handshake was in the fifth century B.C, although it’s not clear if this was in a job interview environment. Since then, formal and informal versions of the handshake have been brief greeting or parting traditions for both social and workplace meetings.
Psychology around handshake etiquette has often been analysed in detail, and some experts claim to be able to tell what the person is thinking or feeling through the brief hand-on-hand encounter. For example, does a limp hand show a sign of weakness? Or on the other hand, does a crushing handshake show dominance? The thousands of online guides and videos around how to perfect the ‘job-winning handshake’ may soon become redundant if the vast majority have their way.
With government social distancing guidance no longer enforced, there are still some reservations about physical interactions, such as handshakes in the workplace. During last week’s Randstad’s monthly webinar, ‘Living with someone else’s mental health’ with Former professional footballer and PFA Chair, Clarke Carlisle and his wife Carrie, it was revealed that nearly a fifth** are scared of contracting covid in the workplace. In addition to this, 72% won’t feel safe at work until those around them are vaccinated.
Jenna Alexander, Talent Acquisition Director - Randstad UK&I & EMEA said:
“The idea of compulsory pre-interview handshakes is now being perceived as a non-inclusive and unnecessary process, in the same sense as commuting a long distance to a physical meeting, according to the hundreds of jobseekers we polled. The traditional interview greeting and parting interaction, which many find daunting, has been identified as an old tradition that the majority hope to shake off. Unfortunately it took a world pandemic and government advice to change perceptions around this.”
“The psychology that comes hand-in-hand with perfecting the job interview handshake etiquette is all part of the rigmarole that the majority of workers now want to see dismissed. The focus of the interview is to ensure that the person is right for the job, not about how well they shake hands. In a world where most interviews are now conducted virtually, even beforehand, I personally can see past a ‘bad’ handshake if I’m wowed by the individual’s experience, knowledge, skills and how they come across in the interview.”
Notes to editors
*Poll of 735 visitors to Randstad.co,uk in August 2021
**Survey of over 8,000 workers spanning every industry in the UK as part of the Randstad Health and Wellbeing Report 2021 https://www.randstad.co.uk/workplace-wellbeing/
Randstad is the global leader in the HR services industry. We support people and organisations in realising their true potential by combining the power of today’s technology with our passion for people. We call it Human Forward. In 2020, we helped nearly two million candidates find a meaningful job with more than 236,000 clients. Furthermore, we trained close to 350,000 people. Randstad is active in 38 markets around the world and has a top-three position in almost half of these. In 2020, Randstad had on average 34,680 corporate employees and generated revenue of € 20.7 billion. Randstad was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands. Randstad N.V. is listed on the NYSE Euronext (symbol: RAND.AS). For more information, see www.randstad.co.uk
