Covid has killed the handshake, poll reveals

Covid may have killed off the traditional handshake at a job interview, according to survey data. 

Two-thirds of jobseekers don’t want to shake an interviewer’s hand amid continued reservations about social distancing.

Only a third of 735 adults surveyed by recruitment company Randstad claimed it is still appropriate to shake hands at interviews.

Handshakes have been an established part of the job interview process for decades.

Some experts claim to be able to tell what the person is thinking or feeling through the brief encounter.

A limp hand could be seen as a sign of weakness, while a crushing handshake could show dominance.

Public health experts urged Brits to stop shaking hands early on in the pandemic, in an effort to combat the spread of the virus. 

Randstad said thousands of online guides and videos around how to perfect the ‘job-winning handshake’ may soon become redundant.

Reservations about physical interactions, such as handshakes at work, remain amid continued fears of contracting Covid in the workplace, it said.

Jenna Alexander, of Randstad, 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 focus of the interview is to ensure that the person is right for the job, not about how well they shake hands.’