A Shaky Start

"Just look him in the eyes and give him a firm handshake." - the best and worst advice my father ever gave me.  I started to think about this advice after clicking on "publish post" on my first blog, as it made me feel like I was walking into the craziest interview ever.  I am applying for the job of being a blogger that you will read...and that is a big commitment on your part.  Yesterday was kind of like the first impression, my resume if you will, but how many of you called me in for an actual interview? So as I sit here pondering how many of my readers will hire me as someone that they will invest in, I began to think of all the interviews I have gone on in my lifetime, and it brought me back to my first real interview and my dad's wonderful advice. "Just look him in the eyes and give him a firm handshake."

He must have said it to me a dozen times on the ride to the old Shea Stadium.  I was 19, majoring in television production, and going for an interview to be an intern with the Mets on their Video Production team.  Being a lifelong Met fan, this was a dream opportunity.  My friend Chris took the ride with us, and since he was a few years younger, he probably really cherished my dad's wisdom and advice, "Just look him in the eyes and give him a firm handshake."

Looking back at it, why I would take my dad's interviewing advice made no sense, as he worked for his dad, and then took over the family business where he was his own boss - no interviews, no eyes to look into - no hands to shake.  However, there I was walking into the Diamond Club at Shea, looking at the 86 trophy, catching the eye of Rusty Staub who was just hanging out--not knowing that he would become a fixture in one of the best first interview stories ever...and there I was, all 19 years of experience, just pacing around with sweaty hands repeating to myself, "Just look him in the eyes and give him a firm handshake."

"You must be Joe?"

I turned, the moment I had been practicing for had finally arrived, it was slow motion at this point, I took a powerful step in the interviewer's direction, I stared deep into his eyes holding back my blinks (which for those of you who know me is a very challenging task, raised up my right arm towards his, and did what my dad told me to do: I looked him in the eyes and gave him a firm handshake...

He just didn't shake back.

As I grasped tightly around the interviewer's fingerless right hand, I realized that my shake was not being reciprocated.  What were the chances?  There was no footnote to my father's advice, he never said anything about-in the off chance that the interviewer does not have any fingers, you should do this...or you should do that...there was NO footnote on his advice for a fingerless hand!  Just look in the eyes, shake the hand.  That was all I was given!

My sweaty hand held onto what felt like an elbow for what seemed like longer than the interview itself.  And with no advice given on this particular situation, I did what I thought would be the right thing to do.  I pulled my right hand back, kept strong eye contact (where else was I supposed to look), and leaned in with the left hand for a second hand shake.  Two hand shakes for the price of one.  This one had fingers and shook me back. 

Needless to say, I never worked for the Mets. 


Do you have a funny interview story?  Let's hear other horror stories of the job search process.