Ask McFartnuggets: “How Do You Shake Hands With Someone Who Has No Hand?”

In this situation I think
you would shake the
interviewer's nipples.

Dear McFartnuggets: 

The last week I went to a job interview and as I entered the room I went to shake the interviewers hand. As I was going in to shake his hand I realized he had no hand. I panicked, I may have gasped a little then I grabbed his stump and shook it. He looked at me like I was a fool and I felt really embarrassed for the whole rest of the interview. I haven’t heard a call back yet and I think that handshake flub might have ruined my chances. What can I do differently in the future to prevent this from happening again? -- Yolanda from Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dear Yolanda:

It really all depends on the individual you’re shaking hands with. In your situation I think grabbing the “stump” as it were, was a mistake since that may have been interpreted as a threatening gesture by the interviewer. Having your entire hand, or lack thereof, enveloped by another person’s can be intimidating. In a job interview environment I would go with a light fist bump. Fist bumps are becoming way more acceptable in professional environments these days. Also, it’s best not to panic when you see someone with a disfigurement. I know you were caught off guard, but the degree to which you react to that disfigurement will tell the other person a lot about you. I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you though. Sometimes jobs take awhile to respond to people they’ve interviewed. I’ve had interviews where I thought the person hated me and I ended up getting the job weeks later. Just keep applying and learn from your experiences!

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