The Case Against Hand Sanitation Before Interviews

Washing your hands before an interview may seem like common sense. But new research shows that hand sanitation can actually hurt interview performance.

Penn public health professor Jonathan Kratz says that when most people wash their hands, "they don't dry properly. They leave wet spots on their hands." This residual moistness can be perceived as sweat during the interviewer-interviewee handshake, which "never fails to skeeve people out."

In addition, some people don't even rinse properly, leaving flecks of soap clinging to their knuckle hair. "That's just nasty," said Kratz, shuddering. "Your poor soapy hands signal to others that you do shoddy work, even with basic tasks like hand-washing."

To avoid these pitfalls, you could learn to wash your hands properly. Far easier, however, is not washing them at all, even after your pre-interview anxiety shit.