This is the nightmare – you have just landed an interview for your dream job, and your biggest worry is not how well you will answer the questions, but how to not disgust the interviewer with your sweaty hands!
Of course, there is no silver bullet recipe here. Below are some tips and tricks I have learnt over time to manage job interviews with Palmar Hyperhidrosis. I am sure some, if not all, will find these useful. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any other cool tips for job interview with sweaty hands that I missed:
Tips For Job Interview With Sweaty Hands: Before the Job Interview
There are things you can do before the job interview that may help you minimize the sweat on your palms. Depending on how much in advance you know of the job interview, its better to start as soon as possible – ideally a week before
- Get a clinical over the counter strength antiperspirant from a neighbourhood pharmacy.
- Apply antiperspirant liberally over your hands every night before you go to sleep
- Unless you have severe form of palmar hyperhidrosis, you should see significant improvement in 3 days time. However, continue the application for a full week
- You may get some discomfort (itching, dryness etc) – however, that should be temporary and may be worth it.
TIPS FOR JOB INTERVIEW WITH SWEATY HANDS:On The Job Interview Day
- Don’It apply any lotion/oul on hands. Clean your hands with soap, and then apply antiperspirant on the dry hands
- Ensure that you reach the venue with sufficient time in hand. Getting there on last minute will only add to the anxiety and may cause sweat to break loose
- While waiting, find a relatively open/cool space – again, closed, damp areas will tend to cause the sweat to break out
- If its summer time, and you are feeling hot, take off the coat/sweater and tie while you are waiting
- Relax, read some magazine and try not to think about the interview or the handshake
TIPS FOR JOB INTERVIEW WITH SWEATY HANDS: During the Interview
If your hands are not sweaty, go ahead, have a firm handshake!! However, if you notice that inspite of all the pre-work, sweat did start to come out on your palms, there are ways to manage that:
- Take a glass of water in your hands and when the time comes for the handshake, put the glass aside and shake the hands while apologizing for “wet” hands
- Carry your bag/notebooks in your hands and make it obvious that handshake is very inconvenient at that time – again, make appropriate gesture to show your helplessness!
- Don’t put your hands on the table, especially if the table is glass top – you will make very visible smudgy marks on the table with the sweat on your palms
- At the end of the interview (if your hands are still wet), use one of the tips mentioned above to avoid a handshake. Another way is to ask for restroom, go in, wash and wipe your hands and come out. Have a handshake – even if the hands are a bit wet, it will be natural!
- If for any reason you cannot use any of the tips mentioned above, or if the sweaty palms were noticeable, make a joke about “how nervous you are to be interviewing for your dream job”! It works sometimes – employers want to hire people who really want a job!
TIPS FOR JOB INTERVIEW WITH SWEATY HANDS:After the Interview
If after all that hard work and preparation, if you still feel that your sweaty hands were noticeable and might impact your chances of getting the job, here is the last ditch option. I have used it once before and it worked – but it may or may not. Send a note to (or call) your interviewer and express your interest in the job and how excited you were to interview with them. As a side mention, tell them that you have a medical condition called hyperhidrosis that causes you to sweat a bit more than usual in high stress situation and that it does not affect your normal job performance. Most interviewers will consider that as a honest gesture and would understand your sweaty palms – though it may also work opposite by reminding them of your sweaty palms when they did not really think of it. So use this tip with caution.
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