I was talking to a colleague yesterday about an encounter she had with a young salesperson. My colleague, let’s call her Carol, and I were co-presenters at a networking event and met the salesperson there. After the event, the salesperson, I’ll call her Sue, called Carol.

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In almost all of my classes I teach how to have a confident handshake. While it may seem like a really small thing, your handshake actually speaks volumes about you. You want to be sure it expresses that you are a confident, professional person. I saw this video about the 10 different handshakes and thought it did a good job of explaining what each handshake says about you. See if you fall into one of the deadly nine or the perfect ten.

A good handshake is one where you put your hand fully in the other person’s hand, web to web. It’s accompanied with good eye contact and a smile. The grip is firm, but not bone crushing. Both men and women shake hands the same way. Men, no need to be delicate with women. Women no need to hold your hand as if it’s going to be kissed or you’re afraid to touch the other person.

Make sure your handshake is not giving a bad impression about you.

Yesterday I presented my Networking with Ease presentation to 120 people at the Greater Seattle Chamber “Focus On” series. As usual, my audience asked some really great questions. One man asked if someone should tone down their over-the-top energy when they are networking. It was an interesting question and one I hadn’t been asked before.

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I asked my Facebook fans for ideas for a blog post and got some really good questions. They were focused on job search etiquette.

Q. When meeting a potential employer for coffee or a meal to discuss the possibility of working together who picks up the tab? And how do you handle the awkwardness when the check is delivered?

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It’s that time of year when businesses host their annual holiday party. The corporate event can be a wonderful time to make and strengthen connections, or leave you disgraced and possibly fired for your lack of good judgment. Avoid these six pitfalls to steer clear of the latter.   

Dressing Inappropriately

Follow the attire description on the invitation. With few exceptions, the company holiday party is a festive event and one that calls for festive attire, not jeans and a t-shirt. A little, but not too little, black dress for women and a dark suit for men are always appropriate. Women, be careful not to show too much skin. Don’t leave people questioning your professionalism. [...]

I just experienced a perfect example of how not to do sales. Someone I met at a networking event followed up with me by leaving a voicemail message marked urgent. He said he wanted to talk. Didn’t say why he was calling but wanted me to call him right away. I smelled a hardcore sales call. However, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was calling to talk about hiring my as a consultant or to build a relationship. [...]