Embarrassment level 2 So let’s set the scene. It’s a nice fall day. I have made my best attempt at business casual: probably a nice shirt, a suit jacket and pants, and my “I’m trying to look like an adult” flats. I could imagine that I’ve attempted to tame my hair to some extent and I’ve gone back through my resume to remind myself of what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.
I show up to the event early and introduce myself to each of the recruiters. To save myself further embarrassment I will not tell you what company they are, but I will say that despite the positive impression made on me, I did leave the event mortified. So I introduce myself to each of the recruiters and talk to them for a while. I end up in a conversation with one of the employees for about two hours, while other people come in and out of the conversation. Most of the people have left the event by then, as it has run over. I put on my coat and backpack and announce that I am leaving for a meeting I had in the quad. After asking the recruiters for their contact information, one of them offered a fist, which I bumped with my own fist, as I supposed socially acceptable. Then the employee who I had been speaking to for the last two hours offered his hand and instead of meeting it with my own in a very normal handshake I HUGGED HIM WITH BOTH ARMS LIKE WE WERE FRIENDS EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN’T HUG ME BACK BECAUSE I HAVE NO CONCEPT OF SOCIAL NORMS.
I wouldn’t have even realized it was a strange thing to do if the other recruiter hadn’t promptly, firmly held out her hand in such a manner that I realized that not only did she actively not want me to hug her, but that the employee before her was probably just going for a handshake as well.
So as I do in any highly embarrassing situation, after shaking her hand quickly I RAN AWAY LIKE THE COWARD THAT I AM.
To this day I still question if the employee was going for a hug or a handshake and try to convince myself that it was not such an extreme faux pas, but that the familiarity and formality of those two things is SO different always gets the best of me. If he was going for a handshake I was way overstepping. But I don’t know man. I just don’t know.
So, the moral of the story is, try not to go around hugging people all willy nilly. But maybe do? I don’t know man. If I had an answer I probably wouldn’t be writing this. Sometimes it feels like I live my life in bloopers. Please send your thoughts and prayers.