Oracle EMEA Campus Recruitment

An essential part of an interview is the verbal communication. But the non-verbal communication is maybe a more important key to success. What you may not always be aware of is that the body language is often a decisive element in interviews. Body language reveals a lot about your personality and attitude.

During face-to-face interviews, we tend to take some positions that send negative signals. Our interviewer can easily guess the level of stress through, for example, shifting on your chair, hectic manipulation of a pen or unseemly gestures. Especially when it is one of your first face-to-face interviews you will be nervous and might forget about your body language.

Here are a few tips that could help you to align your body language with your message and be rigorous, calm, organized and dynamic and make sure you make a good impression.

When walking into the interviewer's room, keep your head straight, shoulders erect and exude assurance. You want to give the impression that you are confident. Also give a firm handshake.

When seated, be relaxed but keep being enterprising, reactive and smiling at the same time. Look your interviewer in the eyes and look a little bit down when you think. Maintain a friendly expression to show a positive attitude. Smiling also helps to overtake your shyness. Adopt a body language, which is consistent with the tone of your speech and what you want to demonstrate. Show that you are pleased to be there and demonstrate your enthusiasm.

Sit up straight and remember to keep your feet well anchored on the ground, as most of the time your legs and feet can betray your level of stress. Do not cross your arms in front of your chest. Folded hands are also considered like a defensive move, although these gestures might make you feel more secure. Leave your hands on the table, in your lap or on the armrests of your chair. Ask for permission to take notes while your interviewer talks, if you do not know what to do with your hands.

Last but not least, prepare for the interview (skills for the position, information and news on the company), that will make you feel more confident and allows you to concentrate and listen carefully to the interviewer. As per everything you do for the first time, it is good to exercise. Practice a fake face-to-face interview and ask a friend or a professional to help you or use a camera to get to know yourself in an interview situation and find out how you can improve your body language.

This picture on the right shows you the ideal position: straight back, head lift up, straight look, hands positioned on the table without being static. Isn't it simple? All the difficulty is to maintain this perfect posture all interview long. But now that you know what to avoid and the tricks to keep in mind, it is a just a matter of practice. So train yourself and you will see that an interview is eventually an exercise where you can quickly progress. Good luck everyone!

If you have any question please contact nermine.salah@oracle.com. For our job opportunities, please look at http://campus.oracle.com.