How to find your apprentice

Recruitment expert Lucy Bristow gives Business Leader Magazine her top tips on how to find your Apprentice.

If you were one of the millions of viewers that tuned in to watch the Apprentice then no doubt you too will have an opinion about the interview tactics employed by Lord Sugar’s ferocious team.

While we have to remind ourselves that it is primarily set up for the purpose of providing addictive viewing, nevertheless I feel that the penultimate episode in particular, did throw up a few aspects that apply to all recruitment processes and there are some salient points that are worth taking away.

What’s your objective?

Lord Sugar has a very clear objective, it’s not finding someone to work for him in a particular position, he wants to find someone with a credible business plan that he can invest money in and work with. These are two different things.

It makes me think that when recruiting someone you need to be really clear what your objective is. In this instance he really wanted to give Neil a job, but his business plan didn’t stand up so he didn’t get chosen. As disappointed as he was, he might fit elsewhere in his business but Neil was not fit for this particular purpose.

Think about the interview etiquette

The etiquette of interviewing candidates is always something to consider before setting out on the process.

I appreciate that this set up is specifically for TV so a certain amount has been edited with that in mind. But at times the viewing was nail-biting, cringeworthy and, in my opinion, erring on the side of being too bullish.

However, it is worth remembering that the interview etiquette you employ is totally reflective of your business and will leave candidates with a taste of what to expect.

Remember you want people to want to work for you too!

The interview process is not one-sided

An interview is not just about the candidate, it’s about you. People do tend to forget this.

Of course you want the interview to give the candidate as much of an opportunity as possible to reveal all about themselves but it also is a great opportunity for you to do the same with your business.