A few weeks ago the Comic Relief special whetted my appetite for the imminent arrival of the new series of The Apprentice. I enjoyed watching the emergence of the swap belt, those shiny little plastic figures waiting to be swallowed by many a 5 year old child. The cast of celebrities were amusing and surprisingly the conflicts were kept to a minimum, with only Patsy Palmer of Eastenders fame paying homage to her craft by throwing a temporary spanner into the works of the girl’s team.
I turned on the new series last night, and had to check I was on the right channel. Bickering, bitching and mindless questions about the use of a feather duster met my eardrums, and I had to check I hadn’t somehow tuned in to an episode of Big Brother by mistake.
The task at hand, a simple cleaning task, was undertaken with such lack of skill and forethought that I was left dumfoundedly goggling at my television set. Are you seriously telling me that out of 15 educated business men and women, with degrees and experience falling out of their ears, that not one of them can clean a car to an acceptable standard? And don’t get me started on the equipment debacle! The whole episode had the effect of making me want to bang my head against the wall with despair, at the future of the educated masses.
There was nothing innovative, clever or useful achieved by either of the teams, and their negotiating skills were downright appalling.
The whole show did get me thinking, as Alan Sugar repeatedly made reference to the repertoire of skills that had adorned their CVs. What these 15 candidates have proved, is the importance of a fantastic CV. But what they appeared to lack was the follow through. There’s no point indicating how business minded you are, how many years of experience you have, what you got in your degree; if you can’t show the employer any of this when in the job.
The Apprentice certainly didn’t provide me with the level of entertainment I had hoped, but what it did highlight is the necessity to be able to back up your skills with err, actual skills! So when you’re writing your CV and telling your employer how great you are, think of poor Anita, the first to be booted out of the boardroom- can you do all the things you say you can? And will you make a good impression on your first day?
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