In a tough job interview even the smoothest candidate can come unstuck.
And the interview episode of The Apprentice showcases tactics to test the mettle of prospective employees. How to respond if you find yourself Which Apprentice hopeful has fallen ahead of the final? ...
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For many it's the most nerve-wracking thing they ever undergo. An occasion characterised by sweat maps of Africa under the arms, flushed faces, racing hearts and feelings of mortal dread.
The job interview is a tough institution and these five bear traps are among the most painful any candidate can face:
CAUGHT IN A LIE
Ever since the ancient Lydians first minted coins and used them to pay shop staff, prospective employees have been embellishing their records in order to get themselves the job.
Bordan Tkachuk, chief executive of Sir Alan Sugar's technology firm Viglen, and one of the interview rottweilers on The Apprentice, is not entirely sure this is a bad idea.
"To a large degree honesty is a good foundation and you are not going to go wrong. But it is a competitive situation… if you stretch the truth and it's within reasonable boundaries it is a chance you take. But it is a chance that pays dividends."
Of course, if you are found out, it can get very hairy. The Apprentice's Lee was caught out by Tkachuk as his CV claimed a two-year stint at Thames Valley University when in fact he had dropped out after four months.
"I asked him several times about his academic qualifications and I gave him more than one opportunity to tell me whether he had in fact completed the course. I was trying to ascertain his integrity. The dates didn't seem to stack up. I had a suspicion. I left the question, spoke to him again, he again confirmed. When I asked him a third time he broke down and said he hadn't."
The end result is the appearance that perhaps this is a person who cannot be trusted.
"The most important thing in an interview is to be authentic, to say the truth," says Simon Mitchell, of leadership consultants DDI. "The worst thing you can have happen to you is to be asked a question where you have to cover up - that's very stressful."
GET RILED
It's not very nice, but it's certainly not unknown for interviews to start with a deliberate attempt to unsettle you by causing you to lose your temper.
The interviewer is armed with your CV and even a quick glance may provide a pressure point that will cause you to react. A candidate who realises he has raised his voice, when his interviewer has not, may struggle to regain his composure.
"The interviewer will put you under pressure to see how you react. Once you see that it is what they are driving at, try to keep calm," says Mr Mitchell.
For some interviewers, the choice of weapons may be something mildly insulting.
Apprentice Lucinda's grilling started with "frankly, you are unemployable". And Alex was nonplussed to be told early on that he was boring. But some interviewers in the real world may use something a little bit stronger to really spice up the start of proceedings. It is frowned upon in the world of recruitment.
"It is absolutely not the way they should go," says Mr Mitchell. "It is offensive to the candidate, it is bordering on illegal.
"It is legitimate to put people under a certain amount of pressure. There is a line over which it is difficult to see the validity and usefulness of crossing. No badgering and bullying."
While it may be tempting to make a principled stand and stop the interview, the best course of action is to stay clear, calm, realise what your tormentor is trying to do - and no matter how strange it may seem, answer the question as best you can.
BOWLED BY A GOOGLY
A similar tactic is the googly. If inducing sheer rage to test the candidate isn't an option, then confusion, bewilderment and embarrassment may suffice.
Upon entry to one of his interviews, the Apprentice's Lee was asked to do a dinosaur impression. After initially demurring, he commenced flapping and squawking.
His interviewer, property developer Paul Kemsley, told him that he shouldn't have agreed to the demonstration. This forced the explanation from Lee: "I wouldn't do a reverse pterodactyl in front of Sir Alan."
Away from the arena of the job market, tales abound of bizarre techniques in Oxbridge interviews. Can one truly concentrate when the interviewer is conducting the questioning sitting cross-legged underneath the table?
But there can be entirely non-surreal tactics and questions that can flummox the unprepared. "When did you last truly fail?" is a tricky one. As is "imagine that tomorrow the UK changed from driving on the left to driving on the right and you are the change co-ordinator, what would you do?"
"Don't let yourself be put on the spot," says Dr Rob Yeung, psychologist and author of Should I Tell the Truth. "Ask for a moment to think about it or if you've not understood ask for it to be repeated or rephrased. It's perfectly acceptable to take 15 or 20 seconds."
BECALMED IN DOLDRUMS
When asked the bog-standard question, "tell me what you think about the company?" it's fairly clear that something more than a one-word answer is required. And even running out of steam after 20 seconds is unlikely to impress.
It's a bugbear for Mr Tkachuk, who has tripped up more than one Apprentice by asking them to explain what Sir Alan's companies do. "I'm really very interested in their understanding of the company... [I] push it to some depth. It's easy for anyone to do a search on the internet and come up with a few superficial things."
Sadly, unless you're Derren Brown, a wily interviewer is likely to see through the veneer if you really know nothing about the company. The only sure solution is to genuinely prepare.
"Contact the company, ask for some brochures," says Mr Tkachuk. "Do some research on what the company does, who are the key players, who is the competition."
SUFFER PRESENTATIONAL DIFFICULTY
For her Apprentice interview, Claire turned up in a jumper of such bilious luminescence that it was extraordinary that none of the Rottweiler interviewers mentioned it. Alex's problem was his low energy and soft speech. "Big night out?" snarled one attack dog.
As well as dress, there's body language, the way people shake hands, the way they sit, the tone and pitch of their voice - every mannerism is being scrutinised.
"You only get one time to make a first impression. Within the first 60 seconds you already make an impression," says Mr Tkachuk.
The trick again is preparation. If you're dressed smartly and thought about the way you will interact with the interviewer, this can help smooth your path.
But it's hard to guard against doing something impulsive, as Lee found when he winked at Paul Kemsley at the end of the interview.
"That's what a door-to-door salesman would do," was Mr Kemsley's verdict. Not quite the impression a go-getting entrepreneur might want to give.
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(BBC)
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