Do you really want to win The Apprentice?

Have you ever been to a job interview and just didn’t fancy it?

Does the reality of what it might be like match your earlier expectations?

So far, BBC’s Apprentice has only really considered things from Lord Sugar’s perspective. It’s assumed that all the candidates really want to win, and by and large they do.

But, and it’s a big “but”, what happens when you get three-quarters of the way through and discover you are running out of energy?

This was Natasha Scribbin’s admission following her “firing” this week. In fact, when questioned, she was down to about 30%.

Who is to say Natasha didn’t have what it takes to partner with Lord Sugar and be successful? I was certainly impressed with her determination. But was it really for her?

The lack of energy, is a big clue. Certainly there are many other causes, but the one of the biggest drains on our energy, is a lack of “fit” with the role we are in.

And I don’t think anyone goes into this process half-hearted either. Far from it. But to me the image of life inside is probably a long way from reality.

Using examples from the final four and Natasha, here’s some suggestions of what “reality” will mean:

• Natasha: You’ll be required to work effectively with some people you don’t much care for. You can’t just switch off.
• Jim: To have a silken tongue is a mixed blessing. You’ll need to rely on a steady stream of good business ideas too.
• Tom: you worked well with a good organiser in Helen, but you will need to ground your creativity with a sound business case that stands alone. Do the math.
• Susan: youth is no refuge in the commercial world. Most people are older and you must engage with them.
• Helen: not running your own business puts you at a disadvantage. Play to your strengths but watch out for the bits you haven’t done and study hard.

That’s what’s really good about this process. It helps you see what you can and can’t do, if you pay attention.  If the “can’ts” exceed the “cans” it’s probably best to try something else.

Whether they admit this or not I believe Natasha possibly and Leon definitely knew they didn’t want it anymore.

And when talking about image and reality, sometimes the image fades too. For example life as a public figure looks increasingly less attractive when recent events in the media draw out its darker side.

Perhaps ‘don’t give up the day job’ is ringing true?

Next up I believe we have “the interviews”. These are normally really good value! The best is yet to come.

Earlier Apprentice posts: Giving the nod to Lord Sugar; This is a process of elimination; Melody the man-eating tiger; Is Jim sunny or sinister?  Zoe tears up Edna’s MBA

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