Sugarís scorn is recruitment blunder says top professional recruiter

BBCís The Apprentice brings out worst in job candidates says managing director of recruiter Nigel Lynn

BBCís The Apprentice, which returns for a new series this week, has been credited with making the recruitment process an entertaining spectacle for young, would-be entrepreneurs. However, recruitment experts suggest Sugarís harsh tactics only serve to bring out the worst in candidates, and his eventual ëyouíre hiredí decision favours only the person who can survive weeks of one-upmanship and back-stabbing as a result of the unnecessary pressure put on the group. ìI doubt Mr Sugarís own firm use any process such as the one on the programme ñ if they did they would be in court 24/7 and have absolutely no staff,î says Steve Carter, managing director of financial recruitment specialists Nigel Lynn, part of the Premier Group, ìThe Apprentice certainly makes great viewing but it is hardly representative of how recruitment really works.î

ìThe ëare you hard enoughí approach employed on the show is not a fair or appropriate way to select individuals for a role,î Carter continues, ìIn fact last yearís winner is testament to that fact.î The successful candidate from the last series, Michelle Dewberry, lasted only a matter of months at Amstrad before it became clear she was not at all suitable for the role.

Recruiting the correct candidate can be a difficult prospect, and being able to distinguish between the future champions and pretenders is a real challenge, where the cost of getting it wrong can be huge. Consequently, observing potential employees in a real-life situation can be a true test of individual strengths. ìThe leadership and teamwork scenarios in the show are betterî Carter suggests, ìBecause they create situational examples of peopleís skills, business style and communicational abilities.î

ìThinking correctly under pressure is clearly important, but the unrealistic scenarios portrayed are a throw-back to the past,î Carter continues, ìIndeed many of todayís managers tell stories of woe in their professional upbringing.î Previous episodes have seen the job-seekers on the receiving end of a grilling worthy of the Spanish Inquisition from an unnecessarily antagonistic interview panel, and reduced to selling rotten fruit door-to-door in an effort to defeat their opponents.

ìBeing able to sell ëice to Eskimosí is one thing,î Carter states, ìpersuading someone else to do it willingly, enjoy doing it and to seek to learn from their experience is quite another.î