Last weeks episode of the Apprentice showed the last 5 in the gruelling CV and interview round. What are the lessons to be learned?

Lesson One from Yasmina “The Entrepreneur”
Get you numbers straight
Employers love to see numbers on a CV; it shows quantitative evidence of your achievements. So include figures and percentages such as, how much you’ve saved the company, how many people you manage, the amount of profit you’ve made.
But at interview make sure you can back up what you say. In Yasmina’s interview, she became unstuck with the basics of what is gross profit and net profit. Its vital to get this right.

Lesson Two from James “The Joker”
Make your CV stand out from the rest for the right reasons
It’s a competitive market and you do need to stand out from the rest. However it is a fine line between getting noticed and looking a fool.
As James demonstrated, using phrases like “I bring ignorance to the table”, will be a talking point but for the wrong reasons.
James also included a lot of telecoms technical jargon on his CV, this is like a foreign language to a non-telecoms expert. Think about who’ll be reading your CV and tailor it accordingly

Lesson Three from Kate “The Perfect One”
Inject some personality into your interview style
Kate didn’t put a foot wrong in the interview, she came across as highly competent but measured and controlled. People who are “too good to be true” engender mis-trust.
Interviewers will question what’s underneath, where is the passion? So don’t be afraid to be yourself, a bit of personality goes along way.

Lesson 4 from Lorraine “The Intuitive”
Its all in the detail 
Lorraine made a big deal about having a sixth sense for business. But she neglected the details and put the wrong dates on the CV. This apparently simple error/omission made the interviewer question her integrity. So make sure your dates stack up.

Lesson 5 from Deborah “The Aggressive one”
Choose your referees wisely
Deborah’s referees cemented her downfall. Say no more…

Written by Fiona Biggins

Career Coach