The Apprentice

Oh bugger. I missed this episode because of the Legends match on Ch.5. Doh!

Is it still worth watching now that I know who was Fired?

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yeah Paul bottled it big time on the boardroom, hardly had any decent come backs to Alan's questions :( shame realy
 
Paul and Ansell to be in Final, What is michelle doing in the Final? She has been a shadow in the competition, just in the background doing nothing, or doing it wrong. It was just a sympathy vota because Sugar had something in common with her. Ruth Oiiiiiiii, she's a lot better than michelle but she's like a broken record, i made 50 million for 10 companies by myself. Rubbish.
 
Please tell me that is not what a 'normal' interview is like... as someone said, it seems those people were just trying to start arguments.

I would have liked to see Ansell and Syed to be in the final, however obviously that is not going to be the case. To be honest I am extremly shocked that Sugar chose two Women for the final.
 
PeterNem said:
Hmmmm, I'd have taken Paul over Michelle.... I wouldn't go as far as saying she's been given the sympathy vote.... but I think that's pretty much what it comes down to.
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I wouldn't. Not in a million years.

Early on, Paul looked very good to me, but as time progressed, he got more and more confident, to the point where it went from confident to cocky, and cocky to arrogant. And, from what he saw of background and achievement to date, he has little to be so arrogant about.

Conversely, Michelle has gone from shrinking wall-flower, to near-perfect apprentice material. For a start, going from supermarket checkout girl, to self-employed earning £100k indicates a degree of drive, nous and determination. But also, an apprentice is supposed to be someone you train, and mould, and hone, and polish. So, you're looking for someone with the basic personality traits and attributes that you can refine into what you need.

Then consider that Sugar is looking for an apprentice entrepreneur, someone that can take one of his projects/companies and basically run with it. That requires MUCH more than just being a salesman (or saleswoman). You can find that, and hire it, whenever you need it. This is much more (IMHO) about getting the right person. And Michelle, wall-flower though she is, now appears to have dragged herself up from nothing to considerable success, and though they didn't go into any detail, seems to have done it despite a fair degree of personal hardship.

I wonder if Sugar sees something of himself in Michelle?



As I said, early in this thread, I tipped Paul for the job, but he's gone down and down in my estimation, week by week, almost entirely due to character traits. And after all, lack of specific skills can be addressed by training and experience, but an arrogant plonker is likely to remain an arrogant plonker.

Michelle strikes me as being able to shift gears, and tonight amply demonstrated a very marked (not to mention beautifully times) shifting of gears. Paul, on the other hand, only seems to have one gear.

I would have fired Paul and Ruth. Michelle has gone from last to first in my view, and I would have liked to see her head-to-head against Ansell.

Oh, and what's the betting on Ansell ending up working for SAS at some point in the near-future, even if it obviously isn't going to be as the Apprentice.
 
Mr.T said:
Please tell me that is not what a 'normal' interview is like... as someone said, it seems those people were just trying to start arguments.
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No, it's not typical.

But, on the other hand, a hard-charging interview is a good way of finding out how people cope under stress. The candidates should have expected that.


And the scandalous lack of research done into SUgar and his companies was shocking, and a serious oversight. I was flabberghasted.
 
Sequoia said:
Early on, Paul looked very good to me, but as time progressed, he got more and more confident, to the point where it went from confident to cocky, and cocky to arrogant.
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I'll agree with you on this point - I'd say his cockyness was his downfall and there seems to be a little irony in the fact that his cockyness was probably made worse by him doing so well by avoiding the boardroom and winning tasks - he'd probably have been a little more down to earth if he had been put through a couple of board room visits.

Also on the research point. I spent more time "revising" the company that I had an interview with for a work placement than I spent revising my 1st semester exams in my second year (which were at about the time of the interview), and I think it paid off.

Going for a job interview and not tailoring your whole apporach (right through from CV and application), to interview technique and knowledge to the specific company you are applying for seems a massive oversight.
 
Dingo said:
Ruth was efficient as always but struggles to take direction so wouldn't make much of an apprentice.

Paul is becoming more petulant and sulky by the week.

Syed needs stitches........to his mouth to stop the endless drivel that comes out and miracle of miracles he necer mentioned the East End once this week!!

Ansell looks good with a relaxed style but hasn't really performed that well in general tasks as opposed to selling.

As per my last post I think Michelle has the look of the winner to me.

She may be haughty and distant at times but she does have a backbone and I think she dealt with Paul very well while he was having his schoolboy tantrum. SAS mentioned with last week's challenge that the apprentice would be doing what he has done (ie) taking new products to market, and Michelle acquitted herself well in last week's task (despite Ruth's condecending remarks about her sale) and, in my opinion, made all the right moves as the project manager this week.....and more importantly is still visibly not stuck in a groove like most of the others seem to be.

It's the Pit Bull (Ruth) versus the Piranha (Michelle) in the Final for me!!
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Got there a page before you Xpander :D
 
Ruth clearly is not a team player, nor is she honest. As stated on the telly, someone that single handedly quadriples the profits of the company would have a golden handcuffs contract. No mug would ever give up hundreds of thousands of shares in a company if they had a choice in the matter. Even if it ment 6 months more at the company.


She back tracks and sid steps so often its untrue, its hard to tell what she was saying and it is clear that she ducks liability at the first opertunity. She was worse than Paul imo. Paul was full of himself but she was conceted. TBH Ruth is a liability.



Michelle seems the ideal candidate, she is hard working, determined, driven and self motivated.

Ansell IMO was neither hear nor there, a candidate and nothing else.

Edit: Even if Ruth wins the final task I would fire her.
 
Sequoia said:
As I said, early in this thread, I tipped Paul for the job, but he's gone down and down in my estimation, week by week, almost entirely due to character traits. And after all, lack of specific skills can be addressed by training and experience, but an arrogant plonker is likely to remain an arrogant plonker.
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Tell me about it. He's got absolutely nothing to be so arrogant about...he's just Mr Average Door-to-door. This week surprised me on that front but not much - I had suspicions that they'd cut through Paul because he did seem to be performing worse and becoming louder&cockier each week, even if he did do reasonably well (or get lucky).

I was really surprised with Michelle, too, but in a good way. They said they weren't sure of her personality but with those clips they showed talking about her childhood, I felt not much needed to be said to see there was something there driving her and gol-darnit she's done well :eek:

Ruth...is still a badger. And why give up 250,000 shares :confused: ....that's madness. I don't buy it o.O

And if she is telling the truth, she didn't think it through and she must be regretting it. She's too in your face but then...is Michelle too nice?

And Ansel....well, he was a nice guy but compared to Michelle and Ruth on paper, he had to go. He, er, didn't stack up. </awful pun>

Besides, Sugar already has one young black guy ;)
 
I think Alan regretted his decision. He later said on the documentary programme afterward that he will keep in touch with Ansell and would like to employ him (or something like that.) Ansell didn't say nothing about that so clearly there's a little action going on behind the scenes there...

Michelle will win. I don't know how Ruth got this far with those glaring inaccuracies on her CV. That and her personality sucks. Same goes for Paul. Michelle isn't perfect but Alan knows she can be moulded to fit the bill.

Oh and why does Ruth always respond to remarks with a numbered bullet point list? "Right, OK, One... I'm better than you, Two... You're worse than me, Three... I'm the best in the world, Four... I'm great, Five... Me Me Me!!!!"
 
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Michelle sucks ....

what stand out points can you remember from all the previous shows? all i can remember is that she is a carp team leader, and when all the other dudes had to sell clobber in topshop, she was getting minging on Champagne! and how about the boat trip thing? i dont think there was even a mention of her last week !!

Ruth will win it, because she is full of BS, Michelle is in with a chance, but only because she has what it takes from the neck down !!


soz to be so blunt ..
 
NathanE said:
Oh and why does Ruth always respond to remarks with a numbered bullet point list? "Right, OK, One... I'm better than you, Two... You're worse than me, Three... I'm the best in the world, Four... I'm great, Five... Me Me Me!!!!"
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Because she's a direct, simple kind of person. Efficient. To the point.

It seems to have done her well given what's on her CV, but I'd still prefer Michelle to win - she's a nicer person I reckon.
 
NathanE said:
Oh and why does Ruth always respond to remarks with a numbered bullet point list? "Right, OK, One... I'm better than you, Two... You're worse than me, Three... I'm the best in the world, Four... I'm great, Five... Me Me Me!!!!"
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I can't stand her aggressive mannerism,she talks too loud,too much and too often.
Her CV seemed to say that she had gained the company she worked for the sum of 10 million quid almost single handed. Then when questioned she was saying she was a key player in it. :confused:
I think Michelle might roar into action next week and prove herself. I'm thinking she could be a wolf in sheeps clothing.
 
You have to wonder about Michelle though... Self-employed £100k/yr... What has happened to her company during her 12 week absence? Presumably it folded sometime before the show started... They really should have probed deeper on that. All they got out of her was that she was involved in contracted off-shoring.

In short, Alan has got to choose between two potential Class A liars :/ :/
 
We're finally down to the last 2. Ruth and Michelle, I would never have guessed that Michelle would be in the run this late.

Ruth, she does well most weeks, and for one, I like the direct approach that she has. You know where you stand with her. The Entire argument from the interogators was not that Ruth was lying, it was they thought she was taking to much credit. When Ruth was asked she went to great lengths to state she was part of a team.

People also seem to think thas as she was in a well paid job and was offered a sabatical and shares, as she didn't take them sher must be crazy. When you think about one of the comments made in the board room where Ruth explained that the CEO of her last place came to her and offered loads of shares and her job back as long as she would agree to return if she failed to win. With a stright yes or no commitment like this, Ruth was bound to go her own way, \she has shown throughout the entire series that she can't be bullied and pressured just goes to show how little her previous employers knew her.

Paul frankly had to go. After the show where he was on the Thames cruise and got into a bust up with Sharon and Michelle his head has been swelling. He talks about his great acheivement by someone so young but moving between half a dozen jobs in the first 3 years since leaving uni and earning £25K aint that much of a deal, I'd expect that from about 30-40% of degree graduates.

Ansel, goes to show the being the nice guy doesn't always work to well, though interesting to note that in the extra show SAS did say he would be keeping in contact with him in the future. A good salesman is never out of work for long. Everyone seemed to like him, he just seemed to lack the killer drive of Ruth or Syed.

Michelle, I don't see what the big deal about her seemed to be. She is a Self employed Telecoms Manager and works in offshoring. Doen't this translate to, she fires people on behalf of companies whilst sending all call center work to India and other foriegn places? She used to work on the checkout now she earns 100K, all in 10 years. I got a part time job whilst doing my A-Levels, I pushed trollies at tescos and stayed with them thoughout most of my Uni days. I got my trolly job when I was 16, now i'm 26. I'm an IT Contractor (so self employed) and if you take a 4 week period about this time last year, multiply that out to 12 months, then i'm on around £80K. Far more than my expected years income (just incase the tax men can read and saw this), but when working for yourself you earn figures like these (on short contracts) easily.

I would still choose to have Ruth, but interesting picking up on the language used by her in the board room. Michelle would like to learn from SAS for a few years. Ruth wants to work WITH SAS. She is pitching herself to a level I don't think SAS is employing for. She was saying things like she wants to improve effeciency within all of Amstrad and to increase overall production. Michelle is going for an apprentership, Ruth is aiming for a Partnership.

But thats my say. Next week, flogging more stuff and the two finalists have all the drop outs with them. One more week of idle specualtion whilst I should be doing something better, than what am I going to do on a wednesday evening?
 
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callmeBadger said:
We're finally down to the last 2. Ruth and Michelle, I would never have guessed that Michelle would be in the run this late.

Ruth, she does well most weeks, and for one, I like the direct approach that she has. You know where you stand with her. The Entire argument from the interogators was not that Ruth was lying, it was they thought she was taking to much credit. When Ruth was asked she went to great lengths to state she was part of a team.

People also seem to think thas as she was in a well paid job and was offered a sabatical and shares, as she didn't take them sher must be crazy. When you think about one of the comments made in the board room where Ruth explained that the CEO of her last place came to her and offered loads of shares and her job back as long as she would agree to return if she failed to win. With a stright yes or no commitment like this, Ruth was bound to go her own way, \she has shown throughout the entire series that she can't be bullied and pressured just goes to show how little her previous employers knew her.

Paul frankly ad to go. After the show where he was on the Thames cruise and got into a bust up with Sharon and Michelle his head has been swelling. He talks about his great acheivement by someone so young but moving between half a dozen jobs in the first 3 years since leaving uni and earning £25K aint that much of a deal, I'd expect that from about 30-40% of degree graduates.

Ansel, goes to show the being the nice guy doesn't always work to well, though interesting to note that in the extra show SAS did say he would be keeping in contact with him in the future. A good salesman is never out of work for long. Everyone seemed to like him, he just seemed to lack the killer drive of Ruth or Syed.

Michelle, I don't see what the big deal about her seemed to be. She is a Self employed Telecoms Manager and works in offshoring. Doen't this translate to, she fires people on behalf of companies whilst sending call center work to india and other foriegn places? She used to work on the checkout now she earns 100K, all in 10 years. I got a part time job whilst doing my A-Levels, I pushed trollies at tescos. I later whilst at uni got trained in Checkouts. I got my trolly job when I was 16, now i'm 26. I'm an IT Contractor (so self employed) and if you take a 4 week period about this time last year, multiply that out to 12 months, then i'm on around £80K. Far more than my expected years income but when working for yourself you earn figures like these (on short contracts) easily.

I would still choose to have Ruth, but interesting picking up on the language used by her in the board room. Michelle would like to earn from SAS for a few years. Ruth wants to work WITH SAS. She is pitching herself to a level I don't think SAS is employing for. She was saying things like she wants to improve effeciency within all of Amstrad and to increase overall products. Michelle is going for an apprentership, Ruth is aiming for a Partnership.

But thats my say. Next week, flogging more stuff and the two finalists have all the drop outs with them. One more week of idle specualtion whilst I should be doing something better, than what am I going to do on a wednesday evening?
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very well put sir !!


:D
 
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