The Art of the Interview
The interview is important, but you must get there first. In each season, the top candidates had to prove themselves to reach the point where they were interviewed by those Trump trusted. Most people do not work at landing the interview as industriously as they should. If you do not have a job, or are looking for a better one, job hunting itself is a full time occupation. Perusing the want ads in the morning and asking a friend or two if they know of something is not enough. You must commit to an organized, logical job hunt. The more you put into it, the better your chances of landing a position you desire. The more interviews you request, the more you will get. The more interviews you go to, the more chances you have of getting an offer. The more offers you receive, the better your chance at getting the position you want. You must be persistent and get out there and find those interviews. Do not stop until you have the job you want.
Should you look for another job while you are employed by someone else? Is it ethical? Remember, you and your employer have equal privileges. Your boss could be dissatisfied with your performance and looking for your replacement without your knowing it. You have the same right to seek out other jobs. It is not unethical. You should not be doing it on the clock, and if your boss has reason to be looking for someone to replace you, you may want to address those issues or you may find yourself in a similar situation down the road at your next position. While it is not unethical to look for employment elsewhere, you may get fired if your boss finds out you are job hunting. That’s reality, and you need to decide if you want to take that chance. On the other hand, you may get a raise if you promise to stay, or you may be offered a better position if the reason you were looking elsewhere was for advancement and to better yourself. There are no easy answers. It is up to you to look for and attain the job that makes you happy and provides what you need both financially and with job satisfaction.
Do not depend on your resume to get you a job. At most, they get you in the door. Other times you leave them behind after the interview to remind the prospective employer of you. The problem with resumes is that anyone can look good on paper. They do not really tell much about a person. Sure, in many instances you will be required to provide one before being looked at for a position. So make sure you present the best resume possible. It should be typed, specific, and tailored to the position. Make sure the information is relevant. If it is not relevant, leave it off. However, the real test is how you present yourself at the interview. How do you look, how do you dress, what do you say, how do you answer questions? The opportunity to sell yourself in person, the interview, is what will result in an offer.
One of the most important ingredients to interviewing is often neglected. You must be properly prepared. Too many people go into interviews without doing their homework first. If you really want a job, you must research the position, the company you are interviewing with, and everything else you can find out about cutting trends in the industry, ways you can make a difference, and about the people with whom you will work. The more you prepare, the more you know, the better you will do during the interview and the better your chances of landing the job. You cannot prepare too much.
Once you have done your research, you must prepare to make a favorable impression. The first ingredient is your appearance. You must be neat and clean. Dress should be appropriate for the position you are interviewing for. You should project an image of someone who cares about your personal appearance, and someone who thinks enough about the position and the person interviewing to take time to prepare. People want to hire employees who have the drive and ambition to succeed. It is your job to illustrate those characteristics. It should go without saying that you should arrive on time. Punctuality can be critical. Shake hands firmly, and be sure your hands are dry. A weak, clammy handshake will get you nowhere. Look your interviewer in the eye while talking. Be honest. Smile. Do not make things up or answer untruthfully. Do not talk bad about former employers. Your interviewer may start wondering if he or she will be getting that same treatment next. Be optimistic and project energy. Be observant and project an image with staying power. When you say goodbye, again smile and look the person in the eyes while shaking hands firmly. Part optimistically, “It sounds like a great opportunity, I look forward to hearing from you.” And finally, be thoughtful after the interview. Write a thank-you note regardless of whether or not you believed the interview was successful. Besides thanking the interviewer, this thank you letter is another opportunity to reiterate your primary assets and accomplishments, and convincingly describe how you can benefit the employer.
Now let us look at the interviews conducted during the first three seasons of The Apprentice. By reviewing the interviews and comments made regarding the candidates, some important considerations will stand out that will help you prepare for your next interview. It may also assist you when you are interviewing people to hire for your organization.
Bill, Kwame, Nick, and Amy made it to the final four, and at this point, Trump brought in four trusted advisors from the Trump Organization to assist him with his decisions. The executives were Norma Foerderer, V.P. of Media Relations and Human Resources; Alan Wiselberg, Executive V.P. and Chief Financial Officer; Charlie Reese, Executive V.P. Development/Special Projects (acquisitions); and Tom Downing, General Manager of Trump International Hotel and Tower.
The four remaining candidates spent the entire day interviewing with Trump’s high level employees and trusted advisors. They were drilled with questions on all levels, including being asked to describe Trump’s organization, how they would fit within Trump’s businesses, their energy levels and education. At the end of the day, the four executives met with Trump, George and Carolyn to report their findings.
Norma started by saying she was most impressed with Bill. She believed he was “solid” and liked what he said and the way he did things. Charlie thought Bill was the kind of guy he could relate to immediately and that he was someone who could hit the ground running and would require very little supervision and time.
Trump asked Alan about Kwame, and Alan replied that Kwame indicated that energy is not always outward. Trump responded by saying, “He may be right.” Tom said that Kwame had a likeability about him, and that was important.
When the discussion turned to Nick and Amy, comments were not as positive. Charlie liked Nick, but did not think he was as sharp, and said he clearly did not present himself as an intellect. Alan believed Nick was a great person to sell a product, but he had nothing behind that. Tom said that he could not see Nick heading one of Mr. Trump’s companies. Tom thought Nick was a little too slick for his own good, and did not walk away feeling he knew him.
Norma thought Amy would get on her nerves after a while, and believed she would just enjoy being the enthusiastic young girl with the big smile and perfect teeth. Tom reported, “Honestly Mr. Trump, she irritated the hell out of me.” Tom sensed a hunger and drive from Amy, but said he was not sure what her motivation was. Charlie was also very critical of Amy, telling Trump, “Amy kind of reminded me of a Stepford wife. Within fifteen minutes I was dead bored with talking to her. I felt her words had no content, her answers were basically meaningless.” Charlie would reject Amy because he felt she had an empty personality.
After listening to his four advisors, Trump brought in the four remaining candidates. He continued the interview process by asking a few questions of his own. However, he listened to his advisors and shortly fired Nick because all the executives and Nick’s peers thought he was a salesman, but not a leader. After a few more questions to the remaining three, Trump told Amy that all of the executives thought she had little substance behind her words, and Amy was the next to be fired, leaving Bill and Kwame to face off in the finale.
In season two, Kelly, Kevin, Jennifer and Sandy made it to the final four. Donald Trump brought in four successful executives from outside the Trump Organization to interview the candidates and report their views to him before he met the four in the boardroom. The executives were Alan Jope, COO Unilever HPC; Dawn Hudson, President Pepsi-Cola North America; Alan “Ace” Greenberg, Chairman Executive Committee Bear Stearns; and Robert Kraft, Owner New England Patriots.
Trump told the final four that he trusted the executives he chose to interview them and that their recommendations would be critical to his decision. With this knowledge, the four went through a grueling interview process with Trump’s chosen representatives. At one point, Alan Jope cut off Jennifer’s answer to his difficult obstacles question as being to general. He wanted something specific. All of the candidates were required to back their answers up. When it was through, the four executives met with Donald, Carolyn and George to give their opinions.
All four liked Kelly, noting his
The comments were not as positive for the other three.
Kraft noted that Kevin was not going to practice law after law school,
and that while he was building an unbelievable resume, he wondered what he would
do next.
In the boardroom, Trump agreed with the business leaders and said the one
big problem with Kevin was that no one saw where he was going in terms of
direction. They loved his education,
but did not see where he was going or when he was going to start.
Agreeing, Trump fired Kevin first. Trump
told Kelly that unless he said something very, very stupid, he was going to make
it. That left Jennifer and Sandy to
battle it out to determine who would face Kelly for the final task.
Jennifer brought up that she had researched Trump and his companies and
Trump seemed impressed when Jennifer told him how many employees he had after
For season three, Trump again brought in four top executives to help him make his decision. However, there were only three candidates to be interviewed, Craig, Kendra, and Tana. The executives Trump trusted to conduct this round of interviews consisted of David A. Brandon, Chairman & CEO of Domino’s Pizza, Inc.; Darlene Daggett, President of U.S. Commerce, QVC, Inc.; Howard M. Lorber, Chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate; and Greg Brenneman, Chairman & CEO of Burger King Corp.
The three candidates went through a grueling interview process with the four executives drilling them with questions related to their experiences, their education, their leadership style, and how they would fit into the Trump Organization. After the interviews, the four executives met with Trump in the boardroom and gave Trump their opinions of the three finalists.
All four
agreed that Craig should not be the one hired.
With the two
women, the four executives were split. Brandon
and Daggett were most impressed with Tana. After
saying Kendra was maybe a little too aggressive,
Lorber, on the other hand, was most impressed with Kendra. While he thought she was a little young and maybe immature, he felt that to build an organization, someone of that age would be someone you could work with and mold a little. He told Trump, “I think she could be a superstar.” Brenneman agreed with Lorber, and thought that Kendra was very young and very aggressive, but was by far the most intelligent, the most talented, and the candidate who gave the most concrete and best answers to his questions.
After thanking the four executives for their opinions, Trump brought Craig, Kendra and Tana into the boardroom. There really was not much to say. Trump looked at the three and primarily addressed Craig. He told them, “The executives had respect for all of you. I have to base my opinion on what they told me. Craig, the executives felt that you weren’t deep enough, at least with them. They felt your answers lacked substance. The one thing they all had in common Craig, was that you should be the one to go, and therefore, I have to say, Craig, you’re fired.” While Tana and Kendra remained seated to learn about the final task, Craig stood and started to leave. He thanked Trump, who responded, “Thank you very much. And I think you have a great future, I really do.”
If you want a great future too, it will be beneficial to learn and practice the interview process from both sides. A great little resource is the book How To Turn An Interview Into A Job by Jeffrey G. Allen. Study this little book and apply Allen’s strategies and you will be hearing the words, “You’re hired.”
Trump Time Out – You
Have To Love It
“To represent Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, somebody has to be driven, but maybe more important than anything, they have to love it. If they don’t love it, they’ll never ever be successful. Once they love it, and once I can see they enjoy what they are doing and they’ve got the talent to do it, they can’t stop.” - Donald Trump from The Apprentice, season two, episode eight.