The Apprentice Interviewers reveal how they prepare to put the candidates through their paces

As series 17 of The Apprentice heads towards the finish line, the remaining candidates face the scrutiny of Lord Sugar's most trusted advisors, in the fan favourite 'Interviews Episode'. The team of business experts are primed and ready to pick apart business proposals and dig deep to find out who's really got what it takes to become Lord Sugar's next business partner. Only two candidates can proceed to the final and secure the life-changing £250,000 investment in their business.

Over the years, Lord Sugar has invested close to a staggering £3million into winning pitches, and this year's ambitious entrepreneurs will be doing their utmost to prove they mean business as they fight it out for the life-changing investment opportunity.

Lord Sugar's team of gruelling interviewers include Claude Littner, the notoriously tricky questioner and Lord Sugar's longest serving business colleague returns just in time to put the candidates to the test. Joining Claude is businesswoman, Vice Chairman of West Ham United and Peer in the House of Lords, Baroness Karren Brady who will sit in the interviewer seat for the first time in over ten series, co-founder of Shortlist Media, Mike Soutar, and one of the first women to head a fashion company flotation on the London Stock Market and a panellist for organisations including top female entrepreneurs for HSBC's Panel of Forward Ladies, the formidable Linda Plant.

We sat down with the team of interviewers ahead of this episode to uncover how they prepare, what they consider a successful interview and what constitutes as a failure. They share insider advice for anyone looking to start a business, as well as their most memorable moments from this episode throughout The Apprentice history.

The Interviews Episode will air on Thursday 16 March on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

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Karren Brady

What do you expect from the candidates on this day? What are you looking for?

I am looking for a very strong candidate who has done their due diligence and who turns up on the day with a watertight business plan. Someone I can feel incredibly confident in putting to Lord Sugar as a potential investment opportunity. I am not looking for someone to spout nonsensical ambitions for the future of their business without the figures and evidence to back this up. That is a waste of everybody's time.

Do you look forward to this episode the same way the audience does?

Yes, absolutely. This is definitely the episode the viewers look forward to the most and for us it's the time when we really get to test the candidates and see how rises to the challenge and who sinks.

How did you prepare for these interviews?

I work my way through all of their business plans, making note of anything that doesn't quite add up, which I will make sure to question them on during their interview. They need to be able to provide the data to back up the claims they tend to make and the projections for their business's future as written in their plans. I have spent time with the candidates over the course of the series, so it's always interesting to see how they fare in this intense situation away from their fellow contestants, now they are on their own without a team to back them up.

Do you see yourself as a hard/ tough interviewer?

We are looking to find Lord Sugar's next business partner, an investable candidate who will impress him and be worthy of this investment, so yes, maybe I could be considered as a tough interviewer, but the ideal candidate needs to be able to handle this kind of situation and line of questioning or they won't be able to handle the difficulties faced when running a successful business.

What constitutes as a 'successful' interview for you?

A successful interviewee is someone who is confident in themselves as a business leader and in their proposed business strategy. Flowing conversation and strong answers that highlight they have prepared for the interview and that they have clear objectives for their business as well as the steps to achieve these.

However, sometimes a 'successful' interview can also be one where their business plan has holes and needs to be reworked but they carry themselves with confidence and you believe in their competence to eventually but successfully achieve their goals. Leadership needs vision, and a strong and usually successful leader in business is someone who has the conviction to persuade people to believe in their vision.

What constitutes as a failure of an interview?

Someone who is clearly not prepared and as a result is not equipped to answer tough questions on their business plans or how they intend to achieve anything they have put down on paper. I also don't appreciate when it's clear someone has not done their research on the interviewer or the company they're being interviewed for. With regards to this specific situation, for me it's as simple as an obvious lack of preparation equals a failure.

Claude Littner

Do you look forward to the interviews as much as the fans do?

It's not a matter of looking forward to it because honestly, my objective is only one thing and that is to find a candidate for Lord Sugar who is investable. So that's what I'm looking for, all the other theatricals are not interesting to me. Is it credible? Is this somebody that Lord Sugar can get on with? That's what it's all about.

What makes a successful interview? What makes a failure of one?

Success is when you meet somebody who inspires you, you look at them and you think 'Wow! That's a really good candidate and there's a good business plan, this is going to be great!' That is success. Failure is when the business plan just doesn't come up to scratch and they're not investable, that is a shame. The idea is that it's a partnership with Lord Sugar and so they have to commit to sharing 50/50 with him.

How do you prepare for the interviews?

I prepare for everything in life to the best of my ability, so I go overboard in preparing for the interviews and I've always done that. I spend hours and hours meticulously looking through all of the business plans. Not trying to find flaws but trying to find some good things where Lord Sugar will be pleased to have chosen this individual because they are investable. There are questions that I particularly want to challenge them on because if something doesn't make sense such as the numbers not adding up, well then, they don't have a clue what they're doing. I do prepare to try and find a candidate worthy of investment.

Do you see yourself as a tough interviewer?

As a human being, as an individual, I'm a very decent person. I've always thought of myself as that. Also, when I'm in my seventies and I'm interviewing people in their late twenties. I try and modify my behaviour increasingly, not to be a tough interviewer, but this is not an easy ride for them. They've got to the final stages, by hook or by crook and this is the last straw, this is where I've really got to find out where the money's going to go and where Lord Sugar is going to make an investment. If I'm tough, it's only because I really need to find the person who is best suited to work with Lord Sugar

There are two things; they've got to have a business plan that is plausible, investable and scalable and the other thing is they've got to get on with Lord Sugar. As much as I get on with him, he doesn't go out of his way to annoy people, but he's very demanding and so very often I've seen candidates who may have a business plan that is okay, but their personality would definitely clash with Lord Sugar and so it's best to avoid that.

Have you ever been startled during an interview on The Apprentice?

There's only been one candidate who surprised me, Michaela Wain. We were having a decent enough interview on The Apprentice and I was testing her on something, then she turned around to me and said "Well Claude, there must be something that you're not good at?" I was momentarily taken aback by that and have laughed with her since then because she's the only one that actually had the temerity to challenge me about something…she's quite right, I don't know everything! Of course, you can't be good at everything. But most people, certainly in the interview process on The Apprentice, they are so scared and keen to win that they don't dare rock the boat. That was the only one, she was very bright; she had a construction business and in fact she got married to one of the candidates. Michaela had something about her. She didn't win! But she's certainly someone who I remember.

A lot of the candidates do stick in my mind. For example, Ricky Martin the recruiter, his business plan was not very good, but he was very impressive as an individual, I could see something in him. I thought he would really get on with Lord Sugar because he had charisma and even though his business plan wasn't good, I thought his business would be successful and he was hired. He's gone on to do really well with Lord Sugar

Then there was Tom Pellereau, the inventor. This is quite a long time ago. He wasn't impressive and his business plan was absolutely pathetic. It was all about an office chair that you could move around. It was beyond stupid! I was going to dismiss him and then in sort of desperation, I remember saying to him; "This is an absolutely absurd idea, this is never going to fly. Have you got anything else you can propose? I can't put this forward to Lord Sugar because it's rubbish!" and he said, "Oh I've got this nail file, it's a special nail file…I've invented it, it's a bit different." The more he described it, the more I thought that it could be a very good business and Tom went on to win. He made a lot of money and is still one of the most successful Apprentices. A lot of things do come out of the interview; some good, some not so good.

What is the best advice you would give someone for an interview?

You've got to show some ability to match what the employer is asking for, so be prepared. Whoever the interviewer is, they do not want a monosyllabic answer, so if you're going to answer a question that's been put to you, give a full answer. Don't lie, don't fake it. You've got to try and make it a two-way process, if you're honest and they're honest, they want you and it's for the right reason and you want them because you've done the research, you've tested them out and it's a company you want to get involved with. That's the message for anybody that is looking for a job; prepare. Also, take the lead from the interviewer. If the interviewer is very friendly and laidback…I'm not saying put your feet up on the desk and smoke a cigar! But you've got to try and be friendly as well.

If the interview has gone well and you like the company, you're hoping that they like you as well and will want to make you an offer; before you leave the interview, you turn around and say to the interviewer how much you've enjoyed the interview, thank them very much indeed and remind them that you really want the job. That leaves a lasting impression. It's a bit of a trick, but they know that if they do offer you a job, then you're going to take it. The lasting impression is that they did a good job interviewing you and you've recognised that.

How do you feel knowing that the candidates are probably the most nervous about being interviewed by you?

I don't really want to make them nervous, but on the other hand I don't really want to make it easy for them either. It is what it is. I know they're frightened, it is scary, you're in a big room and it's quite daunting. You know you're going to be quizzed, you know that if you don't get the answer right, you may look foolish. Irrespective of who is interviewing, it's still going to be challenging; they come in, they're nervous. There was one girl, Camila Ainsworth, a few years ago, lovely candidate who was very nice, she was doing these non-milk products. She came in and was obviously very nervous, she walked in and said "Yoo-hoo!" Obviously, I took the chance to say "Excuse me but…yoo-hoo? No." She was a lovely candidate and I really liked her, but I couldn't say "I really like you!" I want to make it uncomfortable for them, but only because I want to get the best out of them in terms of whether they've got an investable business plan.

Do you think people's perception of you changes when they meet you in person?

If I'm doing the show, inevitably there's no smiling, I don't talk to the candidates, I ignore them. They all want to befriend me. They say "Oh your hair so nice today Claude…" or something ridiculous like that! I completely blank them. They say good morning, I blank them. I put them on edge, but somehow or other after a while, they know that's not me. When they come to the interview like Camilla saying 'Yoo-hoo', she felt comfortable enough to say that and that was a mistake, so I had her for it. For weeks and weeks, when you're with them all the time, they do see what you're really like at some point. When I meet people in the street, people are very nice. There's no way that they're frightened of me, they come over and they're always surprised that I'm always happy to take a selfie or put my arm around them. I'm always friendly because that's me. But, I've got to be a bit tougher.

Mike Soutar

Do you look forward to this episode the same way the audience does?

Before I became an interviewer, this was always the episode I looked forward to most as a viewer. Of all the tasks, this is probably the toughest for all the candidates and it really sorts out those that can handle the pressure.

It makes great viewing because it's the first time in the entire process that candidates are on their own. They have nobody else to blame for mistakes. It's just them and the interviewer.

Can you remember a moment or a person that specifically impressed you during the interview stage?

By the time candidates get to this stage they are the best of the best. You don't get this far in the process without being a bit special. I've been impressed with most of them.

Probably the one candidate who stands out more than anyone was Ricky Martin back in series 8. He had an answer for everything - and a good answer too - I couldn't lay a glove on him! He has gone on to run probably the most successful of all the businesses Lord Sugar has invested into, to date, and I'm not surprised.

Have you ever been stumped or proven wrong in your interviews and if so, do you quite like for interviewees to do so?

I love it when candidates argue back. It's normally the start of a really entertaining interview when they do that. I remember Elizabeth McKenna from 2017 just would not accept that she was argumentative with customers in her florist shop. And then I read her the reviews that proved she was.

You have gone to some entertaining lengths to prove a point in these interviews previously. What has been your personal favourite method you've undertaken to highlight a point to a contestant?

A few years ago, Michaela Wain was a brilliant candidate, and she brought her business plan for a construction data company to the interview. My worry was that she already had so many businesses registered that she wouldn't have time to run this one. She denied it, so I thought I would prove my theory by putting the documents for each of them inside document boxes and stacking them up, one for each business she had registered at Companies House. By the time it got to a stack of ten boxes Michaela finally conceded the point.

Do you see yourself as a hard/ tough interviewer?

I don't think I'm particularly hard as a person, but I do ask tough questions and I am relentless in seeking the answers. My job is to make sure that Lord Sugar invests his money in the right person and the right idea, so I want to weed out those business plans that don't stand up to scrutiny.

What do you view as your toughest question?

It's normally when a candidate tells me something which I know to be inaccurate, and I have the physical proof that they are wrong. They'll tell me their product is unique and I have three of them already in my desk drawer. So often my toughest question is a simple one: "Can you explain what these are then?" as I lay them out on the desk in front of them.

Have you been on the other side of an interview grilling like this? Can you tell us about your 'toughest' interview experience?

I think the interviews we do on The Apprentice are more like the meetings an entrepreneur has with a potential investor, or a venture capital company. You have an idea, they have funding, and they will only invest in one in 500 businesses they look at. Those meetings are very hard and very tense and if your plan and your presentation aren't bulletproof, they will chew you up and spit you out. I've been there. You usually learn the hard way.

How did you prepare for these interviews?

I get the business plans and CVs of the final candidates about a week before the interviews. Before I moved into business, I was a journalist, so there's a part of me that really enjoys the research process.

I like to start by researching the business sector they are launching into. It's not easy to write a good business plan, so I think it's important for me to respect that and spend time getting a feel for the type of business they want to launch or expand with Lord Sugar's investment. I'll often call up people I know who work in those industries to ask them for insights into things like profit margins and costs.

I've been an interviewer now on The Apprentice for 11 years, so of course I've had to learn about a really diverse range of businesses. Hairdressing, confectionary, gym chains, head-hunting, plumbing...all sorts.

Then I like to get under the skin of the financials they are pitching for investment of Lord Sugar's £250k. Have they considered all of the risks? Is it too optimistic? Do their figures add up?

Sometimes it's obvious in the interview that the candidates themselves haven't really fully worked up their own business plan. Perhaps they don't believe they're ever going to get this far in the process, so they don't spend the time really honing the plan. Then all of a sudden they're sitting in front of me and I'm asking them questions they don't know the answers to.

Finally, I like to research the candidates themselves. It's the fun bit. In the digital age, everyone leaves a big footprint - what they post on social, what they've registered at Companies House, mistakes they've made, and things they've "conveniently" neglected to mention. It all builds a picture of the candidate and gives me plenty of interesting lines of enquiry.

Have you ever crumbled or felt the heat during a high pressurised situation?

Yes absolutely. You wouldn't be human if you didn't feel the drama of a situation. I cried when I saw my wife to be walk down the aisle on our wedding day, almost 30 years ago now. So yes, I can tell you all about what it feels like to crumble!

What do you expect from the candidates on this day? What are you looking for?

I want an honest and realistic business plan from someone who is confident enough to prove that they can deliver it, and who can show that they are resilient in the face of challenging questions.

What constitutes as a failure of an interview?

In 55 interviews for the Apprentice, I've only ever had one candidate cry. Not because I was particularly nasty, but just because she was overwhelmed by the situation, and it had suddenly become obvious to her during our interview that her business was not stacking up. I really do like candidates to get their case across but at that point she was just too distressed to do that.

What makes candidates stand out?

The ones that stand out do so because they look and sound investible. The truth is that investors back people first and ideas second. Ideas always pivot and change, but people never change that much. As a business partner Lord Sugar knows he can add value to a business, but unless someone has that drive and potential as a person, they won't get the funding.

What's your number one piece of advice for anyone setting up a new business?

Ask advice and tell people you know about your idea. Not just people who'll agree with you, like your family, but sceptical people who'll pick holes in it. Speak to potential customers and find out what products or services they use that are similar to yours: honestly ask yourself if what you are offering is genuinely unique. If your plan stands up to scrutiny, then it might - might - have a chance of success.

What are some of your techniques for getting the best out of the interviewee?

I just like to ask short, direct questions and then leave silence for them to fill either with a brilliant or - sometimes - a slightly ridiculous answer.

Linda Plant

Do you see yourself as a tough interviewer?

I see myself as firm, but fair. It's never personal, but if they give me a business plan that is wreckable…I'll wreck it! Obviously, nobody comes up with a perfect plan right away and you can see the ones that have potential, and you can see the ones that just don't know what they're talking about or their perception of growth within a business is just not relative to success. They pick figures out of the air and I go "Well, how are you going to do this...you're not going to do this, are you?"

It's never personal against them, obviously. But the interviews are real and there is one take. I am a tough interviewer, but when Lord Sugar proposed me for the show, he said to me 'I want somebody who's going to dig deep and expose weaknesses.' I think and hope that's what I deliver for him. I guess I do come across very tough on the show and maybe a little bit scary. It amazes me just how far that show reaches. Very rarely do I go to an airport or somewhere like that and not get 'Oh Linda, we really like you!' or 'You don't seem as scary as you are on the show!'

Do you look forward to the interviews as much as the fans do?

I really look forward to it. When you get to the final five, all of the candidates are pretty strong because they've all completed some gruelling tasks throughout the run of the show. I really know nothing about the candidates other than an overview I get from their CVs and business plans. It's all quite fresh, quite new and having not seen how they perform, it's a good way to interview them because I have no pre-conceived ideas going in, other than what I see on paper. I see their application and I see their CV. I mainly concentrate on the business plans.

How do you prepare for the interviews?

I get the candidates' pack a week before my recording, and I look at the business plans. Some business plans are easy for me because I've got history and I understand them, some plans I have to research because I have to interview in depth on the business and you can't interview or find potential problems with a business unless you understand it. It's a tough week for me, in fact I have to stop everything else.

What are some of the toughest questions you would ask a candidate?

I always like to ask the candidates: "Have you got a USP?" You can't be a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none, in anything. Realistic goals are very important and that is where a lot of them fall down. They might have a business that is making £20k-£30k, but of course with Lord Sugar's investment, that is going to jump to £1m. One of the toughest questions I ask is: "Tell me, how are you going to do it?" Of course, if it's a business that I'm familiar with then I just know how to do it. I will ask "how are you going to get there? How are you going to do it?" I persevere with my questions and then quite a few times they just collapse.

What do you expect from the candidates during their interviews?

First of all, you've got to come in with a complete business plan. Sometimes they come without figures! How are you going to get an investment without figures? If there are faults, I'm looking to see how they cope with that and how they answer me. Most of the winners have a successful starting business, something to build on. They've achieved some level of success, it's not just a pie in the sky idea where they haven't really thought it through. You've got to think it through. That's the problem with a lot of candidates, they haven't thought it through.

What makes a successful interview? What makes a failure of one?

Successful is someone with confidence, someone who has researched the business and comes with fully comprehensive research. Obviously, if they've got a basis of a little bit of success, that's always a very good platform. I look for realistic goals, I look for businesses that would be good for Lord Sugar. They can be very varied, there's no particular thing, but you have to feel that the business has got legs and somewhere to go and that the candidate hasn't written loads of ridiculous things like: 'I've got a small business in the North of England, but next year I'll have an office in London.'

A bad business plan isn't thought through. It's alright saying you can make a milk in your kitchen and that next year it's going to be on the shelves of the big supermarkets, but there are no steps of how it's going to get there or an understanding of the packaging, etc. You've got to have a really good understanding of your business, that's really what it's all about.

What is some key advice you'd give somebody setting up their own business?

Research, realistic goals and being confident that you can achieve what you want to do. Don't be afraid to ask for help, that's always something I say if you run into trouble. If things go down, that's a lesson for you to learn and not make the same mistake. Perseverance. Relationships. Lots of things!

What are your techniques to get the best out of a candidate during an interview?

Although it may look like it on the show, I don't look for minuses. I do look for plusses. I look for the personality, the confidence. When I'm interviewing for my own businesses, it's the same kind of thing. Research is very important. When I'm interviewing about a business plan, I want to see that they really understand and know what they've written and that they've written it with thought.

In depth understanding, research and perseverance. You want to know the person is interested in the business, prepared for it not to be a straight road because no business is. It has pitfalls and you have to cope with those pitfalls. Obviously, in the ten episodes before they get to me, the candidates have gone through quite rigorous tasks, so usually when I get the final five, they're pretty savvy. They put their business plans in at the beginning of the show, but they don't actually know who's going to be in the final five. I need to see in depth understanding, realistic goals and a good feeling that what they've got is something Lord Sugar will be able to latch onto and see their potential. I think 'potential' is the single word to look for.

Have there been any specifically memorable moments during an interviews episode?

One of the most emotional moments was when I was interviewing Sian Gabbidon from Leeds and she'd written in her overview that her professor had told her that because she was from Leeds, she'd never get anywhere. I gave her quite a tough interview and I said to her at the end of the interview "Listen, I saw what they wrote about you, and I can tell you something - I'm from Leeds and I've got somewhere in my life, so don't take any notice of that" and she burst out crying. It's probably the first time that a candidate had cried out of joy because I'd said something nice! That was a very uplifting moment that I always remember.

Have you ever been stumped in an interview? Is that something you enjoy?

Well, I prepare my questions, but I have no clue what the answers are going to be. I don't think anyone has completely stumped me because I'm probably too long in the tooth, but I like banter and response, and some have come back with answers and solutions. I remember in my first year, I interviewed this candidate who was quite tough, and he'd written quite a lot of nonsense. I just said to him "I think you're a person who writes quite a lot of nonsense and thinks he can get away with it" and he says "…I think I agree with you!" I remember asking one girl what happened to her money, and she said it had 'dwindled away.' I said, "How are you going to build a business with Lord Sugar? You're not, are you."

Is there a high-pressure situation in business where you've really felt the heat?

During the days of my fashion business, we had a scenario where the pound became so weak in a very short period of time. We'd bought millions of dollars of merchandise and a lot of it I'd pre-booked, so when this happened, I had to go to my suppliers and negotiate with them to get me through it. I also had to negotiate with the customers because I couldn't put the price up 30%, but I also needed to talk to the suppliers.

I always say this to people; relationships are very important. Not only in your normal life, but in business. I've had four different businesses and establishing relationships, knowing how to negotiate is very important throughout your life in business. I have had some challenging times; I don't know anyone who hasn't. But through building good relationships and being open and honest, not thinking you can waffle your way through, that's what I would say is a good piece of advice. That's what I've done and what I still do. I always tell young people to get help and be honest.

I've had a long journey; I've been through motherhood and menopause! When I started business, women were not at the forefront. A lot of women ask me about children and working, I tend to be able to relate to women of all ages and hopefully inspire them.

Do you think women in business used to be expected to dress a certain way? Do you think that's changing?

When I was interviewing designers for my fashion business, I actually paid very close attention to what they wore. But that was from the point of view of looking at their style. As a generalisation, I wouldn't say everyone's got to wear a suit or a black dress, but I think if you're a woman in business, you need to look smart. Perhaps if you're in a fashion business, you would be a bit more relative to your business. I don't put a heavy focus on it, but if somebody came to me looking slovenly or like they haven't bothered or been dragged through a hedge? No, I don't like that. There is some importance on how a person presents themselves, that's not just in business, that's in life. You have to present yourself in a way that is suitable. I don't think specific dress codes, I don't mind how trendy they look as long as they're well put together and look like they care about their appearance.

You said once on the show "learning as you go doesn't cut it with me" - do you expect every candidate to be able to answer every question? How much leeway do you allow them to not know the answer now, but work to find it out?

Working to find out is good, not knowing the answer doesn't matter, it's the context. We're all learning and we're always learning. But the context of 'Oh, I'm just figuring it out'…if somebody is giving you £250,000, you've got to have figured out enough to show that you can make that £250,000 work. Of course, the unexpected happens. We all learn as we go, but in the context of that, if you're vying for a quarter of a million-pound investment in your business, you've got to be able to show Lord Sugar that he's investing in something that you've got some knowledge about. You have to have a good level of knowledge to get that investment. That's why learning as you go, in an interview on The Apprentice with a business that you want £250,000 investment in, doesn't cut it for me and it doesn't cut it for Lord Sugar.

How did you and Lord Sugar meet and become confidantes?

I've known him for many years, and he's known my business path, so when he wanted a new interviewer, I came to his mind. He called me up and said he needed someone who's going to dig deep and expose weaknesses, someone who'd be good on the TV and he asked, 'do you think you could do it?' I didn't really know because I'd never done it, but I always believe if you don't buy a ticket, then you'll never win the lottery! So, I said I'd have a go, then I had an audition in which he sent me a mock CV and I sat opposite a mock candidate and interviewed them. I was a bit nervous in the beginning because I'd never been in a studio with cameras. But funnily enough, when I got into the interview, I forgot about the cameras because I was so busy interviewing the candidate and got so into it. Here I am seven years later!

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