| What can we learn about careers from watching | | | | But lots of bright business whiz kids don't want to |
| Donald Trump and The | | | | take three months offfrom their lives and their |
| Apprentice? | | | | businesses. Riding around in Trumplimousines can be |
| 1. Recognize that job tests don't always correspond | | | | fun, but they'd rather start working to buy their |
| to job realities. | | | | ownfleet, thank you very much! |
| Hundreds of companies screen candidates through | | | | Who wants to sleep three feet away from the |
| psychological tests,stress interviews, group | | | | competition in a crowdedloft, while cameras show |
| interviews, role-playing and a whole lot more. | | | | you sleeping, eating and brushing your teeth? |
| Do these tests make sense? | | | | Not everyone can handle this type of living |
| * Martin Seligman found that optimism often | | | | arrangement and theresulting pressure. |
| outweighed raw salestalent when he tested | | | | What's amazing is not that these candidates seem |
| Metropolitan Life sales representatives. | | | | rather weak, but thatcandidates of this caliber |
| * Lawyers tell me that law school tests have little | | | | showed up at all. |
| relation to what theydo on a day-to-day basis, | | | | 4. Keep your cool, no matter what. |
| especially if they're litigating or negotiating. | | | | Trump -- and most of life -- rewards people who can |
| * And most of us would agree: The way we act | | | | promotethemselves professionally. Emotions and |
| during an interview orrole play doesn't predict how | | | | cat-fighting don't cut it, here oranywhere. In my |
| we'll survive and thrive on a day-to-daybasis. | | | | opinion, Ivana's conduct in the boardroom was |
| So we can't fault Donald Trump for creating | | | | worsethan her street scandal. Instead of promoting |
| elaborate scenarios thatforce candidates into roles | | | | her own qualities, sheturned on fellow contestant |
| they'll never need once they're safely insidereal | | | | Jennifer -- who wasn't even present. |
| boardrooms. | | | | They could all take a lesson from Season 1's Bill |
| 2. Prepare to confront sexism in the 21st century. | | | | Rancic, who neverraised his voice and yet managed |
| Critics -- and Caroline --may raise their eyebrows | | | | to put forth his own case, powerfullyand calmly. |
| when women use sexto sell. Season 1 brought overt | | | | 5. Expect some smoke and mirrors. |
| flirting and short short skirts. Season 2brought Ivana | | | | Sure, reality television isn't very realistic. Each episode |
| Ma, who will unfortunately be remembered | | | | ends with a cabride -- to a Manhattan hotel, where |
| fordownloading her skirt to reveal some flowered | | | | contestants hole up till the tapingends and the |
| bikini something or other. | | | | "losers" no longer have to hide their identity. |
| But let's face it, folks. Who chose these contestants? | | | | (Hopefullythey get single rooms!) Some Boardroom |
| Twenty-something women wear tank tops and short | | | | episodes reportedly havetaped voice-overs of Donald |
| skirts -- no big deal,they would say. They mostly | | | | Trump. |
| have long straight hair and they're above-average | | | | Real companies don't send executives out to the |
| attractive. Trump regularly brings up gender issues -- | | | | street to hawk candybars or lemonade. Their |
| evendividing teams along male vs. female lines -- and | | | | executives get more than a few days to |
| obviously has an eyefor the ladies. He's another | | | | createadvertising campaigns. |
| generation. | | | | But real companies operate with smoke and mirrors, |
| But even the young men on the show aren't immune. | | | | too. They place adsfor positions when they have a a |
| Discussing themagnificently blond Jennifer, one young | | | | pretty good idea who they'll be hiring. |
| man summarizes: she's alawyer, she's smart -- and | | | | They have agendas: sometimes people are set up to |
| she's beautiful. | | | | lose. And theyparticipate in staged dramatic scenes. |
| Season 1 introduced a couple of men who weren't | | | | A Fortune 50 VP (now retired) once told me about a |
| GQ material. Onewas sort of a teddy bear, the other | | | | tough labornegotiation. "The union leader and I agreed |
| a cold fish who tried toovercompensate during the | | | | on our position in theafternoon. We announced we'd |
| task. When will we see a blunt-speaking,slightly | | | | be negotiating all night. I slept in myoffice; he slept in |
| overweight woman with glasses? | | | | the conference room. The next morning, we |
| 3. Choose environments where you'll shine and stay | | | | emerged,claiming a hard-won compromise." |
| away fromsituations that bring out your worst side. | | | | Not so different from reality television, is it? |
| It's easy to criticize the Apprentice candidates. After | | | | I offer one-to-one consultations on career and |
| all, they're supposedto be the best and the brightest. | | | | business strategy. |