Anactoria

In every single task, I've been an integral and dedicated member of my team. I've played to win in every task, I've worked well independently but have also done exceptionally well as a team player, and I've displayed my resourcefulness and creativity throughout. It's no coincidence that I've won four out of five tasks, and I think it's very telling that in the one task I did lose, none of my teammates had a single bad word to say about me (and they had PLENTY to say about each other).

Plus, I'm smart as hell and nice to boot.

Tyjet

I think I've made it this far quite simply because I'm one of the best candidates.

Carlisle156

In this process, you require a collective amount of skills which allow you to make both yourself & your team look good. With 4 wins and my only loss being considered incredibly close, I feel as if I have made an impression & I have all of the right acumen to have made it here.

Gav016


I think I’ve made it this far in the process through a combination of hard work and making the correct decisions. In every task I’ve worked as hard as I can to fulfil any role required of me, and made valuable contributions throughout the creative process. I think the ideas I’ve suggested have been viable, and I’ve been organized, articulate, worked well under every manager and led a team effectively as project manager.

Anactoria


Oh, I think all the other candidates could be considered definite threats, and that it would be a terrible idea to underestimate any of them. I will say, though, that I think Gav is the biggest threat - he's been consistently strong throughout, and he's a very talented writer and communicator. He's also excellent at getting along with others and working in a team, so I would be extremely surprised if he doesn't go further in this process.

Tyjet

Like I said to one of the interviewers yesterday, only a fool underestimates the competition.

Carlisle156

Of course, in the final 4 there are 4 fantastic candidates. Each excels in a different area, however I can assure you that right now, the only person I see as a threat is Anactoria and even then I feel as if I am stronger than her, even if I am not as ‘squeaky clean’.


Gav016

I prefer to focus upon myself, as opposed to the other candidates really. All three of the others are incredibly strong, and I think all of them could be perceived as threats if I allowed myself to think that way. The way I see the competition, what the other contestants have done is irrelevant, I think my track record and strengths in the competition really speak for themselves.

Anactoria

This is going to sound pretty dumb, but here goes - in Task 4, when we were searching for items, I saw the cheap Bon Iver tickets that the other team found, and I ignored them for some reason. Although choosing them wouldn't have won us the task or changed anything, it would have brought us REALLY close, so it annoys me so much that I didn't think to do that.

Tyjet

I'd go back to task 3 and try harder in getting our PM to focus the diary more on our target audience.

Carlisle156

I would obviously go back to task three & change so that although the brief did say that anywhere that we wanted would take us, stick to a more niche promotional strategy rather than a frantic, all-round one. That, in my opinion, is the only moment throughout every task that I have made a mistake.

Gav016

If I could change any decision I’ve made it would be not giving in to the idea of targeting a family market on the Pub task. I realised pretty early on that the target market was wrong, researched to back it up, but never really had the confidence in my own idea to challenge more – I think the target market was really the downfall of the task for our team.

Anactoria

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to go through this task by task.

Task 1 - I was the one who came up with the idea of a celebrity RPG, demonstrating my creative thinking skills.
Task 2 - I did much of the initial Cardiff-related research, and we ended up using large amounts of the info I found in the final brochure, which demonstrates my ability to research and to pick out useful information.
Task 3 - I PMed during this task, and although my team faced great difficulties, I remained highly organised and calm under pressure.
Task 4 - I found a total of 8/10 items at the cheapest price, and almost singlehandedly brought my team close to winning, demonstrating my resourcefulness and general savviness.
Task 5 - I used all of these skills together to develop, with Carlisle, a concept for a stylish, cosmopolitan pub that proved very popular with the voting public.
Throughout the game, I have also demonstrated my writing ability in each task (aside from Task 4), by writing large sections of the pitches.

Whilst I don't want to suggest that the other candidates don't also have these skills, I think that I'm perhaps the only one who combines all of them, and who has used them to this extent during the game.

Tyjet

Well, I would probably say the losses. All that time in the boardroom has allowed everyone to see what I'm made of. The other candidates haven't had as much opportunity there as I have.

Carlisle156

I have done countless things. Been creative, been supportive, been a brilliant PM on two occasions. However, the one thing that I have done which nobody else has? I mastered a type of software within two hours of the deadline for last minute changes and editing. Not many people are able to do that, whether it’s down to a lack of understanding or they just do not have the positive outlook on it. When the pressure is turned on, I make sure I am not left out in the cold or burned.


Gav016

I think I’ve worked incredibly hard, stayed out of arguments and drama and made the right decisions. I think I’ve somehow picked up a bit of a reputation for being a bit robotic, I don’t think that’s true or even necessarily a bad thing – I just get on with the job and been good at what I do.

Anactoria

I think I've learned to put across my viewpoint more confidently and effectively. In the very first task, although I came up with the celebrity RPG idea, I wasn't the one who pushed it, and if Carlisle hadn't stepped up to do that, we might have gone with something completely different. In later tasks, however, I've been much more assertive about giving my input. For example, in Task 4, I disagreed openly with my PM about his task-losing strategy of giving up early, and in Task 5, I confidently put forward many ideas that helped in developing the concept for our pub.

Tyjet

Probably marketing. I've learned a lot to do with that during this process.

Carlisle156

Teamwork. Before entering the process I was quite the individualist. I would stick to myself because I feel as if the best work that I do was by myself. In task 1 I feel as if I did really blossom under the pressure or working in a small group of people that were actually brand new. I developed important peoples skills and the entire process, for me, has been somewhat of a learning curb.

Gav016

I think I’ve been quite strong the whole way through the competition, but I’ve really improved in trusting my own instincts and learning to speak up a little bit, because I think my ideas have been generally right. The biggest area I’ve improved in is learning how to think outside the box a little bit, and that my idea have become more creative as the competition has progressed.

Anactoria

I would be frank and upfront about it, rather than attempting to skirt the issue - I would arrange for an in-person meeting, and tell them honestly that I missed the deadline. I wouldn't offer untrue/exaggerated excuses, but I would apologise extensively. I would also, if it were possible, try to rectify the situation by whatever means I could - this might mean offering the client a big discount, or it might mean including additional services for no extra fee.

Tyjet

I'd be very apologetic. There's not else you can really do, is there? If you're late, you're late. Best thing to do is say sorry.

Carlisle156

The most important word in that question is ‘If’. I can ensure you that I would not miss any important deadlines in the business world. I would work all day and night if it meant I had to complete something before a deadline, and believe me I have done it in the past. However – if I did miss an important deadline, I would calmly & professionally inform the client of the bigger picture which, in my mind, would allow them to listen more & I would be able to go on the charm offensive and make a promise that it was a one off and the client can see the work as soon as possible.

Gav016

I would be totally honest with the client, because I think honesty really is the best policy. I believe in admitting what my mistakes are, and trying to find a solution to the problem that would suit the client, as well making sure I’m apologetic for the mistakes I’d made.

Anactoria

I think it would be disingenuous to suggest that I hadn't made any mistakes during this process, but overall, I think my consistency is one of my strongest points. I've been proactive and focused throughout the game, but more than that, I've consistently produced excellent results, whether or not I expected to win the task in question. That said - yes, I've made mistakes. I underestimated the other team in Task 4, for example, since I fully expected them to lose before the results. I've also perhaps failed to put myself forward to work on graphics-based challenges; whilst I don't know whether I would have been any good, I could definitely have tried.

Tyjet

I can quite confidently say that I've been quite consistent throughout.

Carlisle156

Nothing in life is entirely perfect, there is always a ‘what if’ or a mistake that has been made, however I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I have been consistently fantastic throughout the entirety of the process. I have never had a blip or an off-week and I feel that is supported by my reliability. I have never not turned up, I have always been on the forefront of the team and do everything in my power to give us the biggest advantage possible.

Gav016

I don’t think I’ve necessarily had any failures, but I don’t think the Pub task was my strongest moment. I’ve consistently worked hard and I think everyone in the process would agree that I’ve consistently came up with good ideas and managed to express them well.

Anactoria

I don't know whether you mean in 'real life' business or not, sorry. If I'm being frank - well, I don't have that much experience in real life business. (I interned for a summer once; does that count?) Instead, I'm going to talk about DS again (I hope you don't mind!) - along with Tyjet, I've been very successful at organising and hosting X-Factor games, which take a surprising amount of skill and dedication to get right. I'm a very popular host, as is Tyjet, and I've become well-respected on the XF forum on account of this.


Tyjet

Well, my dad runs his own business which he wants me to take over when he retires. I don't have any big acheivements in business as of yet, though. Unless you count making up christmas decorations and selling them at school.

Carlisle156

As a 17 year old, I don’t have that much experience, however I do feel as if simple re-investment of packs of Pepsi cans was quite an important venture for me. I made a substantial profit just from buying & selling cans of pepsi.

Gav016

I haven’t had too much direct experience in business, but I think I’ve been successful at everything I’ve turned my hand to. Most of my experience is in retail, where I think I’ve made myself a valuable part of every team, and sales wise I’ve been solid. I’ve managed to sell things to people that didn’t necessarily set out to buy them, and so I think on that front I’ve had a lot of success.

Anactoria

This is going to sound very clichéd, but I strongly believe that being nice counts for a lot in real business settings (though it may not on The Apprentice), and that a measured, analytical outlook - rather than an arrogant/confrontational one - is the smartest way to approach obstacles. I also believe that this has been demonstrated previously in the DS Apprentice - the candidates who engaged in childish infighting and overconfidence have been fired, and those of us who remain tend to get along and consider problems rationally.

Tyjet

I'm determined, capable and willing to learn from mistakes, and I think that's all you really need.

Carlisle156

I am a firm believer that being sociable is one of the most important aspects of business and that is where I come in. If you have a good relationship with your employer, client and fellow employee’s, you are more likely to feel happy in the workplace. In a country where there is a higher level of redundancy as well as more ‘sick days’, it’s vital that, to survive the recession you work, work and work even more to bring in all the money you possibly can. If a person feels more confident in the workplace, they automatically feel as if a weight has been lifted and some of the pressure, which still remains there, is extinguished. To be able to utilise the individual skills of every single member of a team, you have to work both socially as a team and independently.

Gav016

I think my strategy in business is to be honest, pleasant and competent. I think everyone that comes across me is left with a good impression, and would happily come back and do business with me again in the future. I think being someone people want to see again really is the best way to succeed in business, as well as being competent and good at your job.