Roxie, there's no doubt you've been a standout candidate and have often received praise in both evaluations from fellow candidates and feedback from advisors, as well as comments from viewers. However, one thing that worries me about you is the fact that you do not have the strongest record, and have in fact lost more tasks than you've won. Surely if you're such a strong candidates you should have been able to prevent these losses from happening and have had more wins?
The Digital Spy Apprentice Series 4: Interviews Boardroom
3 of 3
Shadi, an interesting comment I got from an interviewer was that you were able to acknowledge that your weaknesses exist, but not self aware enough to stop preventing yourself from making them in the future. Do you think there is any truth in this comment, or would you say that you have learnt from your mistakes in this process?
=========================================================================
I learn from my mistakes every day. I don't mean to divert from the point, but in my modest life, I have done so many mistakes. I have made professional mistakes, I have made personal mistakes, I have made some irreparably damaging mistakes, and some fixable ones as well. And I am doing some mistakes at the moment, I'm sure of it. But one thing about me is, I try my hardest not to do the same mistake ever again. I make a mistake, I grow from it, and I learn. I am a human being, after all. I am not a robot, or a computer. I am a person. I make mistakes, and I have made mistakes throughout this contest. I was too outspoken sometimes, and too stubborn some other times, and maybe too honest at times, but the mistake I did once, I did not do again. And this is why you can only name one incident where I displayed X behavior or Y behavior, because once I received the criticism, done, I learned from it. So no, regardless of what happens, in real life, or in here, the mistake I do once, when aware of it, I will go to lengths and make sure that I don't do it again. And I've never been so intent on that more than this past year as well as this year because I made the biggest mistake of my life, and it scarred me, but I learned from it, and when I recover from it, nevermore. I am a person, but I am a smart person, and I learn. Everyday, I learn. This is no different.
=========================================================================
I learn from my mistakes every day. I don't mean to divert from the point, but in my modest life, I have done so many mistakes. I have made professional mistakes, I have made personal mistakes, I have made some irreparably damaging mistakes, and some fixable ones as well. And I am doing some mistakes at the moment, I'm sure of it. But one thing about me is, I try my hardest not to do the same mistake ever again. I make a mistake, I grow from it, and I learn. I am a human being, after all. I am not a robot, or a computer. I am a person. I make mistakes, and I have made mistakes throughout this contest. I was too outspoken sometimes, and too stubborn some other times, and maybe too honest at times, but the mistake I did once, I did not do again. And this is why you can only name one incident where I displayed X behavior or Y behavior, because once I received the criticism, done, I learned from it. So no, regardless of what happens, in real life, or in here, the mistake I do once, when aware of it, I will go to lengths and make sure that I don't do it again. And I've never been so intent on that more than this past year as well as this year because I made the biggest mistake of my life, and it scarred me, but I learned from it, and when I recover from it, nevermore. I am a person, but I am a smart person, and I learn. Everyday, I learn. This is no different.
Originally Posted by _NiallDEE_:
“
“
For the rest of you, I will ask you one more question before I make my next decision.
Naruto, I would say from both your interviews and the way you come across in the boardrooms that you have less confidence in yourself than the other candidates. You seem more ready to accept criticisms of yourselves whilst the other candidates seem more eager to completely prove those criticisms wrong, and I found it interesting that you were the only candidate unable to name yourself as the standout strongest candidate, ranking yourself on par with Roxie. How do you expect me to have confidence in you if you do not have confidence in yourself?
”
Naruto, I would say from both your interviews and the way you come across in the boardrooms that you have less confidence in yourself than the other candidates. You seem more ready to accept criticisms of yourselves whilst the other candidates seem more eager to completely prove those criticisms wrong, and I found it interesting that you were the only candidate unable to name yourself as the standout strongest candidate, ranking yourself on par with Roxie. How do you expect me to have confidence in you if you do not have confidence in yourself?
I do see where you are coming from, but at the end of the day, no one is perfect. So if somebody does find that I do have a minor fault, and it is true, I think the best thing is to acknowledge it and work to improve it because you won't get anywhere arguing over it.
I do have the confidence to win this, and I only ranked myself equal with Roxie on team working skills unless I am missing something. Also, I may not have 100% confidence in myself but I do believe I have enough to be the next DSA Apprentice. I have worked so hard throughout the process, given my all and it has shown. I haven't made any major mistakes and have consistently come up with ideas, worked together with my team. On all of the tasks which required a new and original idea, I had either created the idea or contributed largely to it. Sharo, The Safe, Tropicity, Four Nature. I had a large part in forming these ideas with two being entirely mine. And on all four tasks, where a new idea had to be made, my team has won so I do feel my confidence has progressed and I do feel I have done enough.
I would disagree with that in the sense that as you have said it yourself, a record is not necessarily accurate of a particular candidate's strengths. A win/loss is more of a team representation rather than about individual showings. Most of the losses have not been my fault. Five other people could not find a cheaper hotel room in Task 2. I could not have voiced disagreement with how wrong our film industry and genre were in Task 4 - both viewers and yourself agreed with me. Moreover, the actual idea that were used in Tasks 3 and 7 were the reasons we lost those tasks and neither were my own ideas. I would attribute some of the blame in Task 7 to myself because of giving the location but I did also endeavor to change it once we got market research back.
I do agree that I could have done more but I do feel in each case I tried my level best. Multiple candidates have in fact stated as much - both Shadi and George have said I go above and beyond to make sure we win. In Task 2 I did look on about 10 different sites to find a cheaper hotel room, and I did find 5 of our cheapest items. In Task 3, I was the one making the app less restrictive and more universally appealing with my genres feature and world connectivity. On the film task in Task 4 in which I was the only one who realized where we had gone wrong, and I tried to make the film fit in with the genre and industry with ideas of social realism like domestic violence and sexual abuse. In Task 7 while yes I did give evidence as to why India would be a suitable location, I did say we should change to Australia, France or New York. I do feel I have tried my best each and every task, gone above and beyond to make sure we win, and I do feel most of the time a loss has not been my fault.
I do agree that I could have done more but I do feel in each case I tried my level best. Multiple candidates have in fact stated as much - both Shadi and George have said I go above and beyond to make sure we win. In Task 2 I did look on about 10 different sites to find a cheaper hotel room, and I did find 5 of our cheapest items. In Task 3, I was the one making the app less restrictive and more universally appealing with my genres feature and world connectivity. On the film task in Task 4 in which I was the only one who realized where we had gone wrong, and I tried to make the film fit in with the genre and industry with ideas of social realism like domestic violence and sexual abuse. In Task 7 while yes I did give evidence as to why India would be a suitable location, I did say we should change to Australia, France or New York. I do feel I have tried my best each and every task, gone above and beyond to make sure we win, and I do feel most of the time a loss has not been my fault.
Originally Posted by fireemblemcraze:
“I would disagree with that in the sense that as you have said it yourself, a record is not necessarily accurate of a particular candidate's strengths. A win/loss is more of a team representation rather than about individual showings. Most of the losses have not been my fault. Five other people could not find a cheaper hotel room in Task 2. I could not voiced disagreement with how we went about Task 4 more. Moreover, the actual idea that was used were the reasons we lost Tasks 3 and 7, and they were not my own. I would attribute some of the blame in Task 7 to myself because of giving the location but I did also endeavor to change it once we got market research back.
I do agree that I could have done more but I do feel in each case I did. In Task 2 when I did look on about 10 different sites to find a cheaper hotel room, and I did find 5 of our cheapest items. In Task 3, I was the one making the app less restrictive and more universally appealing with my genres feature and world connectivity. On the film task in Task 4 in which I was the only one who realized where we had gone wrong, and I tried to make the film fit in with the genre and industry with ideas of social realism like domestic violence and sexual abuse. In Task 7 while yes I did give evidence as to why India would be a suitable location, I did say we should change to Australia, France or New York. I do feel I have tried my best each and every task, gone above and beyond to make sure we win, and I do feel most of the time a loss has not been my fault.”
“I would disagree with that in the sense that as you have said it yourself, a record is not necessarily accurate of a particular candidate's strengths. A win/loss is more of a team representation rather than about individual showings. Most of the losses have not been my fault. Five other people could not find a cheaper hotel room in Task 2. I could not voiced disagreement with how we went about Task 4 more. Moreover, the actual idea that was used were the reasons we lost Tasks 3 and 7, and they were not my own. I would attribute some of the blame in Task 7 to myself because of giving the location but I did also endeavor to change it once we got market research back.
I do agree that I could have done more but I do feel in each case I did. In Task 2 when I did look on about 10 different sites to find a cheaper hotel room, and I did find 5 of our cheapest items. In Task 3, I was the one making the app less restrictive and more universally appealing with my genres feature and world connectivity. On the film task in Task 4 in which I was the only one who realized where we had gone wrong, and I tried to make the film fit in with the genre and industry with ideas of social realism like domestic violence and sexual abuse. In Task 7 while yes I did give evidence as to why India would be a suitable location, I did say we should change to Australia, France or New York. I do feel I have tried my best each and every task, gone above and beyond to make sure we win, and I do feel most of the time a loss has not been my fault.”
I actually agree with you, I do not think your record is representative of you as a candidate. You have been a very strong candidate and you were completely able to show that in your interviews, so I will therefore say that Roxie, you have made the final two. Congratulations!
As for Naruto and Shadi, I would like to keep you for a little bit longer before deciding who joins Roxie in the final.
As for Naruto and Shadi, I would like to keep you for a little bit longer before deciding who joins Roxie in the final.
Wow! That is so incredible! Thank you so much Lord Sugar for letting me get into the final 2 and seeing the potential in me. Also thank you for your kind words regarding my performance as a candidate, I am glad that I have managed to demonstrate that I am a strong candidate. 
Good luck to Shadi and Naruto - you're both so capable and strong. It is going to be a tough decision.
Good luck to Shadi and Naruto - you're both so capable and strong. It is going to be a tough decision.
Shadi, I did have a few concerns about you as a candidate before going in the interviews but I would say that on the whole you did do a very good job and were able to dismiss most of these concerns. However, something about you that still worries me is despite you often coming up with the idea that your team goes with - these have often also been flawed and lost you the task, most notably the 'Sing Something' app in task 3 and your film idea in task 4. Do you think the actual quality of the ideas you come up matches up to the amount of ideas of yours that have been chosen by your teams?
Naruto, you have been a reliable and consistent competitor and I was hoping you would show your strengths in the interview. However, I was actually disappointed in your performance in the interviews and I don't think you proved to me why you deserve to be a finalist as much as the other candidates did. The interviewers felt the same way, with some of them even labeling you as the weakest. As the interviews are a task and to be taken into account just as much as all the other tasks, do you not think this means you should be fired?
Lord Sugar, I have a couple of questions. Why would my team go with my ideas if they didn't believe my ideas were solid enough to win us the task? Also, does the idea, alone, guarantee a victory?
During every brainstorming session, I was the first person to put his neck on the line and suggest ideas. In the third task, I had about 5-7 ideas. I suggested so many things. Roxie did too. Zak did as well. Eventually, however, my idea was voted as the best. (Personally, my favorite idea was a different one that I also suggested, but the team like SingSomething better, so we went with it). In the 4th task, it was also my script that they liked. And honestly, it was the ONLY script that was suggested. Can my fellow team mates write a script in one night? I actually had 3 scripts lined up for that task. I had about 7 lined up for the applications task. In task 1, I was the driving force behind everything marketing related. In task 5, I had about 10 artists to choose from, and I found patterns and themes for each artists' drawings. In the last task, I had about 5 ideas for themes of our parks. The fact of the matter is, no one has shown more variety in skills than I have. Whatever the task is, I was always on my toes ready to give the best I could with the ideas I had. And yes, sometimes we lost, but why did we lose? IN task 3, it was about the feasibility of the application (whether it can be used in public). The idea, itself, was a very interesting idea. And this is the thing, I lay out my ideas, and then, when chosen, I'm tasked with totally different things, such as commercials and synopsis and target audience etc etc etc, so I can't keep up with how my ideas are being integrated into the overall task. But, at face value, all of my ideas had winning qualities, yet ultimately lost because of technicalities, and that doesn't make them bad ideas. And for each tasks, I had more ideas for them to choose from. I am not a one trick pony, and I have showcased that every single time. Creativity? Check. Hard work? Check. Reliability? Check. Leadership? Check. Business expertise? Check. Variety of skills? Check. I have proved to be an all around strong player and if you look at my journey here as a whole, I have earned my spot in the finals.
During every brainstorming session, I was the first person to put his neck on the line and suggest ideas. In the third task, I had about 5-7 ideas. I suggested so many things. Roxie did too. Zak did as well. Eventually, however, my idea was voted as the best. (Personally, my favorite idea was a different one that I also suggested, but the team like SingSomething better, so we went with it). In the 4th task, it was also my script that they liked. And honestly, it was the ONLY script that was suggested. Can my fellow team mates write a script in one night? I actually had 3 scripts lined up for that task. I had about 7 lined up for the applications task. In task 1, I was the driving force behind everything marketing related. In task 5, I had about 10 artists to choose from, and I found patterns and themes for each artists' drawings. In the last task, I had about 5 ideas for themes of our parks. The fact of the matter is, no one has shown more variety in skills than I have. Whatever the task is, I was always on my toes ready to give the best I could with the ideas I had. And yes, sometimes we lost, but why did we lose? IN task 3, it was about the feasibility of the application (whether it can be used in public). The idea, itself, was a very interesting idea. And this is the thing, I lay out my ideas, and then, when chosen, I'm tasked with totally different things, such as commercials and synopsis and target audience etc etc etc, so I can't keep up with how my ideas are being integrated into the overall task. But, at face value, all of my ideas had winning qualities, yet ultimately lost because of technicalities, and that doesn't make them bad ideas. And for each tasks, I had more ideas for them to choose from. I am not a one trick pony, and I have showcased that every single time. Creativity? Check. Hard work? Check. Reliability? Check. Leadership? Check. Business expertise? Check. Variety of skills? Check. I have proved to be an all around strong player and if you look at my journey here as a whole, I have earned my spot in the finals.
Originally Posted by _NiallDEE_:
“
“
Naruto, you have been a reliable and consistent competitor and I was hoping you would show your strengths in the interview. However, I was actually disappointed in your performance in the interviews and I don't think you proved to me why you deserve to be a finalist as much as the other candidates did. The interviewers felt the same way, with some of them even labeling you as the weakest. As the interviews are a task and to be taken into account just as much as all the other tasks, do you not think this means you should be fired?
”
I would disagree as the majority of the interviews, I do feel the responses I gave did show me off as a finalist and as a winner. There may be the preconception of 'writing less is less effort', but in a real interview, as I said before, you don't have 5 minutes to prepare and answer a question, and you have to be as concise as possible which is what I did. Regarding Tyjet's interview, I think I misunderstood the CV part and as a result it was a short interview but I do feel I represented myself well. I do think I explained myself well though.
However, I do think the whole process should be looked at and I do think this minor blip should be offset by the things I have done previously which have mostly led the team to success. Even when the team has lost, my performance individually has been praised ; Task 2 where I found 5 of the items and Task 5 where my Art pitch was praised by Katie.
Hmm, Okay.
I'm about to make my final decision. However, before I do, I'd like to give each of you one more chance to prove to me why exactly you deserve to join Roxie in the final over the candidate next to you. This is the last chance you'll have to defend yourself, so make sure it's good.
I'm about to make my final decision. However, before I do, I'd like to give each of you one more chance to prove to me why exactly you deserve to join Roxie in the final over the candidate next to you. This is the last chance you'll have to defend yourself, so make sure it's good.
I was typing something and when I wanted ot post it, it deleted. Please give me a few more minutes to re-type.
Do you know how I came onto this site? I was sitting one day, watching the Apprentice, thinking about how it would be like to play one day. But, I live in Lebanon, and the show doesn't exist here, so I went online and googled "Online Apprentice Game". I pressed on this link, and I saw an applications page. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I signed up anyways, and you took a gamble that day and added someone who had never posted anything on this website.
The gamble paid off. I am sitting in the final 3 right now. Just one random thought on an idle day changed the whole landscape of this game. Who knows how different it would've been if I didn't decide to google you that day. I like to believe that I left my mark on this game, and I did. From day 1, I hit the ground running, and I have not stopped running ever since. I have ran, and ran, and ran, and when I fell, I picked myself up, dusted myself a little, and continued running towards my one destination. I have worked my tail off to be here, and have really learned a lot throughout this contest. I played this game with an open mind, and an open heart, and have loved every moment in it. I admittedly put myself out there, which left me open for many blows, but it also left my open to many successes and shining moments. I could have played it safe, but this is not me, this is never me. I like to leave my mark. I like to succeed. I am very competitive and I gave 110% in everything I do. Excellence is not a destination, it's a journey, a lifestyle, and I try to reflect that in everything I do. Was I perfect in this contest? No. I had my lows, but for every low, I had so many highs. And for critism, I had many more praises. And for every mistake, there were many hits. And I honestly believe that I have done everything I had to do, and hit every precursor possible, to make it to the finals. And if I make it to the final 2, Roxie, who will be a very worthy contender, knows, and you know, and everyone knows, that I am going to bring it, and I am going to kill this task, and I am going to put every ounce of energy I have into winning this season.
The gamble paid off. I am sitting in the final 3 right now. Just one random thought on an idle day changed the whole landscape of this game. Who knows how different it would've been if I didn't decide to google you that day. I like to believe that I left my mark on this game, and I did. From day 1, I hit the ground running, and I have not stopped running ever since. I have ran, and ran, and ran, and when I fell, I picked myself up, dusted myself a little, and continued running towards my one destination. I have worked my tail off to be here, and have really learned a lot throughout this contest. I played this game with an open mind, and an open heart, and have loved every moment in it. I admittedly put myself out there, which left me open for many blows, but it also left my open to many successes and shining moments. I could have played it safe, but this is not me, this is never me. I like to leave my mark. I like to succeed. I am very competitive and I gave 110% in everything I do. Excellence is not a destination, it's a journey, a lifestyle, and I try to reflect that in everything I do. Was I perfect in this contest? No. I had my lows, but for every low, I had so many highs. And for critism, I had many more praises. And for every mistake, there were many hits. And I honestly believe that I have done everything I had to do, and hit every precursor possible, to make it to the finals. And if I make it to the final 2, Roxie, who will be a very worthy contender, knows, and you know, and everyone knows, that I am going to bring it, and I am going to kill this task, and I am going to put every ounce of energy I have into winning this season.
Originally Posted by _NiallDEE_:
“
“
Hmm, Okay.
I'm about to make my final decision. However, before I do, I'd like to give each of you one more chance to prove to me why exactly you deserve to join Roxie in the final over the candidate next to you. This is the last chance you'll have to defend yourself, so make sure it's good.
”
I'm about to make my final decision. However, before I do, I'd like to give each of you one more chance to prove to me why exactly you deserve to join Roxie in the final over the candidate next to you. This is the last chance you'll have to defend yourself, so make sure it's good.
I think I have something unique which the other candidates have not shown as of yet. I am able to relate to a product or pitch as if I were an entire market. I am able to relate to it as if I were a child, an adult, etc and several different more markets. I knew Sharo would work as teenagers would relate to it with the rise of Magic : The Gathering, adults would due to the fantasy element and more dark nature. I knew The Safe would work as : previous successful games have all adapted known games and added a new element. Candy Crush is an adapted Bejeweled with specials and social media. The Safe is an adapted Candy Crush with a multi player aspect and mass appeal. I knew Four Nature would work as all ages and genders would go there as it is unique and different.
I was able to ascertain these would work and we won each time. Other candidates have chosen products like Sing Something which would never work in my opinion, as let's face it, people wouldn't be comfortable with it apart from a small minority. The theme park wouldn't work because the science aspect would turn people off. If i was apart of their team, I would not have chosen to go through with these ideas. This is a massive skill and being able to know how a product would be perceived is crucial. If you don't, you have potentially lost a lot of money in the production and development of it.
I have show creativity, originality, reliability, hard working, motivation, adaptability. So much so apart from the Eurovision task, I have done a tremendous amount in ability in that we have won or my performance has been praised. That must count for something. And I believe my consistency is enough for me to go through. I could go individually though each task but I have done that before. Sharo, Four Nature, The Safe and Tropicity ; two of these were my idea and the other two I contributed largely to. The three tasks which I lost ; Search task I found 5 items and Art task, my pitch was praised. That leaves one task where I admit, I didn't do as much as I could. 6 out of 7 tasks where I have done extremely well. I believe it is enough for me to go through, as I haven't made any mistakes that have led to the team losing and I have been a major component of each team I have been apart of.
Okay, two very good defenses but I think I've made my decision.
Shadi, I do feel you did an excellent job in your interviews, I feel like I learnt much more about you as a candidate and you dispelled some of the qualms I had about you. However, is a strong performance in interviews still enough to assure you a place in the final?
Naruto, I actually think you've been slightly underrated as a candidate in this process at times, you've been consistent and reliable and quite often behind the winning idea of your team. My issue with you is your performance in the interviews and feedback I received from the interviewers...
Both of you are very different but very strong candidates, and this is by no means an easy decision. However, taking all things into consideration, my decision is...
Shadi, I do feel you did an excellent job in your interviews, I feel like I learnt much more about you as a candidate and you dispelled some of the qualms I had about you. However, is a strong performance in interviews still enough to assure you a place in the final?
Naruto, I actually think you've been slightly underrated as a candidate in this process at times, you've been consistent and reliable and quite often behind the winning idea of your team. My issue with you is your performance in the interviews and feedback I received from the interviewers...
Both of you are very different but very strong candidates, and this is by no means an easy decision. However, taking all things into consideration, my decision is...
Shadi, you've been a ferociously dedicated candidate and have shown lots of strength throughout the process, you were able to completely prove to me throughout both your interviews and this boardroom that you deserve a place in the final. Congratulations, you have made the final! Which means that unfortunately...
Naruto, you're fired.
It was close but in the end Shadi just pipped you the post and was able to prove to me just that bit more that he deserves to be in the final. You have been an excellent candidate and have improved massively on your previous attempts. Thank you for taking part, and I hope you have enjoyed your time in the competition.
Naruto, you're fired.
It was close but in the end Shadi just pipped you the post and was able to prove to me just that bit more that he deserves to be in the final. You have been an excellent candidate and have improved massively on your previous attempts. Thank you for taking part, and I hope you have enjoyed your time in the competition.
Thank you Lord Sugar. I have had a lot of fun this time around and am glad I came third. I want to thank Lord Sugar for taking the time to do this awesome competition and also to David and Louise for being amazing advisors.
Good luck Roxie and Shadi! You both are amazing.
Good luck Roxie and Shadi! You both are amazing.
The only thing that I've been saying for the last minute is oh my god.
Thank so much Niall. I am forever grateful for the opportunity that you have given me.
Great job Naruto, you were very strong and I think very highly of you.
Roxie, I say it with love, respect, and admiration: bring it on! Let's tear that last task down!
Thank so much Niall. I am forever grateful for the opportunity that you have given me.
Great job Naruto, you were very strong and I think very highly of you.
Roxie, I say it with love, respect, and admiration: bring it on! Let's tear that last task down!
3 of 3
