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.