Jobless Corner

5. Suffering presentational difficulty….

For her Apprentice interview, Claire turned up in a jumper of such bilious luminescence that it was extraordinary that none of the Rottweiler interviewers mentioned it. Alex’s problem was his low energy and soft speech. “Big night out?” snarled one attack dog.

As well as dress, there’s body language, the way people shake hands, the way they sit, the tone and pitch of their voice - every mannerism is being scrutinised.

“You only get one time to make a first impression. Within the first 60 seconds you already make an impression,” says Mr Tkachuk.

The trick again is preparation. If you’re dressed smartly and thought about the way you will interact with the interviewer, this can help smooth your path.

But it’s hard to guard against doing something impulsive, as Lee found when he winked at Paul Kemsley at the end of the interview.

“That’s what a door-to-door salesman would do,” was Mr Kemsley’s verdict. Not quite the impression a go-getting entrepreneur might want to give.