"The Apprentice" (BBC1), which reached it's conclusion last night, has been required viewing in our house. Not only is the show entertaining, with dramatic twists and turns sprinkled liberally with humour, but there are also lessons to be learnt, and not just for the candidates. In the words of Sir Alan, "The Apprentice" is the job interview from hell. Never are job candidates likely to be so thoroughly tested under such extreme and unreal circumstances. Sir Alan knows exactly what he is looking for in the successful applicant and isn't that interested in what people have done previously. Past experience helps in the tasks, but the key characteristics are talent, stamina, the ability to think and act on your feet, and the ability to work harmoniously with other people under extraordinary circumstances.  Contrast this very direct hands on approach with the IT recruitment industry where the process is largely dominated by agencies. I have experience of IT recruitment agencies from both sides, as a candidate and an employer, and from both perspectives I find agencies are an obstruction in the process and give very poor value for the considerable sums of money they charge. The agents rarely have IT experience, rarely understand the role they are recruiting for and rarely see beyond a few key words in the candidates CV. The fact is that recruitment agencies belong in a pre-internet age, their sole function is to advertise vacancies and short list applicants. You can do both of those things just as effectively. If you are a potential employer I would seriously advocate posting your vacancy directly on one of the many IT jobs websites. If you are prepared to sort the wheat from the considerable amount of chaff that will come your way (if you want you can use the same kind of CV word search approach the agencies use) you will have access to the widest selection of candidates and save yourself a stack of cash in the process.

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