You're Hired: How to Succeed in Business and Life from the Winner of The Apprentice (Hardcover)

by Bill Rancic (Author) "Let's get one thing straight right from the start..." (more)
Key Phrases: cigar business, west side property, boat wash, Cigars Around the World, Donald Trump, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The author won on the reality TV show The Apprentice, in which Donald Trump (who provides a foreword) slowly eliminates potential personal assistants until one is left standing. Rancic puts down, in tumbling first-person prose, the strategy he used to win, as well as how, back in 1995, he co-founded and ran a small mail-order company, Cigars Around the World. Rancic never went to business school, and his book might be boiled down to "rely on your observations and common sense, and on your close relationships." Nearly every chapter is loaded with advice gleaned from family members or friends with whom he has collaborated, salted with a smattering of approaches Rancic picked up from his own reading of how-tos and from his work life. The result sets the book apart: Rancic takes work seriously, and everything in the book is something he personally has tried out; his successes and travails (including a fire at his company) come through clearly and conversationally, as from a big brother. The last two of seven chapters cover his time on the show with "Mr. Trump" and offer candid takes on the other contestants and the show's productions. For a loquacious "how-I-did-it," Rancic's book debut is surprisingly satisfying.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Who would have thought that a real-life TV series on business and its struggles would command such a large viewership? This autobiography of The Apprentice's first winner gives a few clues about the show's popularity--other than host Donald Trump and the competition to win a 12-month $250,000 salary. First, contestants were carefully screened and more than well prepared to test their individual and collective mettles on a broadcast medium. Second, Rancic himself can already claim success as an entrepreneur, as his stories about the start-ups of Elite Boat Wash and Wax and Cigars Around the World reveal. Along with growing-up anecdotes interspersed with The Apprentice tales, he synopsizes at the end of each chapter lessons he learned in work and in life. Bet the long shot. Go above and beyond. Listen. Count on family. Give something back. Surprising words from a wise, young soul. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperBusiness; 1st ed/1st printing edition (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060765410
• ISBN-13: 978-0060765415
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #202,605 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Be the sponge. Be the SPONGE!, September 4, 2004

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

"Be the sponge" is what Bill Rancic told himself to be around Donald Trump. He wanted to use his experience on the show to learn.

This book is well timed for the start of the second season of "The Apprentice". One of the appealing qualities of Bill Rancic is his recognition that his fame is the result of pop culture rather than anything particularly unique about his life, experience, or wisdom. However, this book is fun to read (it only takes a couple of hours), and I found the story of his first business in buying junker cars, fixing them up, and selling them to be interesting. His stories about Elite Boat Wash and Wax were some of the best in the book, particularly his regret now that he didn't think of selling the business at the time.

We learned a bit about his cigar business while watching "The Apprentice", but we get the full story here, and I admire the way they stayed light on their feet and adapted to the circumstances they faced and the opportunities they had the energy to exploit.

Each of these biographical chapters is accompanied by a chapter of insights from the author on lessons learned during his career. These are fairly standard slogans or statements, but he does try to give them a personal twist and I credit him for that.

There are about thirty pages on his experience on the show and his analysis of how things worked out in his favor. Again, he doesn't dismiss some luck being involved, but he doesn't shy away from saying where some of the other contestants faltered.

He also talks about his parents and family in a way that adds to the personal character of the book. The last chapter talks about his goals and plans for the future.

I think this book would be a great read for young people wanting to learn a bit about going out and using their energy and talents to establish themselves and learn about what it takes to start small, but profitable, businesses. Mr. Rancic provides a lot of value for that audience. It is entertaining for the rest of us, and there are some statements that people of every age should learn. I loved his statement that when he finally got on the show and was going to be around Donald Trump he kept telling himself "Be the sponge, Be the sponge!" (page 149).

This is book is a fun piece of pop culture, but is more that fluff. If you are a fan of the show, I think you will enjoy the book.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for Apprentice fans! , November 15, 2004

By	Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I just started watching Apprentice in Season 2 and am nowviewing the DVD's from Season 1. So when I saw You're Hired, I had no idea who Bill Rancic was or why we should read his book.

The best parts of You're Hired are the stories of Bill's own life and his experience on The Apprentice. I wish we'd had more of both. I'd like to learn even more about his earlier ventures. And the show: What was it like to share rooms as if you were still in college? After all, participants are seasoned business people! What was the pressure like? Why did so many talented people seem to fall apart?

Rancic acknowledges that calling The Apprentice "reality TV" is a bit of a stretch. He discusses strategy rather than experience, which was interesting -- but let's face it, we readers are always hungry for more Behind the Scenes. He offered a curious insight: The winning team actually got less face time with Donald Trump, because they were spared the Board Room. So a consistent winner would remain under the radar screen.

Season 1's participants seemed more diverse than Season 2's. In Season 2 I often have trouble telling some of the people apart! No problem with Season 1.

And of course it's nice to know there's life after The Apprentice. Rancic's story of starting work on a huge construction project is fascinating and I would have welcomed much more detail.

The business advice? Nothing sensational here. It's the Bill Runcic story that sells books!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You're Hired, September 11, 2004

By	E. Jaeger (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was a quick, enjoyable read. Nothing groundbreaking, but the simple, proven advice Bill Rancic offered was still valuable. As someone trying to make a start on my own with a small business I particularly enjoyed the stories about Bill's small businesses. Selling cars for a profit while in high school is really quite brilliant. As was the boat waxing company. Clearly, Bill has a gift for building businesses and creating multiple streams of income. If you haven't read a lot of business/entrepreneurial types of books yet, or if you're just a fan of the show, you won't be disappointed with this book.