The Apprentice
 NBC Application

NAME: Dayana Yochim
E-MAIL:[email protected]
INTERVIEWCITY: Washington, D.C.
HOMETOWN: Lawrence, Kan. (Go Jayhawks!); currently Alexandria, Va.
MARITAL STATUS: Single, not that there's anything wrong with that.
HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION COMPLETED: Bachelor's degree, all limbs intact.
OCCUPATION: Motley Fool writer

LIST YOUR LAST THREE JOBS AND SALARY HISTORY:
Motley Fool writer (www.Fool.com): Enough to get me into trouble.
Worth Magazine online producer: Just enough to taste trouble.
Modern Jeweler associate editor: Little enough to keep me out of trouble.

HOW WOULD YOUR CO-WORKERS DESCRIBE YOU?
Tardy, dry with a hint of dog hair, a whiff of past debt, and a bold finish.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST IMPRESSIVE WORK OR SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT?
Last week, I was publicly dissed by Dave Barry on his Miami Herald blog for failing to understand Philadelphia Eagles fans. I wrote a misguided article saying that keeping your house is more important than taking out a home equity line of credit to buy Super Bowl tickets. Silly me.

WHY ARE YOU SUCCESSFUL IN BUSINESS?
I'm a raging cheapskate and a shameless spendthrift. I can do fast math in my head, understand most business models in just one try, shake hands firmly, and accessorize. I can do all of these things with a French accent.

DESCRIBE A MAJOR EVENT OR ISSUE THAT HAS AFFECTED YOUR LIFE:
In eighth grade, I got a really bad haircut -- East Germany bad -- which abruptly ended my social prospects. After that, I concentrated on school.

TELL US SOMETHING EMBARRASSING ABOUT YOURSELF:

  • I took advantage of my employer's popularity to advertise my couch -- a couch I bought as an impulse purchase, by the way -- and put out an APB on my stolen car to Fool.com readers. The couch sold. The car came back a mess.
  • I have never balanced my checkbook. While not an atrocity on a scale of amusing to illegal, I write about personal finances for a living.
  • My boss David Gardner very publicly shortedTrump Hotels and Casino Resorts (OTC: DJTCQ.OB) in April 1997. After The Donald summoned him to his office in Trump Tower, David closed the short. I'm embarrassed that I didn't stay short long enough, either.

WHY DO YOU BELIEVE YOU COULD ULTIMATELY BE "THE APPRENTICE"?
The camera loves me.