Casting directors from NBC’s reality series, “The Apprentice,” will be in Ames next week to interview members of the ISU community for the show’s fourth season.

Iowa State’s College of Business will host a casting call at the Gerdin Business Building from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 14 for anyone at Iowa State who hopes to be hired by Donald Trump.

Iowa State was chosen because of its proximity to Des Moines, where a casting call open to the general public will be held July 16 at Merle Hay Mall, 3850 Merle Hay Road, said Toby Ross, a casting associate and part of the interview team for Ames.

“We try to do ‘alumni days’ near all of the community casting areas, and we choose the top schools in that area,” Ross said.

ISU faculty, staff and alumni may apply, and though students are encouraged to attend the screening, Ross said her team usually targets alumni because the show can conflict with students’ schedules.

“We don’t want to pull them out of classes, but those still attending Iowa State can sure apply,” she said.

Dan Ryan, director of marketing and alumni relations at the College of Business, said the show’s staff first contacted the ISU Alumni Association, but it made more sense that the College of Business host the casting call.

“By and large, the majority of the people who go on the show have a business background, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that makes them a better candidate,” he said.

“Anyone associated with Iowa State is welcome to try out.”

Potential cast members must complete an application at NBC.com before meeting with the casting directors; applicants must be age 21 or older and eligible to work in the United States.

Ross said applicants will meet one-on-one with casting directors and answer questions during the initial screening process.

“We don’t really ask about [applicants’] opinions about things; we bring up topics to get them talking — to see how they get their point across and get their point-of-view,” she said.

If an applicant makes it past the initial interviews, there is another set of interviews he or she must go through, but Ross said she could not provide any further details.

Tana Goertz, a Des Moines entrepreneur and author who made it to the final round of the third season of the show, said the second round of interviews was the hardest part of the process.

Instead of attending an “on call” casting, like the one scheduled at Ames, Goertz said she sent the show’s casting directors a videotape telling them about herself. After directors reviewed her tape, she was interviewed in Omaha, then flown to Los Angeles and questioned by the show’s producer, Mark Burnett.

“It’s a mind game,” she said. “He can ask you just about anything he wants to.”

Being unique will help you stand out and is the key of getting their attention, Goertz said about the interviews.

“If you know you’re gorgeous, be extra gorgeous. If you know you’re funny, be extra funny. Magnify those characteristics, and you should have no problem.”