The media coverage is all about doom and gloom. Is this really what people need? This is how I did it; you might find certain similarities in parts, to your own situation. My boys at senior school and felt that I needed to interact with others. I enrolled in a one year course at the Bournemouth University. While taking the course, I self taught to use the computer; this helped me carry out my assignments. Again, during the course, I learned presentation skills and speak to an audience. I ran my house and had several paying guests to cater for; I worked on my assignments after the children went to bed. I often slept for about four hours a day and spent my Sundays completing coursework and projects. I also took an external Marketing Diploma during the same year, I passed both my courses. At the end of the year, I had gained a few new skills and a lot of self confidence. I was ready to look for jobs BUT in the meantime, I took a small part time job in a local store. This gave me time to adjust to a new routine and manage my time in terms of my household duties as well as ensuring the children attended school and their various extracurricular activities, while being employed as an assistant in that store. Meantime, I enrolled with a couple of recruitment agencies, by doing so; I gained one valuable piece of information. I was told that the CV I had prepared was near perfect. This gave me yet another boost in confidence and I began looking in the local papers for jobs. I completed several application forms for various positions in the local areas. I attended a few interviews, each rejection taught me a lesson and I managed to fine tune my interview techniques. I learned how to prepare for interviews, by researching the organisation, preparing questions that I could ask at the end. I worked on my body language so that at interview I came across confident in my abilities both in responding to questions relating to the application form and coming across as I was prepared for a challenge, should I get that job. I learned the necessity to keep my answers simple but informative, using key words, explaining my achievements but remaining truthful. I ensured while being interviewed by one or more people, I was inclusive of all persons present, not only answering the interviewer’s questions but keeping eye contact with all present. One of the most important lessons I could pass on is to undertake a SWOT analysis. This is where you assess your strengths and weaknesses, and also consider opportunities available and threats present. It is absolutely necessary to be honest about yourself. Make a list of what your strengths are, what your talents are and what you could offer in an organization. Then move onto what your weaknesses are, what you could improve in your skills list, how you could achieve this. What are the opportunities around, could you take a lesser job perhaps and improve your chances by taking for example a part time evening course perhaps. What are the threats around, what competitions are you faced with; these considerations would enable you to assess your situation and hopefully make the right decision for you.

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