After I separated from my children’s father in 2001, I took the children and moved to another county with no support from family or friends. I was worried that I wouldn’t find any design work in that county, simply because most of the design jobs where based in London (I CLEARLY AT THIS POINT DIDN’T BELIEVE!!!).

Anyway, to cut a long story short, one night I went to bed upset as usual because I was doing a job I hated so much. I went to bed that night and asked my Guardian Angel to assist me through my dreams. That night I dreamt I gave birth to a child and I was very happy (for me, pregnancy or new birth means new beginnings).

The following morning when I woke, I just knew that that day was going to be my last day at the job. Once I said it out loud, I felt this weight lift off my shoulders.

After handing in my resignation and thanking them for my experience I walked out of the job not knowing where the next job was coming from. I went straight to a job agency and I was found a job covering for a P.A on holiday for two weeks for the same money. Then after that I found another job with a contract for 4 months, organising local events for job seekers with even more money!! Towards the end of that contract I began looking in the local papers for work, and low and behold I saw an advert which didn’t give much detail as to the position but was technical, using Computer Aided Design for more money than I have ever earned before!! So I made inquiries. The man at the other end just said, why don’t you just come and see me and we can have a chat. I put the phone down thinking, that wasn’t very professional. Am I going for an interview or an informal chat?! Then I thought the best thing really is to treat it as an interview and that was that.

Armed with my little portfolio, I met with the same man I spoke to on the phone and he chatted about the role. The more he spoke the more I was jumping up and down in my head with excitement. I also kept repeating over and over in my head, ‘THIS IS MY JOB I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR’. He didn’t even ask me related questions, and so as he was about to end the interview I suggested he take a look at my portfolio.

The whole process was weird and wonderful – nothing was the way it should have been. He called me before I got home that evening and said he would like to see me for a second interview (informal, just to meet his partner). At this point I stepped up my game and began to focus and imagine working there.

My predecessor had given me his business card and so that night I crossed out his name and replaced it with mine everywhere his name appeared!

The second interview was another walk in the park. They did all the talking and I listened and repeated in my mind my positive affirmations. At one point my interviewer, now my boss actually said, ‘I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but you’re my favourite out of everyone we’ve seen for this post.’ At that interview, I was verbally offered the job, beating 7 others!!!!