Rather than talking about job experiences I'm going to talk about getting a job.

I'm 17 years young and left college at the end of April without completing any of my AS levels and I was studying Drama & Theatre studies, English literature and Psychology. I'm not going to say that I didn't enjoy the courses because I did, especially Drama. But I decided that college wasn't for me and I wanted an apprenticeship. All I knew was that I wanted to work in an office. So I went down to my local Connexions Centre and asked them if they had anything available. So I applied for about 7 on that day and then about 30 more after that. With some interviews going extremely well and others going not so well. But still no one would give me that chance. And the reason that I wasn't getting these positions was because they didn't believe I was mature enough or felt that I was too young. Now there was me thinking that the whole idea of an apprenticeship was to get someone with no experience who was young and energetic and to train them up in a profession that they wanted to get into. So I went for an interview yesterday 05/06 in a solicitors for the position of Office Junior and I went in there with the mindset that I was just going to be myself and be confident and to believe that I was just as good as they were just younger. Now I went in there assuming that the interviewer would be around late 40s early 50s. But he wasn't he was in his late 20s early 30s. The interview was amazing and we were laughing and talking as if we were good friends. He said he was shocked that people had said I seem immature because he felt that I was very mature for a girl of my age and it was a breath of fresh air to see that I don't fit the stereotype. I was very flattered by that comment because I take pride in the fact that I am unique and I am not like other 17 year olds. At the end of the interview I was told how impressed they were with me. And I was told that he would call my training company tomorrow 06/06 which is today now. I hadn't even got back home when I received the phone call to say that they had offered me the position without ringing my referees and they want me to start on Monday. After all the set backs however and all the let downs, to hear the words "you have been successful" made all that pain go away. I received the letter in the post this morning to say he would like to welcome me to the company and that he looks forward to seeing me on Monday. Now all I have to do is to prove that I can do it, to myself, to the company, to my family and to all the doubters out there.

All I can say is, please don't get too disheartened if you get knocked back by employers, that's obviously not the right job for you. Just keep trying and don't give up. If you have faith in yourself, others will have faith in you too.

Learn more about this author, Laura Lambourne.
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