Something positive has been happening lately, a kind of autumnal optimism that seems to be spreading infectiously despite the recession.

Two friends - whose career brakes had been slammed on a year ago - have both finally found good jobs, after a difficult 12 months of searching.

And while another friend has lost his job, he seems to be attracting lots of freelance work - catering to the growing demand for cheaper services from professionals with no overheads. Ironically, his job loss came just as his office extension at home was completed, a good sign!

Three former colleagues have also landed exciting new positions; one is even heading for London. It's worth mentioning that many of these jobs were not publicly advertised, but rather are a result of contacting companies directly, something that has also paid off for me in the past.

I myself have had a busy few weeks filling in at a radio station and was delighted to hear in the midst of my peer's good news, a slot on the radio where a recruitment specialist argued that the recession was being overhyped by many. Now, granted you can't deny the facts, but he simply wanted to remind people to look for the positives and try to remain upbeat and hold off becoming despondent.

My little brother, as regular readers to this column will know, has spent the last year on a recession roller-coaster - swaying between frantic job searching and ignoring his CV for weeks on end. Now after a fast year, his dole has finally been stopped. While living at home means the welfare are totally justified in stopping his payments, I can't help feeling a bit sorry for him. There's nothing more disheartening than relying solely on your parents for financial hand-holding.



I've been telling him to hang in there, things will get better for him.

Just take my friend who lost her job in the spring. Now a full-time fashion blogger she has been hitting the style headlines in recent weeks with her rising profile. While being interviewed for a monthly fashion magazine last week, I'm pretty sure she is starting to see the silver lining on her own job loss, just as the London bound lady must also be. Casting my mind back to the day we lost our jobs together, I'm sure she is now, too, realising my favourite saying holds some truth - everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes we just may not know the reason at the time.