Paul McKenna was speaking to a group of jobless young people at Hampden today – at a cost of £20,000!

Skills Development Scotland had brought him up here to boost the confidence of young unemployed people. Paul McKenna is good at what he does, and SDS argued that his slot would engage young people.

But that £20,000 could have funded 20 new apprenticeships.

Undoubtedly, confidence is a huge issue for job seekers. Especially for the long-term unemployed or young people with little work experience. But I don’t think this was the best use of taxpayers’ money.

Confidence is built when you experience a track record of success – for example, successfully completing application forms, gaining interviews, getting a work placement.

A ‘sugar high’ motivational confidence boost is all very well, but will it actually help people be more purposeful looking for work, be more motivated to apply for jobs and be more confident in interviews?

If you want to feel more confident in your job search, reflect on what you’ve achieved at each step in the process. Confidence comes from repeatedly having success at something – that doesn’t mean just landing a job – it’s successfully completing each step.

Who needs motivational speakers? Consider the successes you’ve had along the way, and in your career to date – successfully performing at interviews in the past, for example.

Unfortunately, getting a pep talk from a celebrity isn’t going to land you that dream job. Being clear on your career goal and focused on how to achieve it will. Go for it!