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Over the last 12 weeks our Job Hunters have taken part in a range of activities, working with experts and mentors in the hope of becoming more employable! They've now reached the end of their time on the programme so we asked each of them for their verdicts on the whole experience.

Gemma Price: Stay-at-home mum

Mum Gemma felt that taking part in X-Ray helped her improve in confidence. "I feel less of a mum now and more like my own person. I've proved to myself that I can do more and will do more."

She has now been offered some work in a local bar over Christmas and is confident of finding regular work soon.

Gemma has some advice for others in the same situation as her: "If you have the support in terms of looking after the children and feel ready to go out and work, then get in touch with organisations that can help. There is help available out there."

Gemma Price reflects on her experiences

Gareth Abbott-Haigh: Graduate

Sports science graduate Gareth is now working as a teaching assistant and plans to re-apply for a teacher training place for next year.

He says taking part in the programme has helped him improve his interview skills.

Gareth's advice to other graduates in a similar situation is to be resilient: "Trying to get a job is a full time job in itself. Look for jobs in all avenues - internet, newspapers etc. Be persistent and know what you want to do."

Dwayne Landeg: NEET (not in education, employment or training)

Three months ago, teenager Dwayne thought he wanted to be a chef. He says being on X-Ray helped him decide which career path to pursue and taught him the importance of turning up for work on time.

"What the chefs do every day it really isn't for me. I'm in retail now and I'm enjoying it so far."

He is now working at a discount retail store and thinks this could be the career for him!

Alan Goss: High flyer

55-year-old Alan says he decided to take part in X-Ray because he was coming out of self employment after a long time. "I was lacking in confidence even though I might not have looked it. But that's picked up now and I understand that age is not an issue. My job hunt is under control now and that feels much better."

Alan's advice to people going for high-level jobs is to treat interviews like a sale. "My tip to any other job hunter is whether they feel good or bad at the process is to dedicate serious time to it because the amount you do has a direct impact on the results you get back."

Timothy Rees: Newly redundant

Ex-factory worker Tim is retraining as a heavy machinery operator and feels that being one of the Job Hunters has been beneficial to him. "I feel that my confidence has improved, but it can improve further. I've also learnt to be more positive," he says.

And Tim's advice to others in a similar situation: "Don't give up. When you don't get success initially don't assume it's your fault. If you're ready for work, it will happen."

It seems like only yesterday that we were taking down the Christmas decorations, signing up to the gym and promising to be a better person in 2010. But with the season of goodwill fast approaching, as well as learning some carols, we thought it was also time to brush up on some consumer law. So here are some top tips to use if your presents aren't up to scratch or if you get a dud delivery.

The first thing to remember when you get to the till is to ask whether the shop gives gift receipts. This means if something goes wrong, the person you gave it to can go back to the shop and get the refund. This tip is especially handy if you've paid by card as lots of shops would usually insist the card holder is present to receive a refund and it will save you getting snagged up in those queues again.

We asked our consumer expert, Professor Margaret Griffiths, to remind us of our basic rights.

Professor Margaret Griffiths

She said: “Your rights are the same whatever presents you buy or wherever you buy them from. You have an absolute right that the goods will match any description that's been given of them, they will be of a satisfactory quality and they're going to be fit for the purpose for which you've bought them.

“If the cash value of the product is more than a £100 and less than £30,000 then it's always a good idea to use your credit card if you've got one. That way you get extra protection against the credit card company so that if, for example, the trader goes into liquidation or ceases trading, you can still get your money back from the credit card company,” she added.

Another flexible gift is the good old fashioned gift voucher - an easy way to give to the person who already has everything. Gift vouchers are rapidly being replaced with gift cards, but one X-Ray viewer is less than impressed.

Alison Lucas, from Llantwit Major, was looking forward to buying some toys and games for her children in her local WHSmith as she'd been given ÂŁ40 pounds worth of gift cards as presents.

She said: “The children received their gift cards for Christmas and for their birthdays, and every year we save them up throughout the year and then go and spend them on something in WHSmith. We were hoping to get a DVD and have a DVD night.”

But when Alison went to the WHSmith in Cardiff city centre, she was shocked to discover that the gift card couldn't be used to buy the DVDs she wanted.

“The lady from the till then came over and asked us if we were going to use our vouchers to buy the DVDs and we were told that we wouldn't be able to because they're sold by a franchise in the shop,” she explained.

It turns out that WHSmith in Cardiff was part of a trial where another company, called Big, had taken over the concession for the DVDs and games, meaning Alison's gift card couldn't be used to buy them in that particular store. She wasn’t happy as she felt the person who gave them the card would have wanted them to buy a DVD.

“The experience made me feel really cross. People think of WHSmith as a retailer that sells DVDs, CDs and computer games so they will quite rightly buy people gift cards in order to buy those item, ” she added.

WHSmith say that they do have clear signs in the five trial stores telling customers that gift cards can't be used for DVDs and games. They say it's because of a European regulation stopping companies transferring money between each other. However, they are working with the Government to try and change this.

Most vouchers will have a time limit.Ìę Every year nearly 10% of vouchers sold don't get spent - so if Santa brings you some don't leave them in the drawer...

You may prefer the convenience of the internet this year. And Professor Griffiths has some advice to make sure you know your rights before you log on.

She said: “You've got the normal rights of satisfactory quality etc. but Under the Distance Selling Regulations you get an additional right to return the goods during the short period after they arrive. This is to allow the customer to have the chance to check that the goods are as described and of satisfactory quality."

Remember if you do have to return something, make sure that you send it by recorded delivery. That way, the company can't argue that they haven't received it. And Professor Griffiths had one last handy tip:

“Always make sure you keep your receipts, so never throw your receipts away. Always make sure that you can prove where you've bought something and just check everything very thoroughly both in the shop and when you get home. Never just take it for granted that it's alright.”

More tips are available at the .

The cost of food is rising fast and the price of wheat is up by more than 50% in the last six months.

Wheat forms part of many of our food basket staples - including bread, which now costs 37% more than it did in 2006. Back then, the average cost of a white sliced loaf was only 83p but now, it'll set you back ÂŁ1.14.

So would it be cheaper to make your own? Lucy Owen asked the advice of Bridgend based baker Mike Sweetman who runs his own organic bakery; Jones Organic. His sourdough bread recently won a True Taste award.

Mike believes that homemade is best and tells us that real bread is only made with four ingedients - flour, yeast, salt and water. Mike also thinks that making your own is not only satisfying, but you know exactly what's going into it, you can experiment with flavours and you can get all the family involved.

A loaf of bread baked by Mike and Lucy

Mike taught Lucy how to make her own loaves and here's his recipe:

Ingredients:
635g strong white bread flour
340g water
10g dried yeast
13g salt

Instructions:
1. Mix cold water with hot to try and achieve a temperature of around 37˚C in Winter or 27˚C in Summer.Ìę Mike says the temperature of your water is essential to baking a good loaf.
2. Add the yeast to the water, dissolve well using your fingers, and add to the bowl.
3. Next, add the flour to the bowl and if using an electric mixer, mix on a slow speed for about four minutes.Ìę If mixing by hand, mix until the dough starts to come together. Add the salt gradually.
4. Mix for a further 8-10 minutes, at a high speed until the dough is a smooth consistency.Ìę If the dough is sticking to the mixing bowl, add a little sprinkle of flour. Never add water though, Mike saysÌęyou should trust the recipe!
5. Your dough should now be ready.ÌęStretch it between your fingers and you should be able to see them through the dough without it tearing (if not, mix for another two minutes on fast speed and do the 'stretch test' again).
6. Now it's time to rest the dough. Lightly flour a bowl and pop the dough inside. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for about 30 minutes.
7. Cut the dough in half (to make two loaves) and stretch each dough ball into a long rectangle, then fold the sides over each other, and fold in half again.Ìę
8. Now it's time for the fun part - kneading!Ìę With your hand at 45 degree angle to the dough, push down on the edge of the ball and, applying a lot of pressure, roll it forwards with the flat of your hand. Do this for about ten or twelve good long strokes. You should feel the dough become tighter.Ìę
9. Once kneaded into a nice tight ball, dip the top in flour and place in a floured bowl, the floury part at the bottom.
10. The dough needs another rest (called 'proving').Ìę Cover the bowls with a warm damp cloth, or to follow Mike’s tip on the proving process, pour a little boiling water into a stew pot, sit the bowl on a stand so it isn’t submerged, and put the lid on. Leave for 20 to 40 minutes until the dough has increased by 50%-100%.
11. Now, tip the dough out of the bowl onto some baking paper so that the floured side is on top.Ìę Score your loaves with a sharp serrated knife and place on a baking tray.
12. Bake in a pre-heated oven for five minutes at 220˚C, then turn down toÌę190˚C and bake for another 25 minutes (based on baking two small loaves). If you have a temperature probe, your loaf is cooked when the centre is about 95˚C.

Doing it all by hand can be a lot of fun, but if you feel that you don't have the time, using a breadmaker might be the option for you. You can pick them up from some retailers for as little as ÂŁ30. They're economical too as they only cost, on average, around 5p per loaf to run.

We costed the ingredients needed for making a white loaf in a bread maker, and, including electricity, it came to just 62p. Now that's good use of your dough!

Do you make your own bread? If so, let us know below - or share your ownÌęrecipes for home-baked bread.

For eleven weeks, our Job Hunters have been working on all aspects of how to get a job. Their journey on X-Ray is almost at an end, but before the final week there's one more issue to tackle – how to look the part to get the job they want.

With competition for jobs increasing, the five job hunters need to ensure that they make the best impression from the moment that they meet an employer. Looking smart and wearing the right clothes can be just as important as what they say in a job interview.

With this in mind, Rhodri paid a visit to award-winning Swansea hairdresser Lara Johnson who agreed to make over our Job Hunters. She assessed the image and style of everyone in the group and felt that young mum Gemma Price and teenager Dwayne Landeg were in need of the most help.

Can Gemma Price change her image to get a new job?

Lara took the pair on a shopping trip to the high street to show them that you don’t need to spend huge amounts of money to look smart for an interview. She was keen to get Gemma out of her comfort zone of tracksuit bottoms and hooded tops and persuaded Dwayne to experiment with colour and to try on some smart clothes that would be suitable for his age.

After taking them back to her salon in Mumbles, Lara and her team - stylist Bobbi Evans and make up artist Jinty Day - got to work on the pair.

Tune in to see whether Gemma goes for the chop! And will Lara persuade Dwayne to remove his piercings?

Here are Lara's top tips for prospective job hunters:

Let us know belowÌęif you have any tips for dressing for an interview. Do you have an outfit that never lets you down?

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When you buy a second hand car you know you're taking a risk. Complaints to Consumer Direct about used cars are up by a fifth on last year. In the past consumers may have felt that when they've had problems, the law hasn't always been on their side

One such couple was Lisa and Andrew Williams from Pontardulais. They told X-Ray about their woes after buying a second hand Mitsubishi from a garage in London called Global Cars. They’d researched the car they wanted on the internet, taken it for a test drive and Andrew had even done some homework before parting with any cash. "I think we took reassurance in that I did all the checks, HPIs, checked if it had an MOT on the owners on the vehicle" Andrew told us.

Andrew and Lisa's second hand car was unsafe

The couple were initially happy with their purchase but it wasn't long before they discovered that underneath the car’s shiny exterior all was not well. The first problems came to light after they took the car for a routine service, two months after buying it and the garage found serious issues.

Andrew explained, "I was shown the extent of the corrosion underneath the car, to the point where it was in such a bad way they were surprised that the car was able to drive safely on the road."

The rust was so bad that the car had serious structural problems and the garage which serviced it advised them not to drive it. The couple reported the matter to Swansea Trading Standards who suggested they get an independent report - which confirmed their worst fears. The inspector found several areas of extreme corrosion, meaning the car was unsafe.

Lisa was shocked, "Somebody actually said that The Titanic is still in better condition than this car

In Merthyr, Scott Roberts' experience was even more alarming. After passing his test he saw a car in a Caerphilly garage, a bargain at ÂŁ900, and his uncle had agreed to lend him the cash." We went down to have a look at it," Scott said, "I liked it. We went into the office to do all the paperwork and my uncle put a ÂŁ50 deposit on it."

The next day, Scott's uncle went to the garage to pay the rest of the money and pick up the car. But after driving just a few miles, he had a huge shock and gave the bad news to Scott that the front wheel had fallen off during the drive home.

Scott was stunned to realise he'd been sold a car with wheel nuts missing. And when he looked at his receipt, he saw a phrase which made his heart sink - 'sold as seen'. "I was talking about it with my grandpa and he said that if you've got 'sold as seen' written on the receipt, you are going to find it really hard to get your money back" he added.

Scott contacted Trading Standards who began to investigate what happened .Tim Keohane from Caerphilly Trading Standards told us the dealer did two things wrong. "The first and most serious was that he supplied a vehicle which was unsafe, dangerous and unroadworthy, which caused an accident ", Tim explained. "Secondly, the documentation that was given to Scott in relation to the vehicle was riddled with statements that indicated that he didn't really have any rights at all having paid his ÂŁ900 and driven away, which is illegal."

When Scott eventually got hold of the garage owner, a fortnight later he was given a full refund. Despite this, Caerphilly Trading Standards felt the offences were so serious that they had no option but to prosecute. The garage owner pleaded guilty at Caerphilly Magistrates Court to safety offences and trying to restrict the vehicle owners right to claim a refund. He was personally fined ÂŁ2,000 and his company Reach UK Vehicle Management Ltd trading as Pontygwindy Car Sales was fined ÂŁ8,000.

In the Caerphilly area, complaints about garages selling unroadworthy cars have doubled in the last two years. However, Tim explained that a recent change in the law has helped them prosecute rogue garages. "There was a change in legislation in May 2008 which made it a lot easier for us to enforce, made it a lot simpler and brought in offences which previously weren't covered by the law but were obviously wrong" he said.

And what about the Williamses who were sold the rusty four by four by Global Cars, in London? Well even though the company has agreed to refund them, the family still want answers. "If we hadn't have booked it in for the survey we'd still be driving it now because neither one of us would have looked under the car that had a brand new MOT and thought let's check for holes. So we would still be driving that car around now if we hadn't have taken it in for a service" they added.

Gareth Rees is an independent vehicle inspector with 35 years' experience assessing cars. He's also employed by trading standards as an expert witness in court cases against garages. After examining the couple's car he said, "From above it looks very good in appearance. Once we go underneath we can see that in particular the offside rear area and that's supporting the main suspension mountings is badly holed and corroded, and severely weakened the integrity of the chassis section ."

He also had concerns about the way in which the car was sold. "To think that this vehicle has gone through an MOT before it was supplied is unbelievable." So is it safe for a buyer to assume that a car with an MOT will be roadworthy and in good condition? Not according to Gareth.

"An MOT is a minimum quality licensing ", he said. "On the front of the MOT certificate it states quite clearly that that not evidence that the vehicle is in a satisfactory and indeed a legal condition. So if you're buying a vehicle the vendor, particularly a trade vendor has an obligation under consumer law to ensure that the vehicle is in a safe and roadworthy condition ."

Your MOT certificate may also contain advisory notices - these are issues which may soon need attention. If a garage sells you a car it is legally required to give you this information, so keep an eye out. And VOSA, which supervise supervises the MOT scheme has a website where you can check a car's test history - a very useful tool for potential buyers.

So next time you're in the market for a second hand car, don't just be seduced by the perfect paintwork and snazzy stereo.

According to Gareth it pays to delve a little deeper. ""Get someone who knows what they are looking for " he advised "and they can report back to you".

Since we filmed, Global cars which sold Lisa and Andrew Williams the four by four have collected it and they've refunded the couple for the cost of the car, the independent report and the money they paid to insure the car when it was off the road - so that's a total of ÂŁ3,572.

We did ask the company why they sold a car in an unroadworthy condition and why the car appeared not to have had any quality and safety checks before it was sold but Global cars chose not to answer the questions.

In Scott Roberts' case the garage owner, Alwyn James has told us that he deeply regrets the incident. He said that all of his vehicles are now safety inspected by qualified technicians and added that in his opinion Trading Standards should be more proactive and not just prosecute when things go wrong. Although as Caerphilly Trading Standards observed, Mr James has 23 years experience in the motor industry.

Over the last ten weeks the job hunters have been put through their paces. They've gained some work experience and gone through real and mock interviews, but it hasn’t all gone smoothly.

A few months ago forty-five year old Tim was made redundant from a butter packing factory. He’d worked there for 12 years and was unsure about what he wanted to do next. He’d enjoyed his experience as a volunteer working in a local forest and had also applied for a retraining grant. This week, we caught up with him on his training course as he learned how to operate heavy machinery such as fork-lift trucks and diggers. However, he was finding it more difficult than he’d expected. Will he pass his test and gain the qualifications he needs?

Sports science graduate Gareth was unsure whether to train as a teacher or retrain as sports physiotherapist. Both career paths will need further study and he’s trying to gain experience to give him an edge. He’s now spent half a term working as a teaching assistant at Penyrheol Comprehensive and is continuing with his sports massage course in his spare time.

Things are looking up for fifty-five year old Alan. A few weeks ago we saw him being grilled at a job interview with a technology company. The company has since been in touch and they have called him back for a second interview in the New Year. In the meantime he’s networking and looking for other opportunities.

Mum-of-three Gemma wants to work in a bar but needs to fit around partner Steve’s shifts. Gemma’s already impressed the manager of the Plough and Harrow pub and he’s offered Gemma some part time work over Christmas. But she needs to find more regular work in order to make ends meet for her young family. So, she’s been dropping off her CV to some other pubs in her area. And Gemma’s luck may be in - one of her local pubs is hiring at the moment and she’s hoping they may offer her some regular shifts behind the bar.

Dwayne Landeg

Ten weeks ago, when we first met eighteen-year-old Dwayne, he seemed certain that he wanted to become a chef. He had never been in a proper kitchen, so X-Ray arranged for him to do some work experience at Patricks’ with Rooms – a five star restaurant in Mumbles.

Dwayne was doing well until he decided to leave early on his first shift and called in sick the following day. But chef and owner Patrick Walsh agreed to give him one more chance and asked Dwayne to work three days over a weekend at the kitchen.

ÌęAnd on his second day disaster struck when Dwayne overslept and turned up for his shift hour and a half late. This time Patrick sent him home for good. But just as one door closed, another opened for Dwayne. He was offered a placement at another city centre restaurant, although he only turned up for one shift. So, is that it for Dwayne’s dreams of being a chef?

Tune in to find out more about the progress of Dwayne and all our job hunters.

Visitors have always flocked to the market town of Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, but with its busy traffic and narrow roads on-street parking is almost impossible. Fortunately there's no shortage of car parks in the town centre. Most of them are operated by the local council, but one which isn't has been causing quite a stir!

The Cibi Walk car park is run by a private company called Parking Eye. The charges seem reasonable; just 80p for a two hour stay, but if you're not careful you could end up paying much more than that.

Back in September, Angela Mullens from Crickhowell visited the car park. "I was going shopping in town and my son went get the ticket for me", she explained. "I thought everything was fine, I didn't think any more of it."

However, the parking company was keeping a close eye on Angela's visit through their security cameras, which record the number plates of cars using the site. A whole week after she'd visited the car park, Angela received a letter from Parking Eye which said she'd broken the rules of the car park by not having a valid ticket. Having already paid eighty pence, she now faced a demand for ÂŁ80, or 50 if she paid straight away. By this time she'd thrown away her original ticket.

So why was Angela being chased for payment? Her son had typed in the last three letters of the number plate, put money in the machine and Angela had displayed the ticket in the car. The problem is, Parking Eye's signs say the full registration number must be entered. And there is a good reason why many people in Abergavenny are getting confused. In the eight council-run car parks in Abergavenny motorists only have to enter the last three letters of the vehicle registration. If you do this in Parking Eye's car park, you may think you have a valid ticket, but you'd be wrong!

Andrea King is another driver who was left confused after her visit to Cibi Walk car park. She explained, "I paid my 80 pence for the two hours and went off shopping". Like Angela, she'd entered the last three digits of her registration. "I assumed it was the same for that car park as all the other car parks in Abergavenny. Eleven days later the penalty notice came through the letterbox. I was really, really upset. Luckily I'd kept my ticket."

Andrea has now written to appeal against the demand. In the meantime, one of her work colleagues was having his own ticket trouble with Parking Eye. Lecturer Tim Jarvis received two demands for payment after he and a colleague left their minibuses in the car park during a fundraising trip. He paid the right amount and the machine printed two tickets.

"It accepted three digits, so as far as we were aware that was what it wanted," he said. "Unfortunately by the time we had the parking notice and we'd found the ticket, the date was up on the first minibus. The college paid the first minibus so that came out of my budget, disadvantaging the students. By then we'd had a second fine for the second vehicle. This time we're contesting it, letters have been sent and we'll wait to hear what the company says."

So some drivers aren't happy with Parking Eye's rather inflexible system. But has the company actually done anything wrong?

We asked solicitor Wayne Beynon from Capital Law for his expert view. "It is a situation I have sympathy with", he told X-Ray. "Where you have a person entering a car park and enter part of a registration number, they believe they've paid a good value for their space but strictly speaking they haven't complied with terms and conditions as stipulated by the car park owner."

Angela Mullens no longer has her original ticket and has appealed to Parking Eye, but the charge has now risen to ÂŁ110. If she refuses to pay she could face court action and potentially even a visit from the bailiffs. "I think it is scary, I think a lot of people have paid and they will pay because they think it's the only thing to do. I'm not going to pay out of principle because I did buy a ticket, if it comes to court I will go to court."

If that were to happen, solicitor Wayne Beynon had the following advice. "Where the motorist has lost their parking ticket, it is for the parking company to demonstrate to the court that the motorist parked in the space and failed to pay for their car park ticket. I don't think it would be unreasonable for the motorist to ask the company to present evidence from their ticket machine that they haven't paid for their ticket."

And there may be some good news on the horizon for the people of Abergavenny. Nigel Beavan, the manager of Cibi Walk shopping centre which owns the car park told us that he agrees that the current system is not working as efficiently as it needs to. He told us, "What we're looking to do is to try to resolve that by bringing back a human element to the process. So I've got a meeting with Parking Eye to see if we can actually do that. We'll look to use someone on site to act as a parking attendant to come and look in the cars, very much like local authority do at the moment."

After we filmed, Parking Eye, the company which runs the car park on behalf of the shopping centre, told X-Ray that they're going to cancel the parking charge notices for the three people we featured. The company also said that their signs, at the entrance and right through the car park, and the instructions on the Pay and Display machine itself all say clearly that you have to put in your full registration details when you buy a ticket. They add that very few motorists fail to follow the straightforward instructions and if anyone gets a parking charge notice because they didn't put in their full details, then they should appeal and the company will investigate. If it can be proved that you actually bought a ticket, Parking Eye will waive the penalty charge.

Justine Swainson

This week we followed Gemma, Alan, Tim and Gareth on a confidence building session with expert Justine Swainson, who's been coaching and mentoring people for fifteen years.

Our job hunters found it to be a useful experience, so we asked Justine to share her advice on how people can stay motivated while looking for a job.

Justine says, "Imagine you’re trying to find work, you’ve applied for a few different jobs and you may even have had one or two interviews, but still no job offers. It’s an all-too-familiar story - so how do you stay positive even when things just don’t seem to be going right?

If your job search isn't going to plan you may be feeling a bit useless. But don’t lose sight of all the reasons you have to be proud of yourself as a person. Remind yourself what you’re good at in life – you might think you’re just a stay-at-home Mum, but how many different tasks do you have to juggle in a typical day? Multi-tasking is a very useful skill to a prospective employer!

If you already have some work experience, think of the things you did well in that job and the reasons why your previous employer may have selected you above other candidates. Keep a list of things you’re proud of and boost your self-esteem by taking a look at it when you’re feeling down.

There will be times during your job-hunting when you hear that you haven’t made the shortlist or didn’t get the job. Or, even worse, when you hear nothing at all after making an application or having an interview. It’s easy to convince yourself that you did something wrong or that it’s not worth applying for any more jobs.

My advice is, don’t take it personally, there could be a million reasons why you haven’t been contacted, shortlisted or selected - and yes, one of them is that there was someone else better than you. Try not to get angry or upset by these setbacks and don't let it dent your confidence. Focus on moving forward and on making an even better impression next time.

Think of a person whose confidence you really admire and try to pinpoint some of their behaviours or actions that convey that confidence. Then, just for fun, have a go at behaving or acting like that yourself! Try something simple like phoning a friend, buying some stamps or booking an appointment at the dentist with the most confidence you can muster! It may be hard to believe, but practising confidence really can help you to achieve the real thing.

Finally, when you do get a call to an interview, make sure you find out about the company and what exactly the job entails. Think about the sorts of questions they might ask you, from the "get-to-know-you" questions like, "Tell us a bit about yourself", to the "chance-to-sell-yourself" questions like "Why do you think you’re the right person for this job?" These are pretty standard interview questions, so make sure you have an answer prepared.

Spend some time getting yourself into the right frame of mind for an interview. You want to be confident but not over-confident, as this can come across as arrogance. Each interview you get is a new opportunity, so leave your worries about past interviews at home - this could be the job with YOUR name on it!

So in summary:

- Stay positive

- Remember what you’re good at

- Believe in yourself

- Put your best self forward at each new opportunity - and good luck!

In these tough economic times, many of us are looking for ways of earning extra cash. But potential employees across Wales have been left out of pocket after answering a newspaper advert which seemed to be recruiting mystery shoppers.

It sounds like a dream job – testing the customer service at shops and restaurants, but mystery shoppers serve an important role, assessing the experiences provided at a whole host of outlets. Now it seems scammers are using the job as a distraction technique to enable them to defraud unwitting victims out of thousands of pounds in a complex money transfer scam.

Back in June, boarding kennel owner Sara Millward, from Llanidloes, spotted an advert for mystery shoppers in her local paper. It sounded like a golden opportunity to supplement her income which can vary through the year depending on how busy the kennels are.

According to the ad, Sara could earn £250 - 300 a week in cash, and it wouldn't cost anything to get started. Applying for the job was easy enough. Sara emailed the address on the advert for more details, and the job started to sound really exciting. Sara says, “I thought, can I be that mystery shopper and ask questions, where I'm not going to give myself away because I'm doing it for something else? It was quite exciting.”

Her first assignment was to check out customer service at a branch of Western Union. It's a money transfer service often used by people who want to send money to friends and family abroad. Sara was sent a cheque for almost 3,000 euros, and told to pay it into her own bank account. Once the cheque had cleared, she had to withdraw all the money and keep ÂŁ300 as her fee, and then send the rest of the cash via Western Union to an address in America.

Sara got into character. She says “The secret shopper head kicked in. I was taking in the ambiance of the place, the decor, customer service - I came back and put it all down and sent it through in the email, he then wrote, yes I've received it, very good, impressive report.”

Apparently pleased with her efforts, her employer e-mailed to say Sara's second assignment would start the next day. Sara received two additional cheques, which she put in her account and waited for them to clear. But within days she received some very bad news.

Her bank had picked up on the fact that the cheques were fraudulent, and the whole story began to unravel. Sara had fallen victim to a well-known scam. The fraudsters exploit the fact that when a cheque clears, the money can appear to be in your account, and you can access it. But if the bank finds a problem with the cheque, they can claim the money back from you.

Sara’s bank reclaimed over £2,000 which she had withdrawn from her bank account, which left her substantially out of pocket. It's a familiar story at Scambusters as a number of other people in Wales have also fallen victim to the Mystery Shopper scam.

Andrew Bertie of Scambusters says, “When we became aware of this scam, we contacted the national newspapers that ran the advert and had run the advert quite genuinely, and immediately those newspapers withdrew it from their circulation. If you're asked to do an assignment for £300 a time and they're paying vast sums of money, then you've got to ask yourself is that the way that normal business is conducted. If you're going to go and withdraw money because you believe it's there then you're liable for it, not the bank, and you will be out of pocket. It is a scam, there's no two ways about it, it's a scam from the outset and people, hopefully, will now be more aware.”

There are legitimate mystery shopping agencies out there, but the potential earnings from this dream job are far less than the hundreds of pounds on offer in the scam ads. X-Ray has spoken to Sara's bank, who say they did make her aware of the all the risks involved in withdrawing the cash before they'd received the money. Dyfed Powys Police are looking into Sara's case.

Western Union have offered the following advice to avoid falling victim to a similar scam:
- Only send money to people you personally know and trust
- If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is
- Never provide your banking information to unknown individuals or businesses
- Never send money to pay for taxes or fees on lottery or prize winnings
- Verify every emergency situation before sending money
- Never send funds from a cheque in your account until it officially clears which can take weeks
- Never send a money transfer for online purchases

Sara banks at Barclays, who provided us with the following information:

The cheque [Sara withdrew funds from] was in Euros’ and is effectively a foreign cheque received from the Ulster Bank. When clearing foreign cheques they can be applied by Collection or Negotiation.

Collection – This is a service provided whereby the Bank obtains payment for the cheque, from the drawer’s bank, before the customer is credited. A commission charge is levied and the foreign bank may take additional charges. The Bank retains a ‘right of recourse’ against the customer in the event of the cheque being dishonoured or returned after final payment. Cheques may still be returned unpaid after payment if the item subsequently found to be fraudulent.

Negotiation – A service provided whereby, subject to status, the bank gives credit to the payee of a cheque, before the Bank has received payment for the cheque from the drawer’s bank. Both commission and interest charges will be levied and the foreign bank may take additional charges. The Bank maintains liability with the customer until payment has been received. The Bank retains a ‘right of recourse’ against the customer in the event of the cheque being dishonoured or returned unpaid. Funds should not be considered final, as the cheque may subsequently be returned unpaid.

In this instance the customer asked for the cheque to be negotiated. The cheque was processed and negotiated and ÂŁ2,361.77 was credited to the account in July. The funds were then withdrawn as cash. In August the account was debited with ÂŁ2,496.80 as the cheque was found to be fraudulent.Ìę The amount that debited differed to the amount credited as the exchange rate had changed. I can confirm that when a cheque is negotiated the customer will have been provided with a copy of our negotiation Terms and Conditions – as stated above.Ìę Barclays were unaware the cheque was fraudulent, however when we failed to receive the funds from Ulster bank the account was debited in line with the Terms and Conditions agreed to. ÌęTherefore we are unable to uphold the complaint, or the request for compensation on this occasion as no Bank error has occurred.

If a company tried to take you to court, alleging you'd broken the agreement you had with them, would you fight back? Well, Rachel went to Freystrop, just outside Haverfordwest, to meet one couple who did just that. Mike and Avril Perry have recently been locked in a battle with a local estate agents. The dispute has ended up in the courts and the Perrys wanted to share their experiences.

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It all began five years ago when the Perrys bought a plot of land off the beaten track, about five miles from their home. The plan was to build a dream home for the family. Mike explained to us he was planning to do the majority of the work.

“What we planned to do was to get a nice sized family home on the front there. A lovely quiet location in a beautiful spot,” he said. “We were really excited, and really looking forward to it” he added.

But then disaster struck when Mike broke his back while helping a friend hitch up a horsebox. Mike was hospitalised but even after the rehabilitation process it was obvious he wouldn’t be able to do the manual work required. Avril explained what they did next: “After that we realised there would be no way we could possibly look to build it, and Mike couldn't do it, so we thought probably the best way at this particular moment was to sell the plot”. They opted to use West Wales Properties. They liked the services they were offering and how professional they seemed. The plot was put on the market for £125,000. They had plenty of viewings and even a couple of offers but they were just too low.

With Mike still not fully recovered, and no offers near the asking price, the situation wasn't hopeful. Then they got an offer from an unlikely source, as Mike told us. “I had a phone call from a person I work with and he'd heard in work that we were selling the plot. I explained everything to him about where it was, what it was like, what planning permission was on it. They made an offer, it was accepted and at that point then we thought, you know, great, it was nice to find a buyer for our plot”.

Mike also added that he felt obliged to let the estate agent know that they’d managed to sell the plot privately. “We'd had a look at the contract. We had an offer from somebody who wasn't anything to do with West Wales Properties. We thought the offer would go through to a sale, so we didn't see any point in them continuing marketing the plot for us,” he said.

The couple decided to terminate the contract giving 21 days notice in writing as required. As they'd sold the land privately they assumed they wouldn't then pay the commission fee - a total of almost ÂŁ2,000. But, West Wales Properties wrote back saying, in their opinion, the terms of the agreement meant the couple were liable for the full commision fee.

The dispute dragged on. When the Perrys exchanged contracts with their private buyer three months later, West Wales Properties was still sending letters claiming they were entitled to commission. The tone of the letters worried Mike. “It became a little bit sort of threatening then when they started referring to court action and so on,” he said. But, then their fears became reality. A letter arrived stating that unless the Perrys settled immediately, West Wales Properties would take action against them, they decided to defend themselves against the small claims action.

Avril explained what their day in court entailed:

“We had Mike and myself one side of the desk and West Wales properites the other side of the desk, two representatives of the company and the judge. It was informal once we were in”.

It was up to the judge to rule whether West Wales Properties had the right to refuse to cancel the Perry’s contract and keep their rights as sole sellers. After considering both sides of the argument, the judge came to his decision.

“The result was that the case was dismissed. And that we had won” explained Mike.

So it seemed that the hassle and stress the couple had experienced was worth it.

West Wales Properties say that they believed the sale was agreed while the contract between themselves and the Perrys was in place. They believed that meant they were due a commission fee. They also say that as the Perrys refused to pay them the commission they had no alternative but to seek the view of the Local County Court. They added they were very disappointed with the Judge’s decision to dismiss the case.

Even though their official timescale of 21 days to lodge an appeal has expired, they say that they’ve been advised they do have grounds for appeal “on points of law”. They say they originally took the view that they could not afford the time and effort to pursue an appeal, but changed their minds when they found out the Perrys intended to tell us their story. They add everything they have done has been in good faith, and they’ve spent a lot time effort and money in marketing the plot over the 14 plus months, and in return they haven’t had a penny.

They say that if they win any appeal they would donate the ÂŁ2,000 fee to a local cancer charity.

This week the Job Hunters looked at the benefits of volunteering. For those out of work volunteering is a chance to achieve the skills and references that employers’ value, gain motivation, meet new people and experience new areas of work.

Some of our Job Hunters were already volunteering. Graduate Gareth Abbott-Haigh helps out at Swim Wales and also with the Air Cadets, teenager Dwayne Landeg is involved with young persons’ homeless charity SYSHP and businessman Alan Goss sits on a number of boards including a Landlord’s Association.

But mum-of-three Gemma Price and ex-factory worker Tim Rees have never had the time to try volunteering, until now. With the help of we matched their skills, interests and needs to volunteering opportunities available in Swansea.

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Tim
After working inside for most of his life, Tim was keen to do something manual outdoors. So we set him up with the team at The Penllergare Trust who look after conservation volunteering at Penllergare Valley Woods.

Volunteer and Training Co-ordinator Ben Monk and Tim got to work thinning a section of woodland, an important job at this time of year to help the growth of stronger trees and allow light into the forest floor.

The Trust is always looking for new volunteers who can help out on a weekly or hourly basis. For more information visit .

Gemma
Volunteering doesn’t have to be something you do alone; many of the volunteering options offer group sessions where you can get to know new people and in some cases the whole family can get involved.

Gemma went to Swansea Community Farm, Fforestfach, a place where people of all ages can learn about the environment, have a hand in growing their own fruit and veg and also look after the animals. The farm is packed with animals from ducks, hens and turkeys to pigs, rabbits and sheep.

To find out more about volunteering or just visiting go to

Volunteering: The Facts

• There are volunteer centres, like Swansea Council for Voluntary Service, in every local authority across Wales. You can get personal advice on which volunteering activities will suit you and they will help to set up placements.
• Alternatively you can visit and search real time volunteering opportunities across Wales. You can search by location and type of volunteering.
• Don’t limit yourself : you can volunteer in a huge range of different organisations and take on different roles from admin to PR to more hands on volunteering like caring for those in need or helping with conservation and the environment.
• Start slowly: don’t over-commit yourself until you know more about what is involved. It is easier to take on additional time later than to withdraw an early offer. There are volunteering opportunities at all times of the day or night so you should be able to find something that fits in with your life.
• Don’t worry about being out of pocket: it is good practice for organisations to pay volunteers' expenses to cover things like travel expenses and meal allowances. Not all can afford this so make sure you ask when you meet the organisations.
• If you are out of work and claiming benefits you can still volunteer as long as you are “actively seeking work” and are able to take up an offer of work within a week. Make sure you tell the Jobcentre about your volunteering.
• There is often the chance for training and gaining valuable work experience - much of what you do while volunteering can be added to your CV and help when it comes to showing employers what kind of an employee you could be.
• Use this to help get work - if you are out of work at the moment or have never worked, time spent volunteering could be beneficial and give you a reference for future employers.

It seems hardly a day goes by without a news headline about another company going into liquidation.

One recent high profile example was Crown Currency Exchange - an online foreign exchange company based in Cornwall. Unfortunately for X-Ray viewer Kay Clarke from Barry, she and her family were victims of the collapse.

The Clarkes were looking forward to a family trip to Florida. After much research the family decided to use Crown Currency Exchange to buy their dollars for the trip. The company was recommended by various money websites and the Clarkes had actually used them before so they had no reason to believe there would be a problem.

After ordering their dollars, the Clarkes were given only two options to pay - via cheque or bank transfer. They paid up and received a confirmation email saying they should expect to receive their currency just in time for their holiday. The family started to look forward to the trip.

But, just a few days after they'd handed over their money, Crown Currency Exchange officially announced they'd gone into administration. The Clarkes' holiday money wasn't going to turn up after all.

Unfortunately for Kay and her family, because of the way that they paid for the currency, they have very little protection when it comes to getting their money back. And they're not alone, some 13,000 customers of Crown Currency Exchange are also out of pocket.

So in these hard times are there any telltale signs we can look out for when a company is about to go under? Lucy went to meet Doug Berry, Senior Lecturer in Consumer Law at the University of Glamorgan to find out his top tips. Doug told us:

"The majority of retailers are offering large discounts now. But look at the size of the discount, is it a discount for today only? Do they want you to sign today? Are they offering extremely large discounts for paying in cash?"

Another warning sign may be if a company previously allowed you to pay with a credit card, but no longer does, then this may be a sign that their bank has withdrawn the facility because they are having difficulties.

Doug also advises consumers to beware of companies that don't want to sign a contract. And also extended delivery dates; if you're given a delivery date of eight to 10 weeks in advance then you should be wary of paying a large deposit.

Is there anything that we can do to try to protect ourselves from companies going bust? Doug suggests listening to the news to see what's happening regarding companies. Big companies as well as small companies are going into liquidation nowadays - use the search engines to see if any company has got a history of problems recently, and if they have, maybe look elsewhere.

And when it comes to paying a deposit, Doug recommends keeping the deposit as small as possible. In a lot of cases you don't need to pay a deposit to secure the goods. Most reputable tradesman have accounts with their suppliers so they don't necessarily have to outlay cash upfront so try and insist on payment only when you're satisfied with the job.

And don't forget, one of the best ways to protect your pocket is to pay by credit card. If the goods cost over ÂŁ100, you can take advantage of section 75 of the consumer credit act which means the card issuer is jointly liable should a company go into administration. Some, but not all Visa debit cards also offer this service. Sometimes it pays to use your plastic, and if you can't, well it might be worth looking elsewhere.

If you've been affected by the collapse of Crown Currency Exchange you can call the Administrators helpline on 0844 826 8659 or see for more information on how to register your claim.