How to ace an interview if you’ve been out of work for a while as firms go on a hiring spree

FIRMS are on a hiring spree, with payrolls swelling by almost 100,000 last month.

But as the pandemic drags on, the number of people jobless for at least a year has risen by almost a quarter, to 381,236.

Careers expert  John Lees, of  and author of Knockout Interview, has tips for aceing interviews if you have been  . . . 

❶ Don’t make an issue of it: A lot of people have been laid off lately. Just state your work history and do not say anything downbeat about unemployment or struggling to find work.

❷ Keep it upbeat: With friends, practise answering the question ‘Why are you looking for a job now?’ Do not detail how you were laid off or how you feel about it — say what you have enjoyed in work.

❸ Do not make it about you: If asked why you left your last job, point to a bigger picture, such as: “Like a lot of people, I was laid off last/this year.” Employers worry if they think you were singled out, or sound demotivated or desperate.

❹ Focus on the present: Show you have done your homework into the kind of organisations and roles that interest you. Cite skills evidence matched to the job.

❺ Talk about how you’ve filled the gap: Refer to evidence that you have been active in keeping your skills up to date. Talk about what you have been learning — from online courses, volunteering, work placements, or just by talking to people in interesting jobs.

Law if stuck abroad

TENS of thousands of Brits have rushed back from Portugal after it was added to the UK’s amber travel list. But if you’re stuck abroad or unexpectedly forced to quarantine, what are your rights at work? Employment law expert Alan Price, of Bright HR, explains . . .