Around one in four (24%) professionals were forced to take jobs they were over-qualified for or seek work in an unrelated sector during the recession, according to the latest Employment Study from international recruiter Badenoch & Clark.

The under-24s are the hardest hit, with one third (33%) of this age group forced to take a job for which they were over-qualified.

Professionals in the legal (20%) and banking and financial services (17%) sectors were more likely than any other sector to take a job that was totally unrelated to their core career.

Neil Wilson, managing director of Badenoch & Clark, says: “Professionals with ‘bruised CVs’ need to think carefully about how this will have an impact on the future of their career, and start taking every opportunity to address the situation now.

“Reading your trade media, seeking advice from peers, colleagues and recruiters – all of these things are ways to regain control of a career that may have been temporarily derailed by the necessities of the recession.”