Recruiters have been urged to play a key role in helping candidates that have been made redundant make the right career choice.

Louise White, director at Oyster Retail Recruitment, told Recruiter: “Recruiters can help people who have been made redundant and offer more advice - more structure in terms of CV and interview technique.

“Sometimes, if you are redundant, it can come across that you are desperate to get a position. When we are dealing with redundant candidates, it’s managing them the right way for when they are in the interview process.

“If someone is on a £40k salary and they are looking to reduce to £25k and £30k for a position they really like, instantly our client will say, what happens if they find a job in two months time on £45k, are the going to leave us?

“The answer is that we have to find the candidates who want the position over money.”

Kate McCarthy, managing director at McCarthy Recruitment, adds: “You have got to talk to them about their aspirations and what they want from their career and give them some consultation.

“We spend a long time talking to candidates, redundant or not. It might be through our conversations that the role is not right for them.

“We are offering free redundancy workshops and the sessions are about what you want from your career to make a good career choice.”