"Is there a stigma attached to being made redundant when looking for a new job?"
Paul Gilbert says: "I do not believe so. The most important thing however is not to take into your search for a new role any sense of grievance about the circumstances of your redundancy. Before you embark on your new search therefore, ensure you have a proper chance to reflect and to evaluate any lessons learned, to de-personalise the events and ensure you are refreshed and focussed on the challenge ahead. Also make sure that you have a credible story to tell, not in any self-conscious way, but to show that there is no sense in which you are failing to handle the fact of your previous role’s redundancy.
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Kaye Thumpston says: "This is a question we have recently raised with some of our private practice clients, and the outcome has generally been that firms and partners are happy to receive applications from candidates that have been made redundant providing they have done something productive with their free time. Good examples would be attending training courses, obtaining some consultancy or locum work, or pursuing other business interests. This is particularly important within the more commercial areas of law where remaining well-networked will be the key to your future success.
Within Local Government I do not believe redundancy will have a stigma attached, providing good references are available and training is kept up to date. Employers within the private sector had to become much more sympathetic to redundancy situations during the recession and I would expect this to follow in the public sector following the recent cuts.
The general rule however is the longer the gap on the CV the more difficult it becomes to return to a similar role. It is therefore of key importance to be as flexible as possible when job seeking in order to minimise the amount of time spent out of work."