Helping people back onto career ladder is crucial

Most, if not all of us, will have spent some time unemployed in our lives.

There can be a multitude of different reasons for being so - whether it’s a difficult and competitive job market, or maybe just a particular time in our lives when we feel unable to work.

It can be a daunting experience - such is the pressure for us to be in work and “contributing to society” - with many obstacles to overcome before landing a steady job.

Even if you are successful in getting a response from someone after firing off dozens of CVs and cover letters, you then have to tackle probably the biggest hurdle of all - the dreaded interview.

However much we like to tell ourselves not to judge a book by its cover, fundamentally in this environment first impressions do matter - you’ll have to do pretty well to convince an employer to hire you if you stroll in wearing a t-shirt with holes in it, stained jeans and scruffy trainers.

But formal ‘interview attire’ usually doesn’t come cheap, which is yet another stumbling block for jobseekers before the actual sit-down grilling has even begun.

Therefore it’s been heartwarming to see this week the Demelza hospice charity doing its bit to help out with its Dress to Impress scheme, which allows job hopefuls to kit themselves out with the right clothes to ace an interview for just £10.

Surely we all know how difficult being unemployed can be, so we could all do with following Demelza’s lead in offering a helping hand, rather than just vilifying those struggling to get on the career ladder.

‘You’ll do pretty well to convince an employer wearing a t-shirt with holes in’