Fact: Our country is attempting to recover from an economic recession.

Fact: Unemployment rates have drastically increased over the past year.

Fact: Potential employers may be looking at your résumé more closely and grilling you with important questions during an interview to make sure you are the right candidate for their facility.

Those realities might make health care professionals currently job searching want to run and scream into the night - especially those who may have been laid off or who have taken breaks from the field. But before you start hyperventilating into a paper bag, relax. Your interview doesn't have to seem like a press conference with you in the awkward spotlight. If you think you'll be asked some tough questions during the interview process, you just need to be prepared to give the right answers.

ADVANCE asked interview experts and career coaches how to broach these difficult topics during the job search process.

Situation No. 1: Laid Off
Suppose you got laid off during the past year. The person interviewing you may ask you why you left your last job, and you may have to tell him you got laid off. How should you respond to this delicate topic?

Focus your answer on the new opportunities this situation can bring to your career, said Brent Peterson, PMP, MS, MBA, creator and president of Interview Angel. Also, remember not to present the situation in a negative or personal manner.

Peterson suggested saying something like this: "Due to recent organization changes at my previous employer, a decision has been made that impacted my career there. I am now excited about the opportunity to apply my skills and experience at another organization." Additionally, Peterson noted employers today are "very understanding" about unemployment due to market conditions - 6 months out of work is not that unusual.

"What employers do want to hear about is how you bridged the gap in employment," he told ADVANCE. "Ideally, you can speak of volunteer work and academic accomplishments while you have been evaluating new opportunities."

Situation No. 2: Employment Gap
Maybe you took a year off to have a baby, take care of a sick parent or just take a break from the working world. Now you are trying to get back in it, which can be hard during this difficult time. Your potential employer might ask you what you've been doing during the past year and why you haven't been working.

Don't bring up the gap if the interviewer doesn't, Peterson advised. However, if it comes up, highlight your priorities during the period.

"If the interviewer asks about your gap, be honest, be brief, and be ready to change the conversation to something positive," said Ginny Rehberg, president of Rehberg Management Group, a career consulting, corporate outplacement, and executive coaching firm.

Situation No. 3: The Pay Cut
The only job available or that you are qualified for is much less than your previous salary. This can be a tricky topic. You obviously want to make what you feel you should based upon your skills and experience.

Money is usually an uncomfortable topic during an interview, recession or not. "Salary is traditionally uncomfortable to discuss because candidates are afraid they will either ask for too much or too little," Peterson said. "My best advice is to be upfront with the facts (disclose total compensation from a previous employer, not just salary) and why you deserve to be paid a certain amount."

Angie Maizlish, owner of First Impressions and a certified professional résumé writer, employment interview professional, and career strategist, said not to bring up salary in an interview - wait until the interviewer brings it up. "Clearly state your interest is the position and not the salary," she added.

Rehberg suggested avoiding the salary talk until the potential employer has "fallen in love with you." Once the interviewers are seeing hearts and shooting stars, then it's time for negotiation.

"If they can't live without you, price is no object," Rehberg explained. "Therefore, you will be in a much stronger position to negotiate for even more."

But what happens if what they offer you is a severe pay cut - and there's absolutely no wiggle room? Should you take what you can get during the recession?

Candidates should be willing to take a pay cut if it is the right career opportunity, Peterson said.

Also, remember to consider the total compensation, including vacation and sick days, health coverage and retirement plans. It could actually add up to more than your previous employer offered.

Click to view larger graphic.

Besides obviously getting less money, taking a job with a lower salary will take you out of the job hunt, where you may have found an opportunity where you could make more money. You are also unable to collect unemployment compensation benefits, which are based on previous earnings in most states.

"If you accept a large cut in pay and again find yourself unemployed, your benefits could be far less," Maizlish explained. "If your state pays generous benefits, it may be to your advantage to hold out for a higher wage."

However, you might look at the upside and decide it's better to be employed. "It's widely acknowledged that an employed candidate is seen more favorably than an unemployed candidate," Maizlish said. "You can turn this to your advantage if you've been financially compelled to take a lower-paying job to survive. Taking the offer shows other employers your resilience and work ethic."

This new job could also offer you more experience, newer technologies, and newer skills, along with the healthier frame of mind than could come with being employed.

In the end, she said, you need to consider if this is a good employer with long-term potential.

Situation No. 4: Overqualified
Let's say, for example, you've been a supervisor for three years, but now the only job you can find is one for a staff therapist, and you consider yourself overqualified for that job. The interviewer might think you are, too. What should you say?

"The fact that the interviewer is taking the time to interview you means he is already prepared to overlook this perception," Peterson said. "Your job is to convince him you fully understand his problems and are prepared to solve them."

Maizlish mentioned you should explain to the interviewer why you are interested in the position and assure her you won't jump at the first chance to leave. To prove this, point out your long histories at other facilities.

If you're still at a loss for words, Rehberg suggested you say something like this: "While it may appear I'm overqualified, I'm actually quite committed to this type of role and have found it's really where I fit best. I am excited about the chance to work for your organization because it has such a great reputation and I feel there is still a fair amount I could learn. I certainly wouldn't be bored and am not someone who jumps around, so I think it would actually be an ideal situation for me."

Situation No. 5: Changes
Right now, the only job you can find is one where you'd have to work nights and weekends and move three hours away from your current, much-loved home. Should you change your past routine and possibly your life to get a job?

Peterson said it all boils down to your responsibilities out of work, and not to take a job just to have a job.

"Do not accept a job you will be looking to quit on day one," he noted. "It is not a good use of your time and is a disservice to the person offering the opportunity."

When asked to change shifts or location, remember there are a lot of other people out there who will be willing to do that for a job - so maybe you should think about it, too.

"The reality is many companies are now in 'survival mode' and people are being asked to work longer hours - sometimes for less money," Maizlish explained. "Of course, for ambitious applicants this may provide opportunities to fast track their career development. Take a hard look at what short-term sacrifices you can make and adjust accordingly."

Rehberg added shift changes could also only be temporary, so being flexible could mean getting a job, and then getting to return to your preferred schedule later.

Amanda Koehler is on staff at ADVANCE