I NOTE from The Press that the former Labour leader of City of York Council James Alexander has secured only a short fixed-term contract in his new role with the national Labour Party.

Perhaps a word of encouragement may be appropriate. Understandably, when preparing a CV, most of us tend to major on what we regard as our achievements and successes, even if our own efforts have been supported by the work of senior officers, or even consultants.

When being interviewed, candidates are often asked by an interview panel if they have experienced failures or setbacks during their career.

If one is humble and honest enough to admit such failures, and indeed demonstrate that personal lessons have been learned as a result, this need not be a deterrent to successfully landing a top job.

So don’t despair, James.

Ian Collinson, Longridge Lane, Nether Poppleton, York.