Getting laid off is an embarrassing experience -- and not a particularly fun one to relive again and again during interviews. But the way you handle the topic can make or break an opportunity to restart your career and leave the past behind.

To help perfect your approach, we've compiled the following advice for how you should -- and shouldn't -- handle the discussion.

DO be the first one to address your layoff.

One of the first questions a recruiter is likely to ask is, "Can you tell me about yourself?" Reveal your passions and career motivations first, and then take this as an opportunity to explain your recent layoff. "You'll get credit for bringing it up," says Lewis Lin, founder of Seattle Interview Coach and former hiring manager for Microsoft and Google. "You'll get to frame the layoff and explain it on your own terms, as opposed to letting the recruiter ask about it."

DON'T weave a complex story.

You may still feel wounded from your layoff, but don't be too sensitive and over-explain why you were let go. Weaving a complicated story (like you were laid off during a restructuring even though your boss promised your position would be safe, but instead your colleague was chosen to stay because she had a lower salary requirement -- whew!) will raise red flags that there was some deeper meaning behind your termination. Just say, "There was a restructuring and unfortunately my position was eliminated." Then move on to the next question.