I’ve applied to 300 jobs, but my Cardiff University degree has only got me three interviews

A Cardiff University student said the job market has become “emotionally exhausting” after she applied to over 300 jobs and only secured an interview three times.

Karyna Lohvynenko, 21, is currently studying for a Master’s in governance and devolution at Cardiff University after previously completing an undergraduate degree in Business Management at Cardiff Metropolitan University. 

Despite having what most people would call an impressive CV, Karyna found it almost impossible to secure work.

As well as her degrees, she has worked with the First Lady of Ukraine, the American and British Councils, Cleveland City Hall in Ohio and is also an ambassador for The King’s Trust.

But after hundreds of applications across the legal, public and business sectors, she still has “no idea where to turn next”.

“I’ve had around three interviews, all of them were AI interviews, and I’ve received roughly 30 rejection emails. The vast majority of companies simply never respond at all.”

Karyna moved to Cardiff following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

She told WalesOnline she used to dream of becoming the President of Ukraine, but as she reaches the end of her university education, even getting an entry-level job now feels out of reach. She described the process of job hunting in the UK as “extremely stressful and emotionally exhausting.”

“I knew the UK job market was difficult, but I didn’t expect it to be this challenging,” she said.

“It’s been quite disheartening. After receiving so many rejections, or no responses at all, it really affects your confidence. I’ve tried to stay positive, but it’s been very difficult to see any upside in this situation.”

Karyna said she even paid for CV and application support and turned to recruitment agencies in an attempt to improve her chances. “It adds extra financial pressure while applying for entry-level roles,” she explained.

via Facebook

Karyna’s experience is not unique. Earlier this year, figures from the Office for National Statistics found that 16.1 per cent of 16 to 24 year-olds are currently out of work, excluding those still in education.

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And according to Karyna, plenty of Cardiff students are having the same struggle as she is. 

She recalled, at a recent university careers fair, students were desperately asking employers for any kind of opportunity, hoping to gain experience or simply get a foot in the door.

“At this point, most of us no longer feel we have the privilege to choose roles aligned with our interests,” she said.

“People are applying for anything just to secure employment, even if they don’t see a future in it.”

Karyna thinks the issue is less about individual candidates and more about the wider job market.

“I believe the main issue is a lack of available jobs overall, not just graduate roles, but jobs in general,” she explained.

“I know that a local café near my house had around 150 applicants for a single barista position.

“At that level of competition, employers don’t even need to review most applications. They can select a candidate from the first small batch and ignore the rest. I think this is happening across all sectors. After a certain number of applications, many are likely filtered out automatically.”

She also believes the growing use of AI in recruitment is making it even harder for graduates to stand out.

After more than 300 applications, Karyna said it is easy to start blaming yourself, but she thinks the real problem is structural.

“Repeated rejections can make you question yourself, but I genuinely believe the core issue is that there simply aren’t enough opportunities for the number of applicants.”

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