'It's just insane' Recent graduates struggle to land first job

"The job market is so insane right now. I've got work experience and internships from the UK, Paris and Hong Kong.

- Jedidajah Otte

I've taken courses, networked and am working in an admin job to try to get more skills after no luck with applications."

Having graduated from the University of Oxford with a firstclass degree in English and French last year, Emma (not her real name), a 23-year-old from London, said she had been on the hunt for a graduate job in publishing and adjacent industries ever since. She is now sending out five applications a week, alongside a full-time job, and has so far secured just four interviews and an offer of a minimum wage internship - which was retracted.

"The expectation that if you've got a good degree and good skills you'll be fine is just no longer tenable. I feel like I'm throwing myself at a brick wall." Emma was one of dozens of recent university graduates who shared their struggles to secure their first job with the Guardian.

They described "souldestroying" job hunts in many apparently saturated fields spanning months or even years, companies that "ghosted" applicants who had completed online assessments or took months to respond, and being unable to land jobs they felt they were overqualified for.

Respondents who had graduated with a first-class degree, often from prestigious universities, and in subjects such as engineering, computing, cybersecurity or other fields thought to be crying out for skilled workers said they had been sending dozens or even hundreds of applications without getting an interview.