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| Birmingham graduate secures job after 1,200 failed applications | Birmingham graduate secures job after 1,200 failed applications |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| Deanna Woodhouse-Hawkins, 25, graduated with a Computing and IT Degree through the Open University | Deanna Woodhouse-Hawkins, 25, graduated with a Computing and IT Degree through the Open University |
| A woman who struggled to find a job after graduating from university said she applied for more than 1,200 roles - but only secured two interviews. | A woman who struggled to find a job after graduating from university said she applied for more than 1,200 roles - but only secured two interviews. |
| Deanna Woodhouse-Hawkins, 25, from Birmingham, applied for the positions over a period of 18 months, after graduating with a degree in computing and IT through the Open University. | Deanna Woodhouse-Hawkins, 25, from Birmingham, applied for the positions over a period of 18 months, after graduating with a degree in computing and IT through the Open University. |
| Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins found it impossible to find a job in her field and said she never received any feedback from potential employers on her applications. | Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins found it impossible to find a job in her field and said she never received any feedback from potential employers on her applications. |
| "It was depressing," she told the BBC. "You'd think you'd get more [interviews] as you apply and you'd tailor these CVs and you just hear nothing back." | "It was depressing," she told the BBC. "You'd think you'd get more [interviews] as you apply and you'd tailor these CVs and you just hear nothing back." |
| "Even when you do the assessments they ask you to do, you either don't hear anything back and if you do it's just usually, 'Oh, you haven't passed'," she added. | "Even when you do the assessments they ask you to do, you either don't hear anything back and if you do it's just usually, 'Oh, you haven't passed'," she added. |
| Kelsey Flynn, from Generation UK, said the firm trained people for entry level jobs with a skills shortage | Kelsey Flynn, from Generation UK, said the firm trained people for entry level jobs with a skills shortage |
| Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins, who lives in Quinton, eventually found a role as a Junior Python (widespread computing language) Developer at Global Telecoms Networks, where she has just completed her three-month probation. | Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins, who lives in Quinton, eventually found a role as a Junior Python (widespread computing language) Developer at Global Telecoms Networks, where she has just completed her three-month probation. |
| After struggling with her mental health throughout the job application process alongside claiming Universal Credit, she received help from a foundation that offers support to unemployed people get set up with tech careers in the West Midlands. | After struggling with her mental health throughout the job application process alongside claiming Universal Credit, she received help from a foundation that offers support to unemployed people get set up with tech careers in the West Midlands. |
| She said the programme, run by Generation UK, "instilled hope" that she would finally get a job in a field she had trained for. | She said the programme, run by Generation UK, "instilled hope" that she would finally get a job in a field she had trained for. |
| A skills boot-camp, between October 2024 and January, taught her how to craft a CV that stands out, as well as interview techniques and additional technical skills that were missing from her Open University curriculum. | A skills boot-camp, between October 2024 and January, taught her how to craft a CV that stands out, as well as interview techniques and additional technical skills that were missing from her Open University curriculum. |
| 'Getting ghosted' | 'Getting ghosted' |
| Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins suffers from anxiety and depression and said the main reason her mental health plummeted was because she got no feedback from potential employers. | |
| Out of more than 1,000 applications, she only secured a job interview for her current role and one previous application. | Out of more than 1,000 applications, she only secured a job interview for her current role and one previous application. |
| "It was just literally, applying for jobs, not hearing back, getting ghosted," she said of the process. | "It was just literally, applying for jobs, not hearing back, getting ghosted," she said of the process. |
| "Tailoring your CV to try and get a response. Not getting a response and if you do get a response it's very generic of, 'Oh we've moved onto a different candidate', or someone else fits the job better. | "Tailoring your CV to try and get a response. Not getting a response and if you do get a response it's very generic of, 'Oh we've moved onto a different candidate', or someone else fits the job better. |
| "It's just all the same usual, just being ghosted." | "It's just all the same usual, just being ghosted." |
| Kelsey Flynn, head of impact at Generation UK, said Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins' experience of rejection after rejection was "far too common". | Kelsey Flynn, head of impact at Generation UK, said Ms Woodhouse-Hawkins' experience of rejection after rejection was "far too common". |
| "We see it all the time," she said. "Unemployment amongst young people is on the rise and it's really scary. | "We see it all the time," she said. "Unemployment amongst young people is on the rise and it's really scary. |
| "Most of the people that we come across desperately want careers and are really trying to find them. But they just need access to the training and support." | "Most of the people that we come across desperately want careers and are really trying to find them. But they just need access to the training and support." |
| Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. | Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. |