MORE than 300 applications, just three interviews, and there’s still no sign of work for Maria Gaskin after months of searching.

The 22-year-old is just one of more than 4,000 people in the town battling to find employment.

The former Highworth Warneford pupil has been unemployed since February and since then has applied for nearly 350 jobs, receiving fewer than 50 replies.

Maria, who lives with a friend in Oxford Road, says her confidence is at an all time low and the fear of rejection after applying for jobs has taken its toll.

Maria first became unemployed in March last year after a personal decision to leave her job.

She was working for an accountancy firm and before that had worked in schools as an educational assistant.

She said: “I left the accountancy firm and started looking for work.

“I had never had many problems finding work before so I got into it straight away, but then really started to struggle and wasn’t sure why.

“So I sent my CV off to a friend who works at getting people back into work and I had my CV re-modelled and re-shaped. It was looking quite snazzy.

“That got a few replies, mostly rejection, but at least I started getting actual contact from these people I was applying for jobs to, but still nothing.”

In January, Maria got a job as an apprentice kennel assistant through a friend, but after six weeks she was laid off.

Since then, she has applied for 349 jobs, but is still searching.

“I’m signing on with the Job Centre, I am attending job fairs, I am doing everything I can do and I think from that I have had about three interviews,” she said.

“From all those applications I have probably had about 50 replies, but most people just don’t get back to you.

“It feels awful to be in this situation. It makes my doubt myself and think ‘why am I not good enough?’ “It puts me under an immense amount of pressure because not only does it affect you it affects your family and it can affect your friends. If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend it can affect them too.

“It just makes you feel really rubbish and I have little confidence.

“I have almost got to the point now where I feel scared to apply for jobs because I am scared of the rejection, and that is not a place where I saw myself being because I am usually such a confident, outgoing, happy person.

“This has really knocked me for six, but I am still applying every day.

“If I had known it would be this tough finding a job I would never have left my last job.”

Maria is backing the Adver’s campaign to help get people back into work and is calling on employers to give people a chance.

“I think when people hear that you are unemployed and are signing on they almost attach this stigma to you,” she said.

“What I want to get out of this and the campaign more than anything is just to get through to employers that even if you’re not going to take a person on, or give them an interview, just taking the time out to at least reply to them can make the world of difference.

“I have applied for 349 jobs and to have not heard back from 300 of those. It just make me wonder are these made up jobs, are these made up people?

“I think more could be done. I know nobody can invent jobs and the current economic situation is what it is, but if more support groups could be set up for people who are struggling that would make a difference – just to know that you are not alone.

“I would ask employers not to tar everybody with the same brush. I know there are people out there that may not want to work but they are the minority. The majority of people do want to work and are actively seeking work and it is a very tough place to be. I don’t like being at home, I like to be out working. I just want to be independent, I just want to be somebody.”

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