‘The social contract is broken’: young people on feeling shut out of careers

In the first instalment of a new series, four young people reveal the impact of an endless cycle of applications and rejections

• Guardian to follow lives of eight young people in their search for jobs

“I’ve been demoralised by the process, just constantly applying, then interviewing. I’ve just been applying to any jobs that I could find. I’d really like to be employed by now. Some companies don’t even give rejection emails … they’re not obligated to reply to the prospective interviewee, but they should be compelled to.”