Key Points
- Karyna Lohvynenko, a 21-year-old Ukrainian postgraduate student at Cardiff University, has applied to 400 jobs across business, politics, and entry-level roles like barista positions, receiving no responses from most employers.
- She describes the ghosting—sudden silence without rejection—as creating “confusion, anxiety, and a dehumanising” experience, worse than outright rejection.
- Lohvynenko holds a business and management degree with a law pathway from Cardiff Metropolitan University and is completing a Master’s in governance at Cardiff University.
- Her CV features extensive experience: volunteering and business work at the United Nations, the Office of the First Lady of Ukraine, international policy roles with American and British councils, and ambassadorship for The King’s Trust.
- She was accepted into six US universities with scholarships but relocated to Wales due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
- Recruitment consultant Michael Jones notes ghosting is rising among job applicants, with applicants often hearing back from only a fraction of applications.
- At a Cardiff University jobs fair, Lohvynenko observed hundreds of students with strong backgrounds struggling to secure any employment.
- Lohvynenko once aspired to become president of Ukraine but now faces repeated ghosting despite fulfilling “everything expected from a graduate.”
Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) May 12, 2026 – Karyna Lohvynenko, a 21-year-old postgraduate student completing her Master’s in governance at Cardiff University, has applied to 400 jobs in sectors including business, politics, and entry-level barista roles, only to be ghosted by the vast majority of employers. Ghosting, a term borrowed from dating where communication abruptly ends, now plagues the job market, leaving applicants in limbo without even a rejection email.
As reported by BBC News journalist Emily Atkinson in
“I’m a Cardiff University MA student who’s applied to 400 jobs – I constantly get ghosted”
(BBC, published recently), Lohvynenko told the BBC:
“If I apply to around 70 jobs per week and only hear back from three, the rest is complete silence – not even a rejection email.”
She added,
“That uncertainty is worse than rejection… it feels like a void. Like your application disappears before anyone even sees it. The ghosting from employers creates confusion, anxiety, and makes the whole process feel dehumanising.”
Lohvynenko’s journey began after graduating from Cardiff Metropolitan University (Cardiff Met) with a degree in business and management, alongside a law pathway, as detailed in a Tab article by student journalist Sophie Lloyd,
“I’ve applied to 300 jobs but my Cardiff University degree has only got me three interviews”
(The Tab, April 8, 2026). She is now pursuing her Master’s at Cardiff University while building a robust CV that includes volunteering and business experience at the United Nations, work in the first lady of Ukraine’s office, international policy roles with both the American and British councils, and serving as a King’s Trust ambassador.
“I completed everything expected from a graduate… experience alone doesn’t open doors,”
Lohvynenko stated to the BBC.
What experiences led Karyna Lohvynenko to the UK and her current job hunt?
Lohvynenko once dreamed of becoming president of her native Ukraine, but her ambitions shifted following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. She had secured acceptance into six US universities with scholarships, yet the war prompted her move to Wales. This relocation, as covered in the BBC report by Emily Atkinson, underscores the personal upheaval many international students face amid global conflicts.
Her determination persists despite the setbacks. At a recent jobs fair hosted by Cardiff University, Lohvynenko witnessed “hundreds of students – many with strong backgrounds – asking for any job,” which she described as “overwhelming” and “truly distressing,” according to both BBC and The Tab coverage.
Recruitment consultant Michael Jones, cited in the BBC article, highlighted the trend: ghosting is “on the rise for job applicants,” with many enduring silence after numerous applications.
How common is job ghosting for graduates in Wales and the UK?
Lohvynenko’s story aligns with broader patterns reported across UK media. The BBC piece emphasises her weekly application rate of around 70 jobs, yielding responses from just three, illustrating a response rate under 5%. The Tab article, while noting 300 applications at an earlier stage, updates the figure implicitly through her ongoing efforts, confirming the scale has reached 400.
No details from the sources indicate interviews beyond the minimal mentions; The Tab specifies only three interviews from hundreds of applications post-Cardiff Met graduation. Her applications span high-level fields like politics and business alongside basic service roles, reflecting desperation amid silence.
Sources attribute her statements directly: to the BBC for the core ghosting quotes and emotional impact, and to The Tab for academic progression and initial job struggles. Michael Jones’s input via BBC provides expert context on the phenomenon’s growth.
What is the background of this development?
This development stems from the post-graduation job market challenges in Wales, particularly for international students like Lohvynenko who arrived amid the 2022 Ukraine crisis. Cardiff University’s governance programme and Cardiff Met’s business offerings represent standard pathways for ambitious graduates. Her pre-UK accolades—UN volunteering, governmental office work in Ukraine, council policy roles, and King’s Trust involvement—position her as overqualified for entry-level positions yet overlooked.
The jobs fair observation highlights systemic overload at university career events, where supply exceeds demand. Ghosting’s rise, per Michael Jones, reflects employer practices amid high application volumes, a trend undocumented in volume here but tied directly to Lohvynenko’s lived experience.
What predictions surround employer ghosting for postgraduate students?
This development can affect postgraduate students, particularly those at institutions like Cardiff University, by prolonging unemployment periods and eroding confidence in the application process. For international graduates such as Lohvynenko, sustained ghosting may heighten financial pressures, given reliance on visas and limited work rights during studies. It could lead to broader withdrawal from the Welsh job market, pushing talents towards relocation or non-professional roles.
Recent graduates in governance, business, and politics face extended job searches, as hundreds at fairs compete for few openings. Entry-level applicants, even with UN-level experience, encounter barriers, potentially increasing mental health strains from the “void” of uncertainty Lohvynenko describes.
