Dominic Joyce had applied for more than 100 jobs by the time he reached the final round for a maternity cover HR position this summer. After two online interviews, he attended an assessment day that included meetings with senior bosses at the tech company where he hoped to work.

So when Joyce received a short rejection email, he was extremely disappointed. He seemed no closer to finding a job than when he was made redundant in March. Worse, the company provided no constructive feedback. Half the 156 jobs he has applied for gave no response at all.

“There’s been times when it’s a Friday and I’ve had three rejections in one day,” he says. To make ends meet, Joyce has worked as an Amazon driver and sold a family heirloom. “I’m not in a great place. You put on a smiley face [but] the process is rotten.”