A teenager who was turned down for more than 150 jobs – including working in a fast food restaurant – has landed her dream role in the City.

Barking and Dagenham Post: The former Barking & Dagenham College student says she can't believe her luck after being turned down from McDonald's less than a year ago. Photo: Vikki Lince.The former Barking & Dagenham College student says she can't believe her luck after being turned down from McDonald's less than a year ago. Photo: Vikki Lince. (Image: Archant)

Sasha Poveda of Eliot Road, Dagenham, struggled with the tough workload at college and left after a few months in September last year.

Disheartened but determined to get her life back on track, the 17-year-old then tried a business administration course at Barking and Dagenham College but was unmotivated by the Rush Green campus course and dropped out in January.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do next,” admitted Sasha, who walked around the whole of Romford town centre with her CV but was rejected at every turn.

“To be honest I thought if I couldn’t even get a Saturday job at McDonald’s, what hope had I got?” she admitted.

Sasha struggled without having a maths GCSE and was too young to get a cleaning job.

But her luck turned when she took advice from a friend to apply for apprentice jobs.

Before long she was contacted by training experts MiddletonMurray and embarked on a six-week course in Romford on everything from CV-sharpening to interview practice – as well as gaining the equivalent maths GCSE.

“Most people don’t have a clue what they want to do when they leave school,” explained Sasha, who attended Eastbrook School in Dagenham Road.

“They helped me decide what I wanted to do. My dream had always been to work in the City and they thought my personality would make a good recruiter.”

Armed with skills and a lot more confidence, Sasha managed to snap up an apprenticeship with recruitment firm AdRoc Group in Aldgate in June.

“I didn’t know what recruitment was before but I now I know about the statistics,” enthused Sasha.

She has already been promoted from talent scout to resourcer, with a job in the pipeline.

“Six months ago I didn’t know where I was going, I couldn’t have imagined it at all,” Sasha said. “It’s made me more mature, it’s made me the person I am.”