19th September 2024
Marcial Quinones, 48, shares his struggles with the modern job market and how his MBA has not led to stable employment.
Despite a strong background in tech and business, Marcial Quinones, a Gen Xer, struggles to find stable employment in today's competitive job market, highlighting the evolving challenges faced by older job seekers in an AI-driven world.
Quinones had a rocky start in life, dropping out of school in the seventh grade and raising his first child at 18. Despite this, he found success in the tech industry during the 1990s without a high school diploma. By 1999, he was working as an IT manager for Intel but was laid off. He later pursued higher education, earning an associate degree, bachelor's degree, and an MBA in technology management.
Since 2010, Quinones estimates he has applied to over 1,500 jobs, receiving five to ten rejections daily. Despite redoing his résumé over two dozen times and investing $300 in a professional rewrite, he’s received minimal feedback, with only two responses from recruiters. His lack of recent work experience, overqualification, and possibly his race as a Latino American have added to his challenges.
Quinones believes that AI-driven recruitment systems may be rejecting his applications automatically, leading to a lack of human interaction in the hiring process. He feels overlooked despite tailoring his applications for each role. His struggles reflect a broader issue facing older workers and those with traditional degrees in a job market increasingly dominated by technology and automation.
Quinones finds himself in a middle ground—overqualified for entry-level roles but lacking the specific skills many mid-level positions now require, particularly with rapid advancements in technology and AI. This has left him with fewer job opportunities, and even when he removed educational qualifications from his résumé, his work history still flagged him as overqualified.
To support his family, Quinones has created inventory management software for small businesses, volunteered at a middle school, and worked part-time jobs. His wife, who works remotely as a sales supervisor, helps keep the family afloat. Quinones has also battled alcoholism, which he has overcome through bodybuilding. However, despite these efforts, he has yet to secure a stable job.
Quinones' experience highlights a growing trend: mid-career professionals with traditional degrees and experience may struggle to find work as employers shift toward younger talent or those with more up-to-date skill sets. His story is emblematic of a broader challenge for older workers trying to adapt to new job market realities.
Quinones' journey illustrates the challenges faced by older job seekers in an increasingly automated and competitive job market. Despite holding an MBA and having years of experience in tech, his inability to secure stable work sheds light on the evolving expectations of employers and the diminishing returns of traditional credentials. As AI continues to influence hiring practices, workers like Quinones find themselves navigating a system that seems to favor certain skills and experiences over others. His perseverance and adaptability offer a stark contrast to the current state of the job market, where even the most qualified individuals struggle to get a foot in the door.