In total, he said he’s applied for about 1,500 jobs unsuccessfully, getting five to 10 rejections daily this year, screenshots shared with BI show. He’s redone his résumé over 25 times, spending $300 for a professionally created one that yielded zero interviews — which he got partially refunded. He’s asked his friends in IT and project management to review his applications.
He said he’s in a middle ground: He’s overqualified for many entry-level positions but underqualified for jobs in related industries. He acknowledged hiring expectations have skyrocketed over the past few years. He even tried removing some educational background on his applications to seem less qualified to no avail.
He believes many of his rejections are for positions that companies legally have to post but give to internal candidates or recommendations.
“I used to get interviews for jobs where I beat out 600 people,” Quinones said. “Now, it’s hard to get a job when you don’t have a foot in the door to interview.”