THE MODERN JOB market is facing a quiet crisis. It is built for algorithms and loud self-promotion. It has moved away from human reality, and no longer values human traits like loyalty, integrity, critical thinking and emotional intelligence.

For over a decade, I woke up every day and did my job. I am highly educated and experienced in my field, working in a vibrant, healthy Irish tech sector and was employed on a major global technology project in the Munster region, creating detailed financial reports.

I did not have intense pressure back then. It was a stable environment. I chose loyalty and precision every single day. I did not hop from company to company. I stayed.

Then, one day this year, everything changed. Artificial Intelligence took over our project, and my role was gone.

In the beginning, I was confident. With over 10 years of experience on a major tech project, I was certain I would find a new job quickly. All my friends and family told me the same thing: “With your background, you will be snapped up in no time.”

No opportunities

Now, I have been searching for a new job for 10 months. That is 300 days of sending CVs, going to interviews and facing automated rejection letters.

Anyone who has been out of work for this long knows the true cost. You quickly learn how incredibly hard the reality is. After 10 months of this soulless process, you slowly begin to lose your sense of self-worth. You wake up at 3am in cold sweats. You doubt your skills, your decade of hard work, and your value as a human being.

Month after month, I see the same job listings constantly reappearing online. It makes me wonder… do these companies have completely unrealistic requirements, or do they just have a high employee turnover?

Employers would rather leave these roles empty and overwork their current teams than hire an experienced person who simply wants to stay.

My journey through interviews has been full of painful contradictions. As an introvert, this loud corporate world is exhausting. In interviews, I simply do not know how to “sell myself” the way other people do.

I am a doer, not a performer.

To make matters worse, the interviewers rarely help you show your true potential. While some were kind, many others treated me with condescension. They looked down on me from a position of absolute power. They treated the interview like a cold interrogation rather than a mutual partnership. I also found myself worrying if my non-native accent was working against me. It added silent anxiety to an environment that rewards loud showmanship.

Navigating the new corporate

On one side, for permanent corporate roles, hiring managers tell me: “You are overqualified. We worry you will get bored and leave.”

They do not see that what I actually want is a steady, quiet permanent job where I can do my work in peace. I have no intention of running away.

On the other side, when I apply for a simple office job, like invoicing, they tell me: “You lack specific experience in this exact billing tool.”

A professional who spent over 10 years successfully reconciling complex data for a major multinational company can master a standard invoicing tool in 48 hours. But modern HR prefers a checklist over real-world accuracy.

This blindness is made worse by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) – modern software-driven candidate screening processes — that delete CVs in seconds because of a missing keyword. They cannot scan for integrity or the quiet resilience it takes to manage reporting for over a decade.

These ATS systems are now widely used but are considered problematic in some quarters, accused of ‘breaking hiring’. They ruin the chances for genuine candidates to even get to the front door of a workplace.

If employers use ATS to weed out AI-generated CVs, they also run the risk of missing the perfect employee who dropped that magic keyword. It’s a minefield, and much like the impact of tech on the modern dating scene, the ‘AI-ification’ of recruitment has served to further dehumanise all involved. It’s disheartening and worrying. 

Trying not to lose hope

Companies are currently obsessed with dynamic performers who look good in interviews. The new world loves the extrovert, maybe because it has been built by loud, brash tech bros. But the loudest person in the room is rarely the one doing the actual heavy lifting.

Related Reads

Careers expert: It's wrong that experienced candidates are hiding their age when seeking work

Ageism in the jobs market: When did experience become a liability?

Lawyer: 'The justifications for many redundancies in Ireland are getting thinner and thinner'

My strength lies in absolute focus, an exceptional eye for detail, and complete loyalty to my team. When HR departments choose showmanship over quiet competence, they lose the very backbone of their operational stability. 

For now, I remain fully committed to navigating this uncertain new terrain and to finding a permanent, full-time corporate role to regain my financial independence.

While going through this 10-month storm, I needed a healthy way to cope with the immense stress of it all. A productive space to channel my energy and keep my mind sharp.

That is how I found my temporary escape. I have turned to creative design and independent online projects as my practical therapy. It has given me back a vital sense of purpose and structure, even as the corporate world is slow to open its doors. It proves to me every day that my eye for detail is still valuable, even while I wait for a hiring manager to see it.

My gentle appeal to employers in Ireland is simple: turn off the robots for a second. Stop fearing candidates with long-term stability or the “overqualified” label.

Give the steady professionals, the introverts and the fiercely loyal specialists a real human chance to tell their story. You might find that the person you worry will leave is the exact, trustworthy anchor your team has been missing all along.

And for the government currently busy in Dublin hosting the EU presidency, keep your eye on what’s coming down the road. Ireland has made hay for years under its Foreign Direct Investment model, and it has helped the country grow and sustain more than healthy employment numbers, but that system is changing with AI muscling in.

It may not last much longer because you can be assured there are many more like me.

** Agnes (name changed) is a former operations specialist looking for work in the Munster area.