Reply #5: Congrats! Three years unemployed here.

[stopbush]

Plenty of interviews for good-paying positions in that time, but nada.

I usually get the old "you're over-qualified = oh, we didn't realize you were over 35...never mind" routine. That also translates into the "you're over-qualified = oh, we had no intention of paying you a salary commiserate with your experience, or even half of your experience, for that matter" routine.

I've been flown in for interviews, etc. And, I've been told - and I always feel - that I interview quite well. I haven't had an interview in the past three years that didn't run at least an hour to an hour-and-a-half (I feel that's way too long for an interview, BTW. I've been on plenty of them where the company is just poking for freebie info that they can use without hiring anyone, so I try to keep as much info as close to my vest as possible. But when you're interviewing for more-senior management positions, they usually put you through the wringer. C'est la vie!).

But, next week is another week, and hope springs eternal (I have the feeling I'll be saying this until January, 2005!).

Again, congrats!