I need your guidance regarding the obstacles I'm encountering in my job search. I am a well-educated (top-tier MBA program) professional in my mid-50s who has held significant director-level positions in finance and business planning and analysis, with very strong business application tools skills. While my prior permanent positions were at a relatively senior level, I've also applied for many finance and business analysis positions that are at a lower level and salary than my previous positions. These opportunities have been both directly with employers and through agencies. I've also made it clear that I'd accept contract consulting positions as well. Neither employers nor agencies will consider me for these lower-level permanent positions because, "You're overqualified," "It pays less than you were making before," etc. I've stressed repeatedly to company and agency recruiters that I'm adaptable and that as a matter of professional ethics I would not accept a position unless I had the intention to fulfill the expected minimum time commitment.

Much as employers do not want to hire candidates who are underqualified for positions, they are reluctant to hire individuals who appear overqualified. What hiring managers are seeking are employees who are "exactly qualified" for each position.

Individuals who are successful at "de-qualifying" themselves are people for whom senior positions have not been a good fit. Through honest self-assessment, these individuals have found their skills, lifestyle, or personality are better suited to a less-stressful, less-senior role. Of course, they have also been lucky to find enlightened employers who can look "outside the box" and are willing to hire them.

If you decide you would be happy in a lesser role in an organization, then it's up to you to persuade a prospective employer or recruiter that this is true. Rework your resume so that it presents you as exactly qualified for the types of staff positions for which you are applying. Highlight the staff jobs that you've had that most closely resemble the positions that you are applying for, and downplay your director positions.

Try to schedule informational meetings with as many people as possible in your field. Network heavily instead of relying just on recruiters or job listings. A network contact may help you circumvent some of the obstacles that you are encountering.

Let's imagine a scenario in which you successfully overcome the obstacles to your being hired:

Do you see yourself as happy in your new job or do you resent the loss of income, prestige, and responsibility and the "dumbing down" of your education and experience?

Consulting may provide the middle ground between senior positions and lower-level staff positions. You could join a consulting firm that works in your industry or field, or decide to go into business for yourself. Consulting might enable you to flex your experienced senior management muscles.

The first step in actively pursuing consulting opportunities would be to identify your consultable skills and an appropriate niche for yourself. Focus on organizations that might benefit from your expertise and experience.

Build your base of network contacts — colleagues, alumni of the university from which you earned your MBA, etc. As you network and meet with individuals in some of your target companies, propose the idea of contract employment.

Finally, some employers use the term "overqualified" as code for "too old." It's a subtle form of age discrimination that in most cases cannot be proven. The reality is that mature job seekers must assume the burden of proof for demonstrating they are competent, energetic employees who are able to make a long-term commitment to the organization.

How do you follow up after an interview? What is the best timing to call back for interview status? How do you remain in contact after being rejected or not hired for the position interviewed for?

To answer your question about timing, the key to knowing when to follow up after an interview is to ask the person interviewing you. Ask the interviewer how long he or she anticipates the interviewing process to take. Then ask if it's OK to call back to check on your interview status, and find out the time frame for hiring. Find out if the interviewer prefers e-mail or voice mail.

The first and most important means of following up after an interview is the thank-you note. Always send one to the interviewer as soon as possible. If you have had prior correspondence with the company via e-mail, it is acceptable to send your thank-you note that way. But, a hand-written one on nice-quality notepaper always makes a stronger, more lasting impression.

If more than one person interviewed you, send a separate, personalized thank-you note to each interviewer. Make sure you have the correct spelling of each person's name and accurate job titles. A well-crafted thank-you note can enhance your candidacy.

Continue to remain in contact with the interviewer by sending him or her interesting articles in the field, links to relevant websites, or any additional information about you that might enhance your candidacy. Send a press release disclosing an award that you just won, or a flyer about an upcoming speaking engagement.

Keeping your name and your candidacy in the forefront is especially important if your interview was one of the first interviews, and the process seems to be dragging on. If possible, try not to be the first person interviewed for a vacancy. At the very beginning, employers are sometimes on a fishing expedition and still unclear about what kind of candidate they want, and what the responsibilities of the job will be. A truly classy gesture is to send another follow-up letter to the employer after you have been rejected for a job opening that you liked and thought you were well-qualified for.

More than one second-choice candidate has been hired by staying in touch with the employer. With skill, you can sometimes even transform an interviewer into an advocate who can help you in the job search, and refer you to other openings in the organization or elsewhere.

I have a friend who collects letters of recommendation for her portfolio. I say it's a waste of time because people aren't going to tell the truth on a letter they know you'll see. People aren't going to be nasty to your face. I also think that employers know this, and thus understand that a letter of recommendation handed in by an applicant is worthless. My friend disagrees and says that one of her letters is from a gentleman who has since developed Alzheimer's and if she hadn't gotten a letter from him when she did, that reference would be lost forever. What's your take?

The bottom line is written references rarely take the place of telephone conversations, but savvy job seekers will collect written references as one more tool in their portfolio. At the least, a written reference can serve as a memory aid for the person who wrote it; at most, when the person writing the reference is no longer available, a written reference can substitute. The use of written references varies widely by career field. Educators still rely heavily on written references, while most employers in the corporate sector prefer telephone conversations with supervisors.

A written reference can verify employment and corroborate the employer's positive opinion of you as a prospective hire. Most reference letters do not reveal candidate weaknesses. As most written references are general in nature, they usually end with granting permission to the reader to call if he or she needs "additional information" or "elaboration."

Roni F. Noland, a freelance writer and career counselor/coach based in Milton.

Got a question for the Job Doc? Tell us what hurts and we'll try and find the remedy for your career woes, every Sunday in the BostonWorks section of the Sunday Globe. E-mail your questions to or mail to Job Doc, The Boston Globe, PO Box 2378, Boston, MA 02107-2378. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.