After a pleasant in-person informational interview arranged by a former executive of the organization, I submitted my resume and cover letter for a program officer position online, as instructed by my interviewer. Soon, I received an email from human resources asking to schedule in-person interview with hiring manager. I subsequently met with the hiring manager for nearly an hour and the interview was pleasant and conversational, rather than comprised of the 'typical' strengths/weaknesses questions or 'situational' questions. At the conclusion of our meeting he said the next step would be for me to meet with his team. Within a couple of weeks, I met with his team (the two existing program officers I'd be joining, if hired) for close to an hour. They explained a lot about the position and the organization as a whole and again, the 'interview' was more of a friendly, conversational meeting. Unfortunately, the team also made it clear that I was older and 'more qualified' than the ideal candidate that they had in mind. Multiple overt and covert statements were made about my age as a factor (I am in my 40s and did not bring up the subject). A little surprised by their outward comments, I did my best to address concerns about my age, my 'fit' with the culture, my 'over-qualification' status, etc. Then, I heard nothing for 2 weeks. When I finally reached out to the hiring manager, he asked to schedule a call with me later in the week, getting my hopes up that I was going to receive an offer after-all. When he finally called me, I he told me that they had decided to go with another candidate who's experience was a better match.