> Avoid the "grumpy old programmer" stereotype at all costs. Instead, you want to be the "bad-ass wizard" that people need to solve hard problems, and people want Gandalf, not Saruman.

Fair enough, but that's kind of hard to show in an interview. My typical experience is that the first couple of months on a job, I'm soaking the whole place up (i.e., figuring out their unique accumulated horrors), and my bosses typically have no idea what I'm doing (and are thinking they made a mistake hiring me).

Then suddenly (to them) I start becoming really productive, and in short order they realize I'm the guy who can solve the problems no one else can. Once had a boss cry when I turned in my notice.

But how do you sell that?