It’s not all about you. “The most important thing in getting a job after 50 is to understand why anyone would hire you,” says Scott Kane, managing director of Gray Hair Management, a career network and coaching organization for senior-level job seekers. “There’s one common reason people get hired–when the hiring manager sees the candidate as the solution to their problem.”

Kane and others say older job seekers too often want to talk about themselves in job interviews–narrating their resumes in too much detail, and even showing off the battle scars inflicted by unjust employers of the past.

Leave the history and attitude at the door. Instead, go into interviews prepared to listen and understand your prospective employers current situation and issues. Research the company thoroughly in advance. You’re there to find a way to match up the employer’s problems with specific areas of your experience that make you the obvious solution.

“Don’t whine about your last company, your financial situation, your health or your children,” says J.P. Stein, a career coach and human resources consultant. “The employer really doesn’t care. They are interested in earning more revenue, not in providing you with counseling.”