Experienced job hunters can open up a universe of opportunities, but many of the jobs the mid-life job hunter qualifies for can clearly indicate they are overqualified. The employer will quickly see that hiring the experienced job hunter would result in the open position being a demotion.

Does the applicant really want the job or if we hire them how long with they stay with us, are just two of the questions going through the mind of the hiring manager.

If you indicate, in your cover letter, that you are applying for a department head position and previously you were a director or higher, the hiring manager gets uneasy. If their questions aren't clearly answered your resume goes no further. More often than not, in this situation your information will be discarded.

There are really two methods to solve this problem.

First, it's true that the farther up the career ladder you go there will be fewer job opportunities. However, without compelling reasons to apply for a position which you are obviously overqualified your job hunting efforts will go nowhere.

So a winning approach to solve the problem is by not creating it in the first place. Take another look at your job hunting strategies. Even though there may be fewer opportunities, plan to work smarter, increase the geographical area and perhaps add closely related careers to your job search efforts.

Do additional research of possible employers and focus your job hunting to employers that can use your previous level of skills. Build your network to uncover possible jobs. Spend the necessary time to tailor you resume and cover letter to fit the needs of the specific employer. Now you have a job hunting plan in place that should yield you job opportunities more in keeping with your previous experience.

Second, if you do have a well-founded reason to go after a job in which you are clearly overqualified; it should be noted in your cover letter. Perhaps you want to shed a portion of your previous management duties, or you want to cut back on business travel or there are advantages to reducing your commute. Your reason must be compelling to assure the employer you are sincere in moving into the job below your previous level.

Stay away from reasons like trying to reduce stress or pressure. Indicate you would be happy doing the job and if you can back this up with strong reasons now is the time in the cover letter to do so.

So now you have two possible job hunting options if you are an experienced mid-life job hunter. Pick the strategy that will work best for you and go after it with enthusiasm.

John Groth has changed careers seven times during his working life. Learn more about changing careers, job hunting strategies and career planning at http://careersafter50.com. Discover how others over age 50, built winning career plans and found the right careers by effective job hunting after 50.