Anonymous, my heart goes out to you. I grew up without even the basic lessons of social interactions most people expect from each other, and rose in the organizations I worked for early on with "grit", obscenely long hours and by being fast on my feet. Then I joined a professional consulting firm, where I have been for > 20 years. The game changed, the rules changed, and the bar on behavior got raised - a lot. If it is any consolation, fast forward 7-8 years into the consulting world and our practice is interviewing those entitled grads - many of whom we laughed about after they left the floor because even though they had a good degree and were smart they had not DONE anything yet. There is no way we would put them in front of a client. But they still wanted the salaries we worked hard for as their entitled starting pay. Unfortunately, many companies will hire based on pedigree rather than ability. Ask yourself a question - do you REALLY want to work with these people? If you want recognition, you may need to work in a meritocracy. Then no matter what your title, you are valued based on ability and achievements (and possibly contributions to the team). The money comes if you are good at what you do, the title might or might not be there for you (situational). To quote Dr. Phil (before he became famous) - Be sure you know the difference between "fake it till you make it" and "behave your way to success". Looking long term, it may take a combination to gain success. After 30 years of trying, I have never made VP, for a variety of reasons. I made all the changes I know I needed to make, and have interviewed for the role many times, but I never got the offer. Here I am happily positioned one step below VP - 3 times - and 3 times my employer was bought by another company, and the "winners" bring in their own talent, even if your talent is better. Out of my control. So 15 years into my "career", I migrated into working for a large consulting firm. The advantage I have had in IT software consulting is that I finally got smart enough to maneuver to work on the right client project for me. Like colleges, and many companies, some clients want the schmoozers, and some will pay you to do "analysis paralysis" with them forever, and some actually want people to do the work. You have to understand who you are, what you want, where you fit, and what your company or client wants - the culture match has to work both ways for everyone to be happy. And as you rise in your profession's ranks, culture fit becomes more important with each position. Don't forget, you are interviewing them just as they are interviewing you. As a practical matter, you are also at a disadvantage working in the 2000's. In the 1980s and 1990s, large corporations engaged in a frenzy of mergers and buyouts, These were all rationalized as "good" for us, when in fact it resulted in organizations becoming flatter and flatter - less senior positions for everyone, no matter how good you are. Then in the 2000s, we added several technology tools that flattened organizations even more. In my industry, those VP jobs simply are not there anymore in quantity, and they are not coming back. I am not saying this to discourage you, just to help with a market orientation. Further, what part of the country you live in makes a difference too. Unfortunately, the general wisdom in one of my firms is that if you want a promotion, stick to the east or west coast, or a tech center, and stay out of the Midwest. And now of course, we have Covid-19, and the market is soft, so there is lots of good talent in competition. All that said, I do understand your anger and frustration, I still carry mine, but in private. And with the energy of that redirected. Yes, there really is a difference in attitudes and beliefs between people who have earned privilege and those who inherit by money or family. And just so you know, you may ALWAYS feel this difference. But what you do with that is important for your mental and physical health. And most important, do not let others who operate on "who do you know" erode your confidence in your own ability. There are two different things being measured here. (Again, do YOU really want to work with these people? Every day?) Maybe consider a different industry or strategy? Someone else suggested trying smaller companies, who always need good talent, and you may even find happiness with a good fit. I don't know if there is a way to do a private contact on this site, but if I can help one-on-one, even if just to vent, please let me know. For now, I need to get back to my own job hunt... :-)

The failure of others to see your value, doesn't mean that it not there and also isn't your responsibility. Keep your head up and ultimately you'll find your way to that management role. It may not for that particular company, but it'll be all that much more worth it being somewhere that values you as a whole.

For many for profit entities, people at the VP level have mostly Business Development (BD) responsibility and are often hired specifically for their connections. Companies need for candidates at this level to use their connections/relationships to get into the room with decision-makers/influencers and space deals BEFORE they hit the streets. I bet that you are a fit for a VIP role; those corporate cultures of those companies were just not a fit for you. As others have suggested, include researching political affiliations/leanings of companies before applying.

What is your motivation for seeking a position at the VP level? Your post implies that you believe at least to some degree that a VP position is a natural next step in your career path. But why? Are you looking for higher pay and/or more respect and responsibility or challenges? Or something else? Perhaps if you articulate why you are attracted to these positions, you will understand what your next steps ought to be.

Wow your recent interview experiences sound pretty painful. You mention in your post you graduated college from a state school? Why not apply for the same type of role at a state school? Also, I wanted to recommend maybe applying for a VP role in a different type of industry like utilities electric, gas, water companies, etc. Most have an engineering department. Also, you mentioned how liberal the interviewers were? Maybe do more research and if you are conservative apply for a VP role with a company who sides more with the conservatives. Better yet a company not openly involved with politics.

Wow, I am really glad I'm not in the corporate world. Sometimes I envy my friends who make hundreds of thousands a year, but when I hear stories like this, I know I made the right choice even though I'll never be rich doing what I'm doing.

I think you probably need to dig into the job description to get the answer to some of your questions, and it likely comes down to how much interaction you'll have with a board or alum in the case of the school. For example, I used to run education programs for a museum. At the time, I was not responsible for having to do any direct fundraising, but I received similar questions. They want to know how you will talk to people you are around. Wining, dining and schmoozing is likely part of the gig. Your takeaway may need to be to pick up these interests - participate in networking that allows you to gain some of those connections, read up on politics and hot button issues in the industry you're applying for. You may not be a sales person, but in high management roles you need to be in some ways.

Sounds like some of your interviews were bias and discriminatory of your equal employment opportunity (EEO) all hiring practices should be fair and objective if you could report your experiences each firm/school per Policy & Procedure should have anti-discrimination rules and regulations where you can report their interview panel's practices to sabotage your right to an EEO per protected class violations sex race religion culture socio economic background status political affiliations etc

I work in these “ upper echelons” (as a ceo, a coo etc) but my industry is very different than what yours sounds like- so take this insight as you will. I agree with much of what has been said, including examining your own biases and how they may be manifesting themselves. When you start interviewing for vp+ jobs it does get tougher.. more political, internally and externally. And while what you have portrayed here isn’t appropriate to be asked in an interview, the political undercurrent is going to be there...In the interview and probably in the job as well. Certainly your experience has been unfortunate but before you go away with a bad taste in your mouth and even if you don’t want the job in the end consider this... It is tough to sit in some of those higher seats... especially as a woman. Sometimes this toughness is not portrayed well- and we need to give each other a little grace. After all we don’t know others stories and the degree may not say it all. Them making an assumption about you is just as bad as you making an assumption about them. Answer your interview questions with dignity and if you feel they are inappropriate questions, say that and don’t answer. There are many people who would appreciate your candor. Some interview questions are also pre-determined, so it may not even be something they care about but just have to ask. Try to get past the questions and connect with the person interviewing... in the end my experience has indicated that is what will really move you up not the questions themselves.

Asking about your politics and how you feel about BLM... or what politic groups you are involved in is quite frankly none of their business and reeks of illegal unless you are applying for a role that’s in politics or lobbying. Let me be clear your race, sex, and political leanings have nothing to do with your technical knowledge. I’d walk out of the interview. Candidates stopping the interview process is more common than you think. We had a candidate tell off our CEO because he was horrid to them in the interview. The guy said he didn’t want to work for him and disconnected from the video call. The feedback to our recruiter from this candidate was epic. Asking a person of color their view point on BLM is the same as assuming they like certain foods. It’s disgusting. I had an interviewer assume my politics based on my Irish Surname and my location. They were dead wrong and I reported this illegal action to the hiring manager. The only good thing about having this brought up is you were given a fast view of company culture. They want and only hire like minded individuals and group think. There is a grand thing to failing fast. Never put red flags on culture aside unless you are truly desperate for any job. I will also ask you to look at the organizations you are looking at to join. Look at the management suite bios for patterns. Are they all Ivy League ? What are the charities sponsored? Google the leadership team to see who they are in their personal life. If they Google you, what do they i Finally, ask yourself why you want this step up. Are you finding that the real work is POLITICAL vs technical? It is okay to be happy at the amazing level and work you do. Take it from me, being a VP as a title, isn’t nirvana. There are recruiters which can help you to find the right match. Don’t settle. Don’t put up with this behavior from pompous interviewers. An interview is a two way street. You can politely refuse to answer a question. I have. It scared me at first. It didn’t stop me from moving thru the interview process. I also declined the role. The inappropriate question asked of me (current salary -illegal to ask) certainly factored into me saying no thank you. One question you can ask when faced with an inappropriate question is “ why do you want to know?” Can you share how you are involved before I answer? Answer inappropriate questions with probing questions on the why? Then shut up and let them sit with the awkward silence. Good luck. I’m sorry you have faced this. Remember the new CEO of FEDEx started as their receptionist.