> I've been applying for everything from senior engineer to VP of engineering. Ever since I turned 60 last year, I'm getting no hits on my resume.
For senior engineer, the sweet spot is around 10 years of experience ( like early 30s ). Too young or too old or too little experience or too much experience, you're resume is going in the trash can ( or more likely just filtered by software ).
Your degrees and ICPC champion are not important for a senior engineer position. Nobody really looks at it. Domain knowledge and experience with tools ( current ) is more important.
For VP, I suspect you have better shot getting a position through your network rather than sending resumes. Ask people you worked with if they are looking for a VP and then try that route.
Think of it from a prospective employer, why would they want to hire you when you are going to be hitting retirement age? I don't think you'll get much success by just sending resumes.
> If you were hiring, can you tell me why you might not even do a phone interview? I need to know what (mis)perceptions I apparently need to overcome.
Everywhere I've worked, we've never hired any developer in the 60s. To be honest, we've never hired anyone over 30 through resumes. The people we hired through resumes are college grads or devs in their 20s. The people who were over 30 either started in the company in their 20s or got the job through word of mouth. Don't underestimate how much a good reference from a current employee matters to a hire manager.
Also, the tech/engineering sector is going through a "cultural" or "diversity" change. The execs/HR are encouraging managers to take in younger, female and minority workers and of course promote them. There is a push for a less white ( or asian male ) workforce and a more diverse and representative workforce. So if you are an older white or asian male, you are really facing headwinds.
I think your best bet is to ask your friends and co-workers.