We all hope our resume and experiences will speak for themselves. But a friend of mine — a 40 year-old former special agent and combat veteran — recently emailed me about a persistent problem. “When I contact leaders in my industry, they almost always agree to talk,” he told me. “But some have been treating me as if I were an undergrad.” One asked if he was working on a “class project,” while another suggested he “thank his parents” for sending him to graduate school (he paid his own way).