me_irl

You'll be okay, regardless. You have the skills and can prove it, if given the chance. It is just frustrating trying to get to that point sometimes. Just keep your head up and reiterate the specifics of your skills to recruiters and during phone screens. Once you get to those first actual interviews, it gets a lot easier since so many people have this shared experience. I had so many interviewers ask the same question I felt like I was reciting a monologue from a movie after a while. :D