"You are my first choice, but with doctoral work under your belt, you are overly qualified." Briefly argue the opposite, pointing out why you chose not to write up a dissertation (e.g., for political or ideological obstacles) and what skills you acquired that match skills acquired from previous on-the-job training (e.g., writing and editing). Such a line of argumentation usually does not work, but do your best to convince an employer to hire you as a more preferable, efficient, and cost-effective candidate.
