Job hunting is no joy when you’re over 40.  In the July 2009 issue of Chatelaine, actress Mary Louise Parker (Fried Green Tomatoes, one of my favourite movies, and the hit TV show, Weeds) says, “I’m not optimistic that there are going to be good roles for older women. I don’t think people are rushing to write about 50-year-old women. But who knows?” 

Nora Ephron Knew
Nora Ephron, writer and director of  the 2009 summer blockbuster, Julie and Julia hit the nail on the head when she cast Meryl Streep as Julia Child.  Amy Adams portrays Julie Powell who cooks her way through all the recipes in Julia Child’s first cook book and blogs about it. The story of Julia Child’s beginning in the cooking profession is linked with Julie Powell’s challenge of completing all the recipes in a year. Both Nora Ephron and Meryl Streep are women over 50 with exceptional talent (my favourite Meryl Streep movie is, The French Lieutenant’s Woman). Meryl Streep has a powerful screen presence that isn’t fading anytime soon.

The Old One
A female employer casually mentioned to me once that I was, “the old one.” Yep…the old one??!?? Ouch! She would have hired the younger woman half my age she had interviewed just before me if it wasn’t for the recommendation of the gracious young woman who’d interviewed me. I’d never considered my age as a “deterrent” to employment. As a qualified, confident, and experienced woman, I knew I was the best candidate for the job. And I was.

Dolly Parton Knows
Dolly Parton is an icon in country music. Growing up, she was one of twelve kids living in a log cabin in Tennessee. As far as I’m concerned, she’s earned her stripes. In May 2009, I heard her say on The View that, “The major labels are not doing all that great, but some of the older artists, like myself, find it hard to get a deal.” Dolly Parton couldn’t get a record deal? What’s up with that? “So I thought I would just do it myself and invest in me. I will always sing even if I have to sell them (albums) out of the trunk of my car.”  You go girl!

Stay Strong
Maya Angelou, poet and educator (I admire her quiet confidence and wisdom) sums it up this way: “You can write me down in history with hateful, twisted lies, you can tread me in this very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.” I did. And so will you.

Are you a woman over 40 looking for a job?  Tell us about your experience.

Be Sociable, Share!