Coaching & Industry Expertise  |  FOR INDIVIDUALS

With over 25 years of experience connecting advertising & marketing talent to brands and agencies that you love, we have always been committed to facilitating career and personal growth.

Through coaching programs and a network of trustworthy industry experts, we can give you the edge you need to navigate a demanding job market with less anxiety and more confidence.

We’ve always been the team to make impactful, long lasting connections, and we’ll match you with the right support no matter what kind of coach or industry expert you’re seeking.

Why Kay & Black?

Coaches & experts that understand your industry: almost all of our coaches and experts come from advertising backgrounds in design, creative, account, strategy, HR, recruitment and production, so they know what it’s like to be in your shoes firsthand

Insider, current perspectives on the job market: we hear first-hand what best practices are and how they are evolving in real time

Educated, empathetic approach: our team of coaches & experts come from varied backgrounds in coaching, social work, recruitment, psychology and human resources

Flexible, affordable plans: we understand you want to invest in yourself in a way that fits your needs and budget, so we have several options to best support your growth

What We Offer

Career Coaching

Seeking direction in your next career move or working through a career transition? Our programs are designed for all levels—from newly graduated, to career established, our team can help you clarify exactly what you want and help you make the change a reality.

Learn More

Our areas of speciality, specifically geared towards advertising & creative talent:

  • Navigating career transitions
  • Clarity and insight regarding your professional vision & goals
  • Identifying your professional brand, interests, strengths and inner champion
  • Learning to turn down the voice of your inner critic
  • LinkedIn, resume, bio and website or portfolio optimization
  • Realizing your true worth 
  • Networking strategy (in person and online)
  • Savvy job searching and how to best utilize recruiters as advocates
  • Honing your interview skills and etiquette 
  • Mastering the elevator pitch
  • Navigating workplace conversations (salary negotiations, performance reviews, offer letters)
  • Industry education

Leadership Coaching

Are you ready to take your career, your team and your organization to the next level? We work with both emerging and established leaders to help facilitate your  growth and development. Our leadership coaches are trained to help CEOs, directors and managers work with more efficiency, productivity, ambition and compassion. 

Benefits

  • Improved relationships with teams and clients
  • Strengthened communication and conflict resolution skills
  • Increased emotional intelligence
  • More confidence so you can lead your team and win new clients
  • Knowledge of your strengths and areas to grow
  • Better work-life balance and fulfillment

Industry Expertise

Does your portfolio, website or digital presence need a tuneup? Not sure how to format your LinkedIn? Not feeling confident negotiating for your next big gig or promotion? We’ve got you covered with laser-focused, a-la-carte sessions for specific career topics. 

What We Offer

  • Website and portfolio review
  • LinkedIn and resume best practices
  • Thought leadership and networking strategies
  • Evaluation of strengths and skills
  • Negotiation advisement and representation
  • Personal branding
  • Industry insights
  • General recruiter knowledge Q&A

Interested?

Our Coaches & Experts Can Help You

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Discover and Transition

What does an impactful, fulfilling and meaningful career look like to you? This guides our work to help you develop a clear vision and comprehensive strategy to help you make it happen.

Move with Confidence

Everyone is capable of being confident, you just have to understand your skills and strengths. Now that you’ve got the strategy and vision down, we’ll help remind you how to feel empowered and believe in yourself.

Brand Yourself

Understanding who you are is one thing, but how does that translate to other people in this digital age? We work with you to develop your unique story and share your experience in a way that aligns with your target audience and  key goals.

Improve Your Performance

How do you stand apart from the crowd? Whether you’re looking to level up at work and snag your next promotion or distinguish yourself as an industry thought leader, our coaches are here to help you excel.

Balance Work and Play

Especially during these times, learning how to assert yourself and manage your personal and professional schedules with healthy boundaries is imperative. We’ll work with you to figure out how you can stay happy and healthy both at work and at home.

Advance Yourself

Take the next step in your career without feeling lost in a market that is constantly changing. We’ll help you strategize with the right tools, network like a pro, and optimize your portfolio, website and LinkedIn to ‘wow’ any type of audience.

How We Work

Career and leadership coaching and industry expertise sessions can be customized for you and your needs and budget.

Industry Expertise Power Hours
Our Industry Expertise power hours are bookable as you need (a la carte). They are typically 1-3 laser-focused sessions about 1-2 hours each.

Career & Leadership Coaching
Our career and leadership packages typically start at 3-6 months and can continue over a year. Typically you meet with your coach bi-weekly for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Still have questions?

Your Experts

Testimonials

  • After 15+ years as an agency creative, Hillary at PerQ was invaluable in helping navigate my entry into freelance. She ensured I didn’t undervalue myself and considered details I wouldn’t have thought of, like out-of-state labor laws. I love working with PerQ because it gives me peace of mind and lets me to concentrate on the creative.

    David Waraksa Freelance Creative Director
  • Kathryn is an amazing coach! She guided me through my confusion during a difficult transition and connected me to my true passion and clarity. She and I discovered many ways to stay focused on my path. We did exercises that are useful for life! I truly feel I’m living a more positive life than I was before.

    Ying Deng Studio Manager
  • Kathryn’s coaching presence and ability to hold the space and my focus were gifts I really valued. In particular, creating a strong a clear personal purpose statement (that I continue to use with ease and resonance) was an extraordinary experience with an outcome that remains energetically strong.... As a result I feel strong and clear in who I am in my expanded version of myself. I loved and appreciated that Kathryn truly wanted to support me. Her easy laughter and deep caring made this experience a very special one that will remain with me. I found her to be generous and humble and always in service of "me".

    Patti Martin The TJX Companies
  • I had Kathryn as a career coach. She was amazing - she helped me get my mind clear. She has great tools to make you feel confident, and know what you want to do with your life and career. Thank you again Kathryn, you’re the best!

    Cindy Pallavidino Designer
  • PerQ helped me change and shift many assumptions that were getting in my way, allowing me to better understand my skillset and opportunities, and ultimately move forward in my career.

    Senior Designer & Strategist
  • Kathryn and the Kay & Black team are truly the cream of crop. Hard working. Very dialed in. Loads of integrity. Helpful. And genuinely nice people to boot!

    Creative Director
  • I was starting the job hunt in Nashville which is my new home, after 4+ years at an agency in NY (and 10 years in NY), and I wanted to make a career change. I really didn't know where to start... Kathryn helped me focus and master my LinkedIn and sharing my skills, which then transferred to me updating my resume - it was a ripple effect and PerQ gave me the tools I needed to get started on the job hunt. I even got kudos from random contacts on LinkedIn on how great my profile looked!

    Katie Koenig Account Director
  • In just a single session, PerQ helped me see my own industry through a new perspective and gave me at least a dozen tips to improve my approach.

    Creative Director / Copywriter
  • Before working with PerQ I was in need of a quick injection of confidence and some direction in terms of identifying where my skills and passions intersected. I also needed help with interview technique and to extend my research into identifying opportunities. I needed a partner in crime to attack this job search full on. That's what I got. I was already on the path but needed someone to hold my hand for a few weeks and sprint with me toward the finish line.

    Rebecca Shine Senior Strategist
  • When I started with PerQ, I was in the beginning stages of opening a business. Looking back, I was so nervous and self-conscious, though I didn’t know it then. Through working with Kathryn, I delved deeper into myself, confronted saboteurs and restrictive thinking. I grew not just as a new business owner but as a person. Now I am confidently running a new business and continue my sessions with Kathryn, as well as falling back on all of the tools we have created over the last 7 months

    Gus Baxter Founder/Owner
  • I was in the middle of a long job search process and had started to wonder if it was something about me or something that I was doing wrong that was preventing me from landing a great new role. My coach helped me gain the perspective I needed on the industry, as well as my own strengths and how I was approaching my search to help me regain my confidence and take a more optimistic attitude toward my current job while I continued my search. I walked away with some new realizations about myself and how I operate, as well as tome techniques to help me be my best self at work. I'm happy to report I landed a great new job a few months later and one of the things that impressed them was my confidence and positive attitude!

    Executive Creative Director
  • As a leader, after working with PerQ the biggest difference my coworkers and our company leadership noticed is the way I communicate with others. I am much more aware of my own and my team's needs. I am able to identify emotions and not let them control a situation. Through PerQ, I learned how to better manage my own stress and my team's. I have been actively practicing compassionate communication, which has significantly improved my relationships inside & outside of the office!

    Marketing Director
  • Being out of the work force for about a year and a half to be a stay at home dad took at toll on my identity as a professional... I was in a dark and desperate place and things seemed hopeless. Luckily my wife referred me to Hillary. Hillary was my beacon in the darkness... Hillary and PerQ were able to see potential in me that was dormant and helped me to bring it to the forefront for potential employers to see. Thanks to my mentorship sessions... I was able to land a job in my field!

    Daven Falconer Producer
  • The feedback and advice PerQ gave me was valuable on many levels. In an incredibly competitive job landscape, there’s no substitute for getting honest advice from someone you know is truly looking out for you.

    Louis Wittig Creative Director
  • Kay & Black understands creative in a way that few talent agencies do. They’re also highly attuned to what today’s hiring managers are looking for and how to make you and your work stand out. Hillary and the K&B team performed a thorough review and critique of my portfolio and offered great advice on what to cut, what to keep and what to prioritize.

    David Muldoon Creative Director

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