photo courtesy of We Are Next

For years, Leslie Kay and Hillary Black have been connecting advertising agencies and brands with top talent through their recruitment, staffing and coaching firm, Kay & Black (a Certified Women Owned Business). Their team specializes in recruitment for full-time and freelance talent in all areas of advertising, marketing and design. Kay & Black also provides professional development workshops through their educational division Campus and career coaching services through their one-on-one division perQ. Who better to provide tips on how to prepare for an interview the right way? Here’s Hillary and Leslie—

Kathryn Freund is a certified sound healer and reiki practitioner based in Brooklyn, NY. By day, she is a recruiter, Co-Active career coach and graphic designer in advertising at Kay & Black and perQ. In a world as hectic and fast-paced as New York’s ad scene, Kathryn finds balance and joy in supplementing her coaching practice with her healing talents to support her candidates and clients professionally, emotionally and spiritually.

Want to switch careers? Here’s how.

Despite spending several years successfully leading digital and branding efforts, respectively, for Chicago-based agency Schafer Condon Carter (SCC), John Anthony and Kathy Gaynor never expected to land careers in advertising. But it’s a switch that neither regret.

Panelists discuss ageism in the industry at The One Club Creative Summit.

“Aging is something that’s happening to all of us at exactly the same rate, so it seems strange to me that people are going to discriminate for it,” said Piper Hickman, group creative director at 360i. “My favorite thing at work is when a 30-year-old says, ‘I don’t look good today’ — no, this is literally as good as you’re going to ever look — harness it.”

When Emily Keeton was first diagnosed with breast cancer, connecting with others in the same situation was tough. It wasn’t until someone told her about a woman who was tweeting about her treatment that Keeton felt she had found a kindred spirit.

You are moving confidently through an interview when all of the sudden the hiring manager asks, “Please walk me through your salary history, starting at the first place of employment.” Crap. How do you navigate this question without losing the opportunity or your temper? You’re irritated that they’re even asking, and you worry you won’t be paid enough based on your level, even though your expertise qualifies you to earn more. Suddenly, you feel yourself sweating from head to toe, and this one question will turn you into someone you are not — defensive.

You’ve sent your resume to every agency you could possibly think of, or at least all the ones you really want to work at. And maybe you’ve scored a few interviews. So what happens next, and how do you make sure you’re prepared for your first interviews right out of college?

Leslie Kay and Hillary Black, co-founders of talent management firm Kay & Black, told Adweek that while schools are teaching students how to create great work, graduates are not prepared to showcase that work in a portfolio or interview.

In honor of International Women’s Day, we thought we’d ask some of our members for their best advice for helping women achieve and grow every day.

Question: What’s the best way for women entrepreneurs to help each other?