rp Reflects: Advice for Women Entering Advertising

As part of our celebration of Women's History Month, the adwomen of redpepper are sharing the best words of advice they've received and lessons they've learned during their time in the industry. We're proud to have a strong female presence at our agency, and we believe in passing the ladder back down to help the next generation of female leaders.

Here's what a few of our team members would share with young women entering the advertising industry:

Doing your best job doesn't mean sacrificing balance. In fact, it's the opposite. The more you seek balance, the more you are able to bring your full self into all aspects of your life for greater impact. Just remember that balance is a practice and not some kind of perfect end goal. Stay mindful and be kind to yourself.

Jen Williams, VP of Account Management

I believe ambition is not a dirty word. It’s just believing in yourself and your abilities. Imagine this: What would happen if we were all brave enough to believe in our own ability? To be a little bit more ambitious? I think the world would change.

-Courtney Chauvenne, Associate Director of Social Media

Never assume that someone you admire didn't work really damn hard to perfect the skills of their craft. We often discount soft skills as natural ability, and that is rarely the case.

Also, build your network. The connections you make are equal in importance to the skills you learn. Both are needed to advance your career.

- Samara Anderson, VP Sales & Marketing

Your first job doesn't have to be perfect. Don't be discouraged if you get rejected at first. As long as you are learning something, it's a part of helping you reach your ultimate goal.

You deserve the raise, and you deserve the seat at the table. There are a lot of outside forces that will have you thinking you should act or dress or lead a certain way as a woman--don't let them fool you.

- Riley Collins, Producer

Don’t always default to saying sorry. Pause for a second and ask yourself, "is this something I need to apologize for?—or am I using sorry as a placeholder or to introduce an idea?" A lot of times there’s other, less discrediting phrases to say like “thanks for your patience” or “i’d like to add something here.”

- Jesse Spear, Marketing Manager