Karen Kaplan, president of Boston-based advertising agency Hill Holliday, as well as president of the Massachusetts Women's Forum, a group of 100 top female executives in the state, spoke with former Globe reporter Sasha Talcott about her unique career path, and also offered some advice for younger job seekers out there. Here's an excerpt:

Q: What career advice do you have for younger professionals?

I think being confident and optimistic is so important. You have to be really open to continuous improvement. You have to be curious, open and empathetic. These days, in particular, you have to be really versatile.

I just think if you're willing to outwork everyone one else, it's not very hard to do, frankly. From the very beginning, I thought, "If I work one more hour a day and a couple of hours on the weekend, I'll pass people who have a 10-year head start on me."

To read the full Q&A with Kaplan, click here.

Q: I recently graduated from college as a poli-sci major and did a one-year stint volunteering for a grammar school as part of a non-profit internship. I am now home and without a job in this terrible environment. To make matters worse, I have no idea what I would like to do and it seems that this is paralyzing me to move ahead with my job search. I did work for the Obama campaign for several months as a Volunteer Coordinator. I liked the work but hated my boss. Any ideas/tips to get me moving in the right direction?

A: Yes, I do, and please know that you are not alone. There are so many young people who are traumatized by this current situation. Here are some tips that I hope will be helpful:

- Know that there are lots of things you could do well. I really don’t think there is just one occupation or industry for any one person. I think all of us have certain skills and interests and we can apply them in many different fields and occupations.

Q. I've owned and operated a small garden center for the last 31 years. I was recently laid off from my last job in sales due to the slowing economy. I'm almost 60 years old and have very limited computer and technical skills. The garden center alone is not enough to support my family and me. I don't have the enthusiasm I once had for the garden center, and the retail environment is extremely competitive with the mass merchants that have moved into my area. Should I continue to search for a job in this market and have my employees run my store as I've been doing for the past 18 months, or should I concentrate on my business myself?

A: Here are your options as I see them:

1. Growing your business;
2. Look for a sales job;
3. Look for another type of job;
4. Improving your computer and technical skills;
5. Seek additional income from others in your family.

Q. My firm has been having layoffs, and if I do get laid off, the chances of me finding another job in my field are slim. I am fifty years old and while the thought of going back to school for some new career doesn't bother me, I wonder if it would be worth it.

A. I wish you had mentioned what career you were thinking about getting retrained in because that is the key. There are some industries/occupations that are almost recession-proof and if you were going to work another 20 years, it might be well worth your going back to school. For example, I am thinking of many positions in healthcare such as nurse, certified nursing assistant, home health aide, radiology technician, and others that are only going to grow as baby boomers begin to age and need more healthcare services.

Q: I lost my job about 4 months ago. I was a Director of Marketing at one of the financial services companies that is really hurting right now. I have networked my heart out, searched every appropriate job board, met with a few search firms and answered any ad that I thought was a fit. Nothing has materialized. I need to bring income into the house. I have a family of four to feed and take care of. How bad will it look on my resume to take a job at a supermarket right now just to bring cash into the house?

A: It sounds like a very responsible thing to do in my mind. Many laid off workers are taking less responsible and lower paying jobs right now so they can bring money into the house. When the economy improves, there should be no problem explaining this digression in your career path. You are simply doing what you must do for your family.

Q. I am desperately miserable in my job and plan to quit soon. But I'm having problems deciding exactly when to do it - on one hand, I don't want to be here a minute longer than I have to, but I also don't want to burn any bridges with my employer. I am feeling guilty about doing it soon after getting an annual bonus and right before a (relatively expensive) office party. I don't have another job lined up yet.

A. In addition to your feelings, there are other concerns to consider when deciding when to leave a job you can’t stand.

Financial: Can you afford to leave without another job lined up, especially in this particularly tough job market? Are you prepared to live without unemployment insurance as well as without an income for what could be many months? When you resign voluntarily you cannot collect unemployment benefits.

Q. I was recently moved out of a management position and put in another location in the company that doesn't require the same skill set as I was originally hired for. I was also moved without any reasonable cause, just a "management decision." I had an exemplary record and recently had an excellent review. Now there is talk of moving me again into a position I would most certainly not be qualified for if I applied for it off the street! I enjoy working for this company, but the politics and moving without cause is getting unsettling. I should add that this is a four-year institution of higher education.

A. Your situation sounds unsettling, but not that unusual in our current economic climate. Employers, including those in higher education as well as other industries, are struggling to be more efficient with their current resources.

Many of my clients - even the most smart and ethical organizations - are being forced to make very difficult decisions. Some are not filling open positions that would be ordinarily filled with few approvals. Some clients are downsizing and eliminating positions, while others are reducing workweeks in one or all areas. Some are aggressively reviewing compensation and benefits plans. Still others are moving resources within the company to where they are most needed.

Q. I am having problems finding the right job for me. I am a 50-year-old African-American female and have three graduate degrees (law, theology, and library science). I have been working as a librarian for the past 10 years and want to move into administrative work. I get interviews for some higher administrative positions, but have yet to be hired. I have gone on "informational" interviews where my resume and interview skills have been lauded and no changes have been suggested, but when I later send a resume to those people, I don't get an interview. I have been thinking of getting a PhD in library science to help in my search for a better job. What do you think? Also, is there a person/business that works with the unhireable, which is what I have apparently turned out to be?

A: I assure you, you are not “unhirable.” I wish you had mentioned how long you have been job searching. In the current business environment, it is not unusual for a professional candidate to be looking for work for 8 months or longer. The fact that you are a mature worker makes this process a little more complicated. In a good economy, it can take a professional mature worker six months or longer to find work. In a down economy - and this is certainly as down as we have seen in many years - it is possible that it might take a professional mature worker two or three times as long to find work.

Q. I got laid off, and I am thinking of going back to school. Should I still file for unemployment?

A.The range of benefits provided by the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) extends far beyond a weekly check, and I encourage you to look into all of the benefits that may be available to you.

The process of opening a claim can be frustrating, and the DUA has taken steps to make it easier to file, with WebCert and TeleCert. Check www.Mass.gov/dua/webcert for the basic steps to register for online services . You can also call TeleCert at 1-617-626-6338. For assistance in using the services, you speak to a TeleClaim representative at 1-877-626-6800, or 1-617-626-6800. The phone are busy and it can be difficult to get through. Insiders say to access services Sunday between 1 and 7 p.m. to have a speedier experience.