Hi, I’m Emma Chen — career coach, ex-recruiter, MBA from the University of Manchester (2017), and the writer behind Grow Gritly.
I spent four years as an in-house recruiter at two FTSE 250 companies in London before moving into independent career coaching in 2024. Across those years I reviewed roughly 12,000 CVs, conducted 800+ interviews, and watched up close why most graduates and early-career professionals get rejected — usually for reasons that have nothing to do with their actual capability.
Grow Gritly is where I put everything I wish job-seekers in the UK and the US actually knew.
What this site covers:
- Career strategy — CVs and resumes that get shortlisted, interview prep that works, salary negotiation scripts I’ve used myself
- Productivity that respects your reality — frameworks that work in real corporate environments, not Silicon Valley hustle-bro advice
- Skill development paths — what’s worth learning, what’s a waste of money, where to learn it cheap or free
- Honest career stories — including my own missteps in years 1–3 and the inflection points that actually mattered
Everything I publish is something I’ve either lived through, coached someone through, or seen play out across hundreds of real interviews.
If you want to share your career situation or push back on something I wrote, write to me at [email protected]. I read every email personally.
— Emma
About Growgritly
GrowGritly.com is a career and productivity blog for graduates and early-career professionals in the UK and US — resumes that get shortlisted, interview prep, salary negotiation, and skill-building paths that actually move the needle.
We publish 3–4 long-form posts a week, all original. Every post is researched, written, and edited by Emma Chen personally — no AI-generated content, no spun articles, no recycled posts from other blogs.
Editorial Standards
- Original content only — every article is written from scratch
- Original or properly-licensed images — screenshots, photos, and graphics are either created by us or sourced under a commercial-use license
- Tested before published — for any product, tool, or method we recommend, we use or thoroughly research it first
- Sources cited — statistics and factual claims link to the original source
- Updated regularly — high-traffic posts are reviewed and updated when information changes
Where I’m Based
Emma Chen is based in London, UK, United Kingdom. We primarily write for readers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada — references to prices, brands, and regulations reflect those markets.
Contact
The fastest way to reach me is by email at [email protected]. I aim to reply to reader emails within 48 hours.
For all other inquiries (advertising, collaborations, press), please use our Contact page.
Last updated: 2026-06-02