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#careerrealtalk

Let’s get real for a second.

Is trying to find your ideal job a challenge? How about a fulfilling career? So how do you make a dream job reality and transform a lack of experience into a life-changing career?

You do it by getting real.

Getting real about what makes a resume stand out. Building a brand for yourself that’s both passionate and presentable. Acing your interview and honing the skills you need to go from being considered to hired.

Because the more real you are with what you need to succeed, the closer you’ll be to achieving your goals.

Now that’s Career Real Talk.

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Hi! My name is Jen, your personal Career + Purpose Coach.

I guide solopreneurs and corporate professionals to discover their superpowers and find a purpose driven career.

rē(ə)l tôk

“Real Talk” is a phrase used at the end of a sentence when somebody wants to emphasize that what they said was, indeed true. In contrast to fake talk, real talk is always honest and straight to the point without any added fluff.
Services

Choose how we work together.

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1:1 Career Coaching

Get the insider strategies (from a former Recruiter’s perspective) and expertise of a Career Coach & Job Search Strategist to find your next perfect-for-you job.

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Online Courses

Navigate your career using my proven process for landing the job you want, at a do-it-yourself pace through my online courses.

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Workshop Facilitation

Bring the big picture into focus through facilitated in-person or virtual career-driven workshops.

Testimonials

References always available.

Here's what clients had to say about their experience.

Having Jen as a career coach was definitely one of the best investments I have made to achieve my career goals. She is extremely knowledgeable and experienced, her online course and 1-1 sessions gave me a deep understanding of the hiring process, helping me to strategically find and land my dream job!

T.L. — AI/ML Researcher

T.L. — AI/ML Researcher

I enrolled for Jen’s course a while back and the resources in this course were super useful in helping me transition industries and structure my job search well. Especially the interview and networking workbooks came in very handy! I would recommend Jen and her course to anyone looking to make a pivot in their career!

N.M. — Broad CX + Deep Insights + Full VoC, Equity Advocate

N.M. — Broad CX + Deep Insights + Full VoC, Equity Advocate

Working with Jen was an absolute pleasure. In less than 2 months I was weighing the pros and cons of 2 different career opportunities I wanted. Not only were there 2 opportunities, both had salaries 15K over what I was making. She also helped choose and got me another 5K. If your looking to take your career to the next level, you NEED her!

S.F. – Claims Consultant

S.F. – Claims Consultant

Working with Jen has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my professional career. Jen helped me to have clarity about my career goals, and working together we put into practice a detailed plan for my job search, including revamping my resume from scratch, upgrading my LinkedIn profile, writing killer cover letters, and follow-ups on my recruiting processes. I gained the confidence I needed with my applications and interviews. As a result, I got multiple job offers and a salary above what I was asking. I finally made the career change I was looking for and landed in an amazing company and role. Her empathetic and warm approach, attention to detail, and constructive feedback at all times made all the difference. If you want to accelerate your career and land your dream job, Jen is the right person to reach out to!

N.R. – Digital & Brand Marketing Specialist

N.R. – Digital & Brand Marketing Specialist

I worked with Jen after being laid off. I was at a juncture in terms of my career and wanted to explore my options as well as be prepared to be seen by recruiters and hiring managers. She has a warm, upbeat approach with just the right amount of ‘no nonsense, let’s get to work’! Jen was supportive and insightful through every step of the process. Redoing my CV, etc helped prepare me to talk about my self, my skills and my professional profile. Her job search strategies worked almost like magic! I am happily employed in my dream job and much credit goes to Jen for helping me get here. Jen’s rates are fair and actually I would say her assistance was almost priceless. I would not hesitate to recommend Jen for any person, at any stage in their career!

S.K. – Administrative Professional

S.K. – Administrative Professional

Jen was a major support to me during my job search process and her expertise helped me land a new opportunity in just a couple of months during COVID! Jen completely revamped my resume and highlighted my experience to clearly showcase what I bring to the table. She helped me optimize my LinkedIn which attracted a lot of recruiters to my page. She is extremely knowledgeable and shares the best strategies for job search. Jen prepared me really well for interviews by providing great resources and performing mock interviews. She was immediately available for support and was kind to respond promptly over emails as well. I couldn’t have done it without her! I would highly recommend Jen to anyone looking for a new job!

M.A. – Medical Affairs Professional

M.A. – Medical Affairs Professional

Jen is pioneering how we approach our dreams by cultivating our strengths and framing a professional outlook that is achievable. Her passion has helped me become more confident in my own, a recent graduate, and her guidance invaluable as I restructured my portfolio to match the needs of the ever-changing career climate. Her hand was the help I didn’t realize I needed in the endless sea of information, bots, and recruiters. I’m more prepared than ever before with the tools she’s left in my hands. Thank you, Jen!

N.M. – Student at University of Central Florida

N.M. – Student at University of Central Florida

Jen has a wonderful understanding of how modern hiring technologies are used to highlight potential candidates. Getting past the ‘bots’ was the hardest step in the hiring process for me and she worked endlessly to guarantee that my profile did not get disqualified. Her ability to coach and train me for interviews ensured that I was prepared and educated on the process and expectations. Jen was vital for me to get a job during the Covid Lockdowns and I would recommend anyone looking for a new job to consider Jen a must-have.

J.C. –   Account Manager at THinK Best Practice

J.C. – Account Manager at THinK Best Practice

Jen designed and presented engaging and informative online workshops on job negotiations for undergraduate students at Victoria College, one of the undergraduate colleges within the University of Toronto. She was a joy to work with and adapted her content to the needs of our students. We appreciated her ability to link theory with practical applications and our students benefited from her expertise and experience. All of our students were very satisfied with the workshops and gained confidence in approaching job negotiation situations in the future.

S.L. – Social Worker & Higher Education Professional

S.L. – Social Worker & Higher Education Professional

Jen was pivotal in helping me update my resume. I really appreciated her insights and suggestions. I couldn’t have done it without her! She gave me the courage to make some radical changes to my resume that I never would have thought were okay to make. She helped me take my years of experience and make them more concise, which has brought my resume up from appearing mid-level to a seasoned professional —which I am. I was much more confident than ever before when applying for what I think will be my dream job. I highly recommend chatting with Jen before applying for your next job.

K.J. – Strategist & Content Marketer

K.J. – Strategist & Content Marketer

I’m a student leader within a club at McMaster University, and wanted to provide students with a virtual LinkedIn workshop – I found Jen in my LinkedIn search and it was incredibly easy to communicate and plan our event with her. She was understanding of our event goals and asked great questions to further her understanding of our hopes and expectations. During her presentation, we learned so much and received great feedback from all participants. We received many compliments on the effectiveness of the workshop, which we were so happy about. I will be using Jen’s advice to enhance my own LinkedIn profile as I enter recruitment for a student internship. I highly recommend Jen – she is incredibly professional, insightful and willing to help!

C.C. – Honours B.Com with Internship Student at McMaster University

C.C. – Honours B.Com with Internship Student at McMaster University

Jen is an authentic, engaging and inspirational guest speaker in my Engineering and Management Communication Skills course taught to second year Engineering students at McMaster University. During her talk about “Importance of Interpersonal Skills and Preparation in the Interview Process”, Jen maintains a balance of theory and practice, every now and then giving students the opportunity to practice via roleplay the tools with which she equips them. Jen connects well with the youth, and I recommend her for bringing contemporary interpersonal and interviewing skills into the classroom, and sharing her time and knowledge with the students.

S.B. – Entrepreneur, Design Thinker, Collaborator, Community Engagement at McMaster University

S.B. – Entrepreneur, Design Thinker, Collaborator, Community Engagement at McMaster University

Jen was incredible. She helped map out my past career, current career, and future prospects, which I previously found too difficult to do before. She helped form my professional history into a working narrative and it immediately led to job interviews – and quality job interviews! She helped me prep for interviews and ultimately helped me find a good fit in the working world. I highly recommend Jen for her hard work, expertise in her field, and quite frankly, her immediate impact and results.

J.A. – Learning & Development Instructional Designer

J.A. – Learning & Development Instructional Designer

I would like to take a moment to point out a few things. I came to Jen because my job search had me spinning in circles, I couldn’t gain the traction that I desired with employers, never got past a first call with recruiters and wasn’t even able to secure a single interview. This was my job search reality. What I discovered early in was that Jen had so many tools at her disposal that would never even have occurred to me. At first they seemed inconsequential, really small stuff, however, they turned out to be exactly what was needed for me. One of her greatest skills in my opinion, was the ability to get me noticed. She has a keen eye for pointing out and correcting the things that you may be doing right now which are actually making you invisible to potential employers. She gets more eyeballs on your profile and more hands on your resume. Honestly, Jen simply knows how to look at job hunting in a way that I wasn’t able to. She opened my eyes and ultimately lead me to greater success than I could have ever achieved in my own.

J.R. – UX/UI Designer

J.R. – UX/UI Designer

Jen did such an amazing job with me! Not only helping me to start with my job search but also giving me more confidence and a better idea on how to present my skills. If you don’t know where to start, Jen will be the perfect person to go to as she will give you all the tools you need to move forward with your job search.

D.T. – Senior Brand & Marketing Manager

D.T. – Senior Brand & Marketing Manager

I’ve been working with Jen for the last 12 weeks. She helped me re-write, adjust and improve the quality of my resume, cover letter and Linkedin profile, by guiding me in the process of understanding how the job market in Canada works, what the hiring managers look for and how I can rebrand myself by adjusting my past experience to Canadian standards. After 6 weeks of applying to positions related to my field of expertise, I got a handful of initial interviews and two job offers. She has been an amazing help in my process as a newcomer in Canada and a great advisor. I recommend Jen to anyone who needs to find a job that matches his/her skills and interests.

M.R. – Data Analytics & Social Policy

M.R. – Data Analytics & Social Policy

I picked Jen on the merits of her past reviews. I wholeheartedly state that she lived up to those reviews. Jen provided support in setting milestones, monitoring my progress, providing feedback and modifying my approach. The process of finding a career is disheartening, I was a bit unsure of which path to take yet I was ready to move to the next level, and getting an outside perspective from a professional was extremely helpful as she was able to boost my spirits during this trying time and kept me motivated. I will say I nitpicked a lot. Jen was extraordinarily patient and was happy to work through as many drafts as I felt I needed. I am happy to recommend her to everyone and would be ecstatic to work with her again.

D.C. – Executive Assistant

D.C. – Executive Assistant

I found Jen through LinkedIn, which speaks to how connected she is! I reached out, because I felt like her experience, career coaching approach and testimonials she’s received suggested she would be a good contact to know. I wasn’t disappointed. She was thorough, gave me a rundown of what I would expect when working with her, and checked in regularly. I decided to proceed with her as my coach, and during our sessions, I took the opportunity to explain my goals and expectations to her. She kept those in mind and made useful, tangible recommendations on steps to take to get there. I must admit I was a little skeptical, but I had nothing to lose, and I felt like I improved myself by following her suggestions. She has a friendly demeanour, is transparent and I especially appreciated the specificity of her guidance. I am pretty sure before we finished our coaching, I landed my dream job. Thanks, Jen!

K.P. – Senior Strategist

K.P. – Senior Strategist

I definitely would recommend turning to Jen Narayan for career coaching. Jen has helped me identify my goals and has set me on concise path. She is a phenomenal person and speaks with conviction in addressing topics she’s not in agreement with. It also helps that Jen is a very detail orientated person which helps in identifying any small unforeseen topics which might become an issue. She has creative innovative ideas and is currently helping me mold my professional career. My experience with Jen has been positive and I look forward to working with her on a more consistent basis throughout my career in the future.

N.P. – Supply Chain

N.P. – Supply Chain

Jen is extremely professional and approachable! I had never worked with a career coach in the past and I would highly recommend Jen to anyone who is looking for career advice. With her help, she polished my resume and taught me how to communicate my previous experiences with impact. More importantly, I felt more confident and focused after our coaching sessions.

F.W. – Buyer

F.W. – Buyer

We hired Career Real Talk for recruitment services as our internal recruitment team had exhausted all efforts in finding a quality candidate. So, we decided to hire a recruitment firm however had reservations due to past bad experiences. I heard about Jen through my network and that she has a knack for filling difficult roles quickly and her rates are more cost effective than typical firms. So, I thought, why not there was no risk as We only paid if the role was filled. Jen exceeded our expectations and we continue to use her for any niche roles.

R.S. – Finance Controller

R.S. – Finance Controller

Jen is extremely talented, and possesses an impressive wealth of knowledge. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to find and partner with Jen. Through her professional approach and immense industry insights, she was able to instruct and guide me through my career changes. I highly recommend her, if you want to make positive changes in your career as well!

J.P. – Senior Business & Reporting Analyst

J.P. – Senior Business & Reporting Analyst

I was having a difficult time getting started on my job search, and Jen was instrumental in moving me forward. She helped rewrite my resume to target my desired role. She also gave me all the tools I need for job searching and the application process. Jen was responsive and always willing to assist as I navigated various opportunities. I’m happy to recommend Jen to my friends who are also looking for new careers.

E.M. – Senior Analyst

E.M. – Senior Analyst

I was fortunate enough to find Jen when I was ready to make a pivotal shift in my career. She supported my journey by helping me rebrand my professional profile, and gave me sound advice when it came time to negotiate an employment contract. Most importantly her deep knowledge of the recruitment world gave me an edge that I otherwise would not have had. I hope to work with her again in the future.

J.A. – Sr. Manager

J.A. – Sr. Manager

I found Jen while looking for a career coach, I reached out to her because I was stuck with which direction I wanted to go in. I had never worked with a career coach before but she made me feel really comfortable during our initial conversation, and said all the things that I was thinking. Jen helped me clean up my resume to make it more relevant to the positions I was looking to apply for. She provided me with tools to make finding and applying for jobs easier and quicker. I feel much more confident with my resume now when I am applying for jobs!

N.M. – Human Resources & Recruitment Coordinator

N.M. – Human Resources & Recruitment Coordinator

Jen is a life changer! She was super professional and helpful during my job search. I have recommended her in the past to friends and would definitely recommend her again. She revamped my Resume and coached me on how to communicate my previous experience better than I could have ever imagined. Shortly after we started our coaching sessions, I began passing my interviews and getting job offers. My only regret is not having used Jen’s services before. I am so thankful for all your help, she is more than a career coach, she is a life changer!

M.T. – Strategic Partnerships Manager

M.T. – Strategic Partnerships Manager

I reached out to Jen when I was at junction in my career. I’ve never worked with a career coach before but I knew during our initial consultation that she was the right person to help guide me through this transition. Jen helped me polish my resume and LinkedIn profile, provided me with tools to make finding and applying for jobs easier and quicker, and provided coaching on interview skills. I’m far more confident and prepared now since having worked with her. She’s good at what she does!

J.O. – Environmental Scientist

J.O. – Environmental Scientist

As a client of Jen, I am thankful for her service. She helped me update my resume and LinkedIn profile which helped me expand my professional network. Moreover, Jen also helped me on how to communicate my past and present achievements, and how to express my thought process during job interviews. I am very fortunate to find Jen, and I highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for new career opportunities because she thoroughly listens to my concerns, and ensured that the job gets done accurately.

M.L. – Marketing & Sales Coordinator

M.L. – Marketing & Sales Coordinator

When I graduated fresh from my graduate school program, I needed direction. However, with numerous challenges in my life, I felt that seeking direction from one person to learn what to do next with my life was too utopian and just wishful thinking. Half a year later, embarking on my best job ever and journeying down a fruitful adventurous career path, I am happy to say that I was wrong in thinking that one person couldn’t set my life straight. Jen is extremely organized in her understanding of the human as a resource to an organization,  knows what organizations need from successful job candidates and understands what goes on in the mind and heart of the active job seeker. More than just confidence, Jen gave me clarity. Jen Narayan’s service has been the greatest professional investment I have ever made.

R.F. – Senior Financial Analyst

R.F. – Senior Financial Analyst

The students find Jen cheerful and engaging. This has been truly helpful to my students, who, via the application of such tools, perform remarkably in their mock interviews with industry experts in the latter part of the course.

S.B. – Entrepreneur, Design Thinker, Collaborator, Community Engagement at McMaster University

S.B. – Entrepreneur, Design Thinker, Collaborator, Community Engagement at McMaster University

Jen is a true career savant. She is highly skilled in her field, able to jump into the deep end of an individual’s professional spectrum and build out a usable, visually stunning platform for job searching. Jen was able to take my broken resume and build it into a work of art in a matter of hours. Now I am getting 10-20 inquiries from employers a week! I highly recommend utilizing Jen’s resume writing acumen if you are having trouble getting noticed. You won’t be disappointed!

B.P. – Product Marketing Manager

B.P. – Product Marketing Manager

Jen is a fantastic career coach! She is very patient and flexible to her clients schedule and needs. Due to her vast career in the HR field, Jen was able to provide me with the guidance I needed to ace a variety of interviews. Thanks Jen for helping me land my dream job!

C.B. – Human Resources Coordinator at Humber College

C.B. – Human Resources Coordinator at Humber College

While working as a Career Strategist, Jen not only showed her professional skills and efficiency, but also delivered impressive passion to her client.  English is my second language, so I can only tell my story  with simple words, but Jen could always help find the proper words to restate the story and make it more professional and attractive, and deliver a positive attitude.

N.W. – Data Programmer at Greenwich Assoc.

N.W. – Data Programmer at Greenwich Assoc.

Thank you so much for all of your feedback! I will be sure to make the Linkedin changes. You’re excellent at what you do, and I’ve really appreciated your help and advice. I’m definitely feeling much more confident about what I should be aiming for and what I have to offer! I’ll keep you posted on my job search 🙂 Thanks again

M.F. – Residential Design & Build Consultant

M.F. – Residential Design & Build Consultant

I was very fortunate to work with Jen in my career search. She offered valuable insight into what recruiters and HR managers looked for in candidates and knowing what to expect made my interviews less intimidating. She helped me build a presentable resume and an appealing LinkedIn profile. I come out of our sessions learning more about myself.

E.L. – Account Manager, Uber Eats

E.L. – Account Manager, Uber Eats

Jen mentored me in my professional development, giving me great insight and prudent advice on my personal and career growth. There was a time when I really needed advice and direction entering the competitive environment and Jen was there to assist me. It was a pleasure to learn from Jen and her wealth of knowledge and friendly nature.

T.Z. – HR Professional, CHRP

T.Z. – HR Professional, CHRP

It was very confidence inspiring to meet you to talk about my opportunity!! I left feeling pretty good that I made the right decision to get a coach for my career moving forward. Thank you for the updated resume, to be honest I don’t think I’ve ever looked better on paper since my birth certificate!!

P.O. – Field Manager, Mercedes-Benz Canada

P.O. – Field Manager, Mercedes-Benz Canada

I really wanted to say THANK YOU again for today. I’m already feeling much better and looking forward to doing what I need to do to be successful. I haven’t felt this confident/excited about my career in SO long. Your energy is amazing and has definitely helped me to believe in myself.

S.H. – Freelance Bilingual, Digital Marketing Specialist

S.H. – Freelance Bilingual, Digital Marketing Specialist

It’s rare that you come across talent like Jen. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jen while I was searching for another career opportunity at my previous job. Above all, I was impressed with Jen’s ability to seamlessly modify my resume to fit the requirements of a variety of job opportunities. Jen made the transition from one job to the next effortless and without worry or stress.

P.R. – Software Engineer

P.R. – Software Engineer

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