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Cynthia J.

Cynthia Johnson

Former Amazon, Google & Microsoft Talent Leader | Career Coach

  • Amazon Logo

    Amazon

Available Monday

Starting at 4:30 PM UTC

I am taking on new clients! Excited to meet you and get to know you! Let's get started!

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Work with Cynthia

About

Career transitions can feel overwhelming—especially when you know you have valuable experience but are unsure how to position it for what comes next. I help professionals turn their experience into a clear, confident career story and a practical strategy for moving forward. With more than 20 years of experience in recruiting, talent enablement, and leadership at Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Nordstrom, and other organizations, I understand how hiring decisions are made behind the scenes. I have recruited across technical, GTM, sales, marketing, business, and operations roles, led high-performing recruiting teams, and created development programs supporting thousands of talent professionals. I can help you with: • Career direction and professional positioning • Résumé and LinkedIn strategy • Job-search and networking plans • Interview preparation and career storytelling • Career transitions following a layoff or organizational change • Pursuing leadership and advancement opportunities • Using AI thoughtfully without losing your authentic voice • Rebuilding confidence and staying accountable My coaching is personal, honest, and action-oriented. I lead with empathy, but I will not give you generic, one-size-fits-all advice. Together, we will identify what makes you valuable, strengthen how you communicate it, and build a realistic plan for reaching your next career goal. You do not have to figure out your next move alone.

Cynthia’s Career Coaching Qualifications

Coaches professionally

Experience level: Manager

Career transitions can feel overwhelming—especially when you know you have valuable experience but are unsure how to position it for what comes next. I help professionals turn their experience into a clear, confident career story and a practical strategy for moving forward. With more than 20 years of experience in recruiting, talent enablement, and leadership at Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Nordstrom, and other organizations, I understand how hiring decisions are made behind the scenes. I have recruited across technical, GTM, sales, marketing, business, and operations roles, led high-performing recruiting teams, and created development programs supporting thousands of talent professionals. I can help you with: • Career direction and professional positioning • Résumé and LinkedIn strategy • Job-search and networking plans • Interview preparation and career storytelling • Career transitions following a layoff or organizational change • Pursuing leadership and advancement opportunities • Using AI thoughtfully without losing your authentic voice • Rebuilding confidence and staying accountable My coaching is personal, honest, and action-oriented. I lead with empathy, but I will not give you generic, one-size-fits-all advice. Together, we will identify what makes you valuable, strengthen how you communicate it, and build a realistic plan for reaching your next career goal. You do not have to figure out your next move alone.

Cynthia can help with:

AI-Powered Job Search

Interview Prep

Leadership

Professional Networking

Resume Review

Salary Negotiation

Skill Building

Why do I coach?

I coach because I genuinely care about people and what happens to them. For most of my career, I have been the person people come to when they feel unsure, discouraged, or stuck. I love helping someone see the strengths in themselves that they may have forgotten. Sometimes people do not need another expert talking at them. They need someone who will listen, tell them the truth with kindness, and help them figure out their next step. I know how personal a job search can become. Being overlooked, rejected, or ghosted can make even the most accomplished person question their value. I have experienced that, too. I understand the hiring side after more than 20 years in recruiting and talent leadership, but I also understand the human side. I am not here to tell people who they should be. I want to help them recognize who they already are, understand what they bring to the table, and communicate it with confidence. I coach because I want people to feel heard, supported, and more hopeful when they leave a conversation with me than when they arrived. Helping someone believe in themselves again is meaningful to me. That is why I coach.

Work Experience

Stealth Startup Logo

Co-Founder

Stealth Startup

July 2026 - Present

Amazon Logo

Sr. Talent Enablement Specialist

Amazon

December 2021 - Present

Lead global recruiter enablement and capability initiatives supporting 4,000+ Talent Acquisition professionals worldwide. Focused on improving recruiter performance through facilitation, hiring consistency, onboarding effectiveness, and operational scalability through structured learning systems, capability frameworks, and AI-enabled solutions. Facilitate EQ sessions across Amazon. Designed and scaled global onboarding and recruiter capability systems reducing ramp time by 50%+ and improving hiring consistency across teams Developed recruiter capability frameworks and structured learning paths that aligned role expectations, proficiency levels, and performance standards to measurable hiring outcomes Introduced AI-enabled learning and enablement tools to improve accessibility, recruiter efficiency, and decision-making at enterprise scale Streamlined and consolidated training infrastructure, reducing redundant content by 75% while improving adoption, usability, and program effectiveness Built and led a team of 12 recruiter-to-enablement specialists responsible for onboarding and capability development initiatives supporting 500+ recruiters globally

Amazon Logo

Sr. Recruiter / Recruiter

Amazon

February 2016 - December 2021

Led sourcing strategy and talent pipeline development across GTM, Digital Marketing, and technical AWS functions during periods of rapid organizational growth (Roles: across sales, demand generation, Solution Architects, SDEs, SDM's, digital channels including paid media, SEO, content, email, and marketing events [i.e. AWS re:invent]) Led end-to-end recruiting in high-growth environments, exceeding hiring goals month over month (by 20%) while improving team performance. Accomplished this with the first full SaaS team in AWS. Consistently exceeded hiring targets in high-growth SaaS environments while improving recruiter productivity, onboarding effectiveness, and hiring process consistency Established standardized processes for candidate assessment and pipeline development Led and developed recruiting teams across onshore and offshore functions, improving conversion rates, hiring velocity, and operational performance Led offshore team of 7 recruiters, exceeding hiring targets by 30% Implemented performance tracking systems, improving team productivity by 25% Supported onboarding and training for 100+ new recruiters annually while managing full-cycle recruiting Built and launched a 4-week onboarding program for recruiters, achieving 90% completion rate Co-developed centralized learning hub, increasing training completion by 40%

Nordstrom Logo

Sr. Recruiter / Recruiter

Nordstrom

April 2014 - February 2016

Combined recruiting execution with recruiter enablement, supporting hiring outcomes while improving team capability. Led full-cycle recruiting across corporate and technical roles Reduced agency spend by $2.5M by building internal sourcing and recruiting strategies Designed and delivered LinkedIn Recruiter certification training for 100+ recruiters Trained recruiters and hiring managers on interview best practices and sourcing techniques Improved recruiter capability through structured training and development programs

Google Logo

Engineering Recruiter

Google

April 2013 - March 2014

Delivered full-cycle recruiting for Software Engineering roles in high-demand markets Consistently exceeded hiring targets, achieving quarterly goals within the first two months through strong candidate engagement and effective pipeline management Built trusted relationships with candidates, guiding them through the full recruiting lifecycle and improving offer acceptance rates Selected to support multiple teams based on performance, transitioning from backend engineering recruiting in Seattle/Kirkland to full-cycle recruiting for Software Engineering roles in the Los Angeles market Selected for multiple high-priority recruiting initiatives based on performance, including technical hiring expansion and rapid scaling efforts for Google Shopping Express (GSX) Partnered closely with hiring leaders to align recruiting strategies with evolving team needs, ensuring both candidate quality and hiring velocity Adapted quickly to shifting hiring needs, demonstrating flexibility across technical and non-technical recruiting environments

Microsoft Logo

Sr. Recruiter / Recruiter

Microsoft

April 2010 - April 2013

Managed up to 30 concurrent requisitions across technical and business roles, consistently delivering against aggressive hiring timelines Filled 15–20 roles per team including SDE, SDET, Systems Engineers, Marketing, and Operations roles Partnered with 20+ hiring managers to align on hiring strategy, candidate profiles, and interview decisions Built and maintained strong pipelines through targeted sourcing and proactive candidate engagement Drove end-to-end recruiting: sourcing, screening, interview coordination, offer negotiation, and closing Global Hiring Program (Bing Test): Led global hiring initiative as Project Manager and Lead Recruiter, designing and executing an international recruiting strategy and onsite event in Romania Delivered 11 SDET hires, contributing to one of the most successful international recruiting programs at the time

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