Carrie Christiano is a résumé writer, career coach, and founder of Empower Career Studio who helps professionals take control of their careers with more confidence and better strategy. With a background in talent acquisition, recruiting, and career coaching, she brings a dual perspective to her work: she understands what employers are looking for and what job seekers need to stand out. Her experience includes recruiting and talent-focused roles with companies such as IBM and LexisNexis, and her own career pivot began after being laid off during the 2009 economic downturn—a turning point that led her into outplacement services and ultimately revealed her calling as a champion for candidates.
Carrie’s expertise lies in helping people move from passive job seeking to intentional career search. Through her work as a career coach, résumé writer, LinkedIn profile expert, and sought-after AI trainer and presenter, she teaches professionals how to use modern tools in practical, human-centered ways. Her mission is simple: to help people stop feeling stuck, overlooked, or uncertain and start making smart, confident decisions about what comes next. That mission is at the heart of her EMPOWER framework, a seven-step process designed to put job seekers back in the driver’s seat of their careers.
She holds a BS in Communications and has earned the CPRW (Certified Professional Resume Writer) and CPCC (Certified Professional Career Coach) credentials through the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and Career Coaches. Carrie’s work has been widely recognized. She was named an Elite Circle Winner in 2023 by the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches for her technical writing skills, received the Unlock Potential Award from IMPACT Group in 2026, and was described as one of Dress for Success’s most reliable and high-volume presenters in 2025, where she ranked #1 in total engagement out of 19 presenters.
Carrie lives in Apex, North Carolina, with her husband, Alan Holton, to whom she has been married for more than a decade. She is deeply committed to pro bono work, especially through Dress for Success, where she leads workshops and webinars that help people build confidence and move forward professionally. That blend of practical know-how, generosity, and humor shapes everything she writes and teaches.
To learn more, connect with Carrie at www.empowercareerstudio.com and follow her online for practical career guidance, smart job search strategy, and a refreshingly human take on using AI well.
