Erin Lewber

Building strategy. Developing talent. Driving growth.That’s the work - inside Amazon and inside the careers of the women I support.At Amazon Business, I lead Account Management for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio, supporting Fortune 100–1000 customers. I manage a multi-layer team (leaders and ICs) and built global strategic account management strategy to close gaps in customer adoption and retention - creating a model now used worldwide.The work sits at the intersection of sales, consulting, and customer success:- solve complex customer problems- drive adoption and retention- build durable growth engines- develop high-performing teamsI’m consistently rated in the top tier of people managers at Amazon, based on daily team feedback.Outside of Amazon, I’m the founder of Erin Lewber Coaching - a boutique coaching firm supporting women in two key seasons:1) Career pivots + job search executionResume strategy, LinkedIn, interview prep, and momentum - supported by my coaching team.2) Executive advisory + strategic thinking partnershipFor women navigating complex career and leadership decisions - where getting it right matters. This is judgment-driven work, not templates or assessments. We lay the full situation on the table, pressure-test options, and move forward with clarity and confidence.If you’re navigating a pivot, promotion, or a decision that deserves real discernment, you’re in the right place.Focus areas: Sales leadership • Growth strategy • Strategic account management • Executive advisory • Leadership communication • Career pivots • Interview strategy • Women’s leadership

Head of Strategic Adoption, Sr. B2B Sales Leader

I lead a team of 12 to drive adoption of Amazon Business within AB's Fortune 1000 customer base.  

In this role, I've developed, launched, and scaled the Strategic Adoption role across Amazon Business.

"Why are you leaving your current role?" 
 
Ever wondered how to answer this? 
 
Here's how: 
 
Tell your interviewer what you're running 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 (instead of running 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮). 
 
Everyone leaves a job because something isn't good enough. If things were good enough, you'd stay 😀 
 
So instead of coming up with a list of things that weren't working as your reason for leaving (low pay, bad hours, toxic culture, etc) 
 
Pivot your answer slightly 
 
And focus on what you're looking to 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 by moving to the new role/company 
 
Read their About page. 
Do a little Google research. 
Know what draws you to the company. 
 
And share that instead. 
 
𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: 
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲? 
 
𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺: 
I'm looking for a better culture that isn't toxic and where every day doesn't feel so exhausting. 
 
[while reasonable to not want a work environment like this, your interviewer doesn't know your situation and this message focuses on your current job - not the value you bring to one you're interviewing for] 
 
𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱: 
At this point in my career, I'm selectively looking for a role that will allow me opportunity to develop new skills while also doing work that's purposeful within a supportive team environment. Based on what I learned about Company ABC and your commitment to [something you learned while researching the company], I believe I could successfully apply skills like [skill 1, skill 2, skill 3] that I've built during my career and would find a lot of satisfaction knowing I was contributing to [thing you'd contribute to if you got this job] 
 
Run toward. Not From.

Head of Account Management, Amazon Business | Executive Advisory + Career Coaching for Women | Pivots, Promotions, High-Stakes Decisions

If you're writing a cover letter that looks like an 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 (lots of words, paragraphs)... 
 
No one is reading it 
 
5 Tips for a cover letter that someone will actually read: 
 
𝟭. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 
Heavy half page. No one wants an actual letter (promise) 
 
Get to the point 
 
Say it in as few words as possible so the reader can get to the important stuff easily 
 
𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 & 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱 
Your reader is probably reviewing a ton of applications. 
 
Call the eye to your main/most important points, key technologies, or important results using bullet points and bold. 
 
𝟯. 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 
This isn't the time to tell your reader *all the things*, you just need the most important ones. 
 
Research your role and share 3-5 bullet points that show you match the role's requirements 
 
𝟰. 𝗢𝗞 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁 
It's absolutely OK to share highlights from your resume in your cover letter. 
 
Kind of like how stores hang a lot of signs when they want you to know about a sale. They don't keep the important stuff a secret. Neither should you. 
 
𝟱. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹 
In the world of cover letters and resumes, clean, simple, and easy to read is all you need. Less is more. 
 
𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵? 
https://lnkd.in/ejQcg-Ps
 
𝘗.𝘚. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 "𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵"

Open article: Free Template by erinlewber.com

Ever see that 200+ people applied to a job via LinkedIn?

And then decide not to apply?

Don't do that. Here's why:

If that "apply" button pushes you to an external site, then LinkedIn's "200 applicants" is really just a count of clicks.

That's right.

Try it. 

Find a job

Click apply

Go back to LinkedIn

Wait 60 seconds-ish

Refresh

Watch the number tick up by 1

Moral of the story?

Don't pull yourself out of the race because of a goofy number that probably isn't even accurate

P.S. If it's an 'easy apply', there's little friction to applying. What does that mean? Of those 200+ people applying, about 40-50% aren't even a fit right out of the gate. Just people 'shooting their shot'.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗞: 
"Can you tell me about the company culture?" 
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 👇 
 
"Tell me about the last time your team celebrated something. What was it? How did you celebrate?" 
 
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲? 
 
You're asking a specific, situational question instead of a general/theoretical one. 
 
This requires your interviewer to answer with a specific (real) situation instead of a conceptual one. 
 
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁? 
 
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲: 
 
→ Oh, it's great! 
→ We're a really great team 
→ Everyone gets along. We're like a family! 
 
𝗜𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: 
 
→ Do they celebrate stuff? 
→ How do they celebrate? 
→Does this align to how you like to celebrate? 
 
(Example: If you learn the team hits the bar every time something great happens...that may or may not be your thing) 
 
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗽: It is important to know the person's role in the team/hiring process when you ask things like this. 
 
If your interviewer is a manager from a partner team, asking them about their team's culture will likely be irrelevant to you. Ask a question like this of your future manager or future teammate. 
 
P.S. You can turn just about any question into a situational one like this - it doesn't have to just be this culture example :)

If you could change one thing about the interview process, what would it be?

𝗜'𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁:

I'd like the organization to review their role, determine who the candidate needs to speak with (and why)... and then eliminate ANY interviewers or interview steps that aren't critical to making a hiring decision.

I see too many 5+ round interviews where a early to mid career candidate is speaking with the VP of something-or-another and two additional panels of 3+ people before they get hired.

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?

Micromanagement and inefficiency. Highlighted.

K...your turn

P.S. productive, not complain-ey...k?

Power phrases to add to your interview responses

(in no particular order)

"While preparing to speak with you today, I...."
"One thing I've come to realize is...."
"Something I've discovered about _______, is...."
"I learned that..."

What makes them power phrases?

They each show you've thought about a situation, event, or experience; you can pull a bunch of stuff together to create a single "aha!"

These types of realizations?

They lift and shift from job to job

And smart companies?

Of course they want someone who can do the job

But more importantly?

Smart companies hire people who can think, reflect, and learn.

Try these phrases on in your next interview.

Let me know how it goes.

Bright Idea Consulting

I founded Bright Idea Consulting to empower values-driven solopreneurs, startups, and nonprofit leaders to reclaim their time and double their impact through tailored fractional or project-based online business management, executive support, project/account management, and organic content creation.

Principal Consultant

Winning Mark

Winning Mark is a full-service media and political consulting firm in Portland, OR serving NGOs, corporate initiatives, political candidates, and elected officials nationwide. 

I managed dozens of client accounts, executing more than $500,000 in multiplatform digital campaign plans, coordinating between five departments and a suite of vendors across disciplines to meet ambitious deadlines, resulting in hundreds of thousands of impressions delivered and a more than 80% win rate for political candidates. 

I collaborated with clients, principals, vendors, and designers to write and produce hundreds of ads in English and Spanish and launch dozens of websites and email campaigns. 

I carefully placed thousands of dollars in media buys, religiously optimized ad performance to ensure the cost effectiveness of leads and impressions, created extensive KPI reports, and shepherded clients through every step of the process from thorough onboarding to meticulous invoicing. 

I regularly took the initiative to collaborate across teams to improve internal workflows and work products. 

I was laid off after the election cycle.

Project Manager

Engage Cuba

Engage Cuba was a 501(c)(4) startup advocacy organization dedicated to making the business case for lifting the U.S. embargo on Cuba. 

As communications director, I developed and implemented public relations strategies, earning hundreds of media hits internationally showcasing the organization's policy advocacy efforts and exponentially growing social media presence, earning positive engagement from Former Secretaries of State Clinton and Kerry, as well as several bipartisan Members of Congress. 

I executed a social media campaign to successfully lobby every 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidate to publicly support ending the embargo on Cuba. 

I communicated on behalf of the founder and senior leadership to the Department of State, Congress, diplomats, press, industry groups, stakeholders, and the public. 

As director of strategic initiatives, I managed significant and delicate cornerstone projects such as the launch of the Engage Cuba New Jersey State Council comprised of influential NJ lawmakers and business leaders. 

I spearheaded coalition conferences, events, and diplomatic meetings. I managed consulting client accounts, organizing multiple business delegations to Cuba, including in-country programming, travel arrangements, visas, itineraries, and expense reports. 

I managed the organization's internship program, hiring, training, and mentoring undergraduate interns.

Director of Communications & Strategic Initiatives

United States Senate

I took a Hill internship relatively late in my career, eager to bridge a knowledge gap around the inner-workings of Congress. During my time in the senator's D.C. office, I directly supported the communications and policy teams. I drafted social media content, floor speeches, and constituent correspondence for the senator. I created extensive reports for the communications team to track the media impact of the senator's trip to the U.S. border to inspect migrant detention facilities and subsequent advocacy around the issue. I drafted policy decision memos for the senator to inform his work on the Foreign Relations Committee and created extensive briefing materials for his trip to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

During this time I passed the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) and advanced to the interview stage as a political section candidate.

Communications and Policy Intern

Oregon Legislature

For the duration of the 2018 legislative session, I served as a dedicated assistant to the Oregon House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. In this role, I quickly mastered several new software systems to meticulously adhere to strict state protocols to orchestrate committee meetings, create detailed agendas, capture meeting minutes, and upload thousands of pieces of testimony to the public record. I managed the response to all public inquiries regarding the Committee. 

This was a limited duration position.

Legislative Committee Assistant

HECHT & NORMAN, LLP

I directly supported the Partner Attorney and Associate Attorney at an Oregon immigration law firm by managing hundreds of client accounts, methodically drafting USCIS petitions, conducting intake appointments with clients, requesting police and medical records, and providing careful Spanish translation and interpretation. 

I deeply enjoyed this work, particularly assisting DACA Dreamers and victims of crime adjust their immigration status, but left to pursue public policy (a plan I shared with my manager during the hiring process).

Legal Assistant

As a freelance journalist, I reported the Ammon Bundy trial from Portland, OR for Reuters and covered the Summit of the Americas in Panamá for Americas Quarterly. 

While living in Latin America, I assisted other journalists, photographers, and television teams from around the world with their reporting abroad, and accidentally ended up on the cover of Le Monde magazine in France. 

As a copywriter, I penned dozens of customized SEO blog posts for travel company Insight Cuba, driving more than 30% of organic website traffic.

Journalist, Fixer, and Copywriter

insightCuba

Insight Cuba specializes in legal, educational tours of Cuba for U.S. travelers. As the travel program coordinator, I managed logistics for about 300 tours, engaging in creative problem-solving to ensure the safety, satisfaction, and legal compliance of more than 5,000 travelers. I designed sanctions-compliant in-country programming, liaised with government officials and dozens of in-country vendors, designed complex budgets, closely audited expense reports, booked travel, and managed a team of more than 20 tour guides. 

I also led several five-star tours to Cuba and met with in-country partners in person. 

I onboarded and trained my replacement when I left the full-time position to pursue journalism. I continued as a part-time contractor for several years.

Travel Program Coordinator and Tour Guide

Reuters

As an intern reporter, I worked closely with the Reuters Havana bureau chief, as well as television and photography teams, to report and produce breaking news, features, exclusives, and analysis from Havana during the historic re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba. 

I reported Secretary John Kerry’s visit to the island, the reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, as well as Pope Francis' voyage across Cuba, and recurring coverage of the Colombian peace talks. 

My exclusive on the historic Port deal signed by former VA governor Terry McAuliffe was picked up in the New York Times. 

My original reporting on Cuba's overburdened tourism infrastructure was featured on Reuters TV and in radio interviews. 

It was not possible to obtain a visa to extend my internship or become a staff member at the bureau.

Intern Reporter

Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA)

The Center for Democracy in the Americas advocates for policies and undertakes strategic initiatives to improve relations between the United States and Latin America. 

I was selected for the competitive Stephen M. Rivers Memorial Fellowship, during which I enhanced policy, communications, research, and fundraising efforts, including assisting with Congressional outreach and organizing Congressional delegations and programmatic trips to Cuba. I drafted and managed the publishing of the organization's main publication, a weekly newsletter for 7,000 high-value subscribers. I also penned Dear Colleague letters, blog posts, policy memos, social media content, and fundraising appeals.

Communications and Policy Fellow

Non-traditional EA, a true right hand to C-suite and solopreneurs | Fractional executive assistant + projects + content @ Bright Idea Consulting | Background: journalism, policy, Cuba travel

taplio

The Battle

Erin Lewber

Jaime Hamre

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreErin Lewber's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Erin Lewber

Jaime Hamre

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Erin Lewber's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreErin Lewber's LinkedIn Performance