About

Hi, I'm Tina Cella (Christina C. Cella).

I know what it feels like to pivot, struggle, and reinvent yourself because I've been on both sides of the hiring table—as someone searching for their path AND as the recruiter making decisions about other people's careers.

For over 20 years, I navigated personal challenges, including mental health struggles, that shaped my belief in resilience and reinvention. At 31, I returned to school and earned my psychology degree from UC Irvine with a 3.93 GPA, proving that growth is nonlinear and there's no deadline for starting again. Recruiting became my calling. Then it all fell into place when I joined 6sense as their second U.S. talent hire and helped scale them from 150 to 1,300+ employees through hypergrowth. But here's what really opened my eyes: I met incredibly talented professionals who didn't know how to showcase their value. They had the skills but not the strategy.

Why I founded Star Compass Careers: I realized that careers aren't just about résumés—they're about confidence, clarity, and storytelling. And who better to teach you how to tell your story than someone who reviews hundreds of them every week?

My Unique Advantage

  • Currently active as GTM Recruiter at Cresta (I see what’s working RIGHT  NOW)
  • Founder of Star Compass Careers (helping job seekers become rising stars)
  • Psychology degree, UC Irvine (3.93 GPA) + 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training
  • Keynote speaker at RecruiterCon 2025 (HireEZ) and upcoming RecFest Nashville (October 2025)
  • LinkedIn thought leader with 17K+ followers sharing recruiting and career insights
  • Featured podcast guest on HigherHEr, CareerTALKS, and other industry platforms
  • Talent Collective member and thought leader in recruiting and career development
  • Both personal experience with career struggles AND daily recruiting insights

My story isn't polished or perfect—and that's exactly why I understand yours.

Thought Leadership & Industry Recognition

Speaking & Media:

  • RecruiterCon 2025 (HireEZ): Featured speaker on talent market trends and hiring strategies
  • RecFest Nashville October 2025 (Upcoming): Keynote on the future of recruiting
  • LinkedIn Thought Leader: 17K+ followers engaging with recruiting and career insights
  • HigherHEr Podcast: Featured guest on career development and recruiting insights
  • CareerTALKS Podcast: “Be the Unicorn in YOUR Job Search” (Episode #106)
  • Talent Collective: Active member contributing to industry conversations
  • Regular contributor to recruiting and career development discussions

Why this matters for you: When someone who's actively shaping industry conversations helps with your career strategy, you get insights that are months ahead of what most career coaches know.

The magic happens when we combine both perspectives.

You get insider recruiting knowledge wrapped in genuine empathy and understanding.

The Dual Perspective Advantage

What I see as an active recruiter in 2025:

  • Which resumes actually get attention (and which get passed over)
  • What hiring managers are really looking for vs. what they post
  • How internal recruiting discussions actually happen
  • Which LinkedIn profiles make me want to reach out immediately
  • The real reasons great candidates get overlooked

What I remember as someone who's been where you are:

  • The anxiety of waiting to hear back after interviews
  • Feeling invisible despite being qualified
  • Not knowing how to talk about career gaps or pivots
  • The confidence hit that comes with job searching
  • Wondering if you’re “good enough” for the roles you want

Our Team Philosophy

Free Tools to Get Started:

Insider Intelligence:

Real-time recruiting insights, not outdated advice

Skills Translation:

Position your experience in the language recruiters understand

Confidence Building:

Address both strategy AND the emotional side of career transitions

Dual Perspective:

Recruiter knowledge + job seeker empathy

Multi-Platform Mastery:

Be discoverable where opportunities actually live

Future-Proofing:

Prepare for ongoing market evolution with resilient positioning

This same dual perspective helps our startup clients understand what top candidates really want and how to attract stellar talent in competitive markets.