Cristina Bergnaum

Why this persona fits the audience

Runs a two-person career-coaching studio in London and prepares job-search documents for clients in marketing, tech, and operations. Reviews resumes against each job description, keeps reusable achievement banks for clients, and works from shared spreadsheets and Google Docs.

• Age: 38
• Location: London, UK
• Occupation: Career Coach, co-founder of a 2-person practice
• Income: £72k
• Education: PGDip Career Guidance
• Company size: Micro (2 employees)
• Years in role: 6

“A resume isn't just a list of what you've done; it's the story of how you solved problems, told in a way that makes someone else want to solve them too.”

Cristina Bergnaum is a 38-year-old career strategist operating out of a vibrant, albeit cramped, co-working space in Shoreditch, London. Born and raised in the Midlands, she moved to the capital six years ago after completing her PGDip in Career Guidance, driven by a desire to bridge the gap between human potential and the rigid structures of modern hiring. She co-founded her two-person practice with a friend, Sarah, filling a niche that large agencies ignored: the deeply personal, psychologically informed tailoring of application materials. Unlike generalists, Cristina specializes in the intersection of psychology and document strategy, helping clients reframe their narratives rather than just listing duties. Her income sits comfortably at £72,000, allowing her to live modestly in Islington while reinvesting profits into better software and training. She is fiercely protective of her time, often turning down lucrative but misaligned opportunities to preserve her team's culture. Her workflow is a hybrid of analog precision and digital efficiency; she keeps a physical notebook for brainstorming sessions but manages all client data in meticulously maintained Google Sheets. Recently, she made the decision to stop accepting new clients until she could automate their onboarding process, a move that caused temporary cash flow anxiety but aligned with her long-term vision of scalability. She views herself not as a gatekeeper of jobs, but as a translator of talent, constantly refining her methods to ensure every document she touches reflects the unique voice of the person behind it.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Cristina wakes at 6:00 AM, runs four kilometers, and returns to brew a strong cup of tea before checking emails. By 8:30 AM, she is logged into her Google Workspace, reviewing three client resumes for a morning session. At 10:00 AM, she leads a 45-minute video call with a marketing manager nervous about a pivot, offering reassurance and strategic direction. Lunch is a quick sandwich eaten at her desk while skimming a LinkedIn article on AI in recruitment. The afternoon is reserved for the 'grunt work': updating the shared spreadsheet with new client achievements and manually tweaking a candidate's CV to match a specific tech job description. She spends two hours drafting a new resource for her blog, then takes a short walk to clear her head. The day ends around 6:00 PM with a final review of the next day's schedule, ensuring no deadlines are missed, before heading home to cook dinner and disconnect.

Lifestyle

Cristina lives in a Victorian conversion in Islington with her partner, sharing the rent to maintain a modest but comfortable life. Her mornings begin at 6:00 AM with a 4km run along Regent's Canal, followed by a ritualistic preparation of Earl Grey tea in a chipped ceramic mug. She is health-conscious, eating home-cooked meals most days and avoiding processed sugar, though she occasionally indulges in artisanal chocolate when stressed. Financially, she is cautious, prioritizing an emergency fund over luxury savings, and pays her bills via automatic direct debits to avoid late fees. Socially, she maintains a tight circle of five close friends from university and weekly yoga classes, preferring deep conversation over large networking events. She values quiet evenings with books or documentaries over going out to crowded bars.

Work life

Her workday is a study in structured duality; she splits time between high-touch coaching calls and the granular editing of client documents. Working from a shared desk in a co-working space in Shoreditch alongside her co-founder, they rely heavily on Google Workspace and custom Excel trackers to manage their 'achievement bank'—a repository of quantified success stories. The pressure is internal rather than external; she feels the weight of ensuring every client lands a role that fits their psychological profile, not just any role. Afternoons are often consumed by reviewing resumes line-by-line, cross-referencing keywords against job descriptions manually. The pace is relentless during recruitment peaks, leading to late nights where she double-checks formatting details that others might miss.

Relationships

Cristina is deeply embedded in her local community, viewing her partner as her primary anchor who handles household logistics so she can focus on business growth. Her co-founder, Sarah, is less a colleague and more a sister-in-arms, with whom she shares a silent understanding of the pressures of running a micro-business. She influences a small cohort of mentees she has helped launch careers, often receiving handwritten thank-you notes which she treasures. Her mother, retired in the Lake District, provides occasional wisdom on patience, while her younger brother in Manchester offers a counterbalance to her serious nature through humor. She relies on these connections for emotional grounding rather than business advice.

How they decide

Cristina operates with a methodical, research-heavy approach, rarely acting on impulse. She prefers to gather evidence, read reviews, and test concepts before committing resources. While she is open to new tools, she requires proof of reliability and clear value alignment with her ethical standards. She is peer-influenced but skeptical of hype; a recommendation from a trusted colleague carries significantly more weight than a polished marketing campaign. Once she identifies a friction point, she systematically evaluates solutions based on long-term utility rather than immediate convenience.

How they sound

Cristina speaks with a clipped, precise RP accent, favoring clarity over flourish. Her cadence is steady and measured, rarely rushing words even when discussing complex topics. She uses professional terminology like 'ATS compatibility' and 'quantifiable metrics' naturally but avoids jargon that sounds corporate or salesy. She tends to hedge slightly when unsure, using phrases like 'I believe' or 'based on my experience,' reflecting her trust-based ethos. She avoids slang, superlatives, and hyperbolic claims, preferring concrete examples. When frustrated, her tone remains calm but firm, signaling a boundary rather than an outburst.