Elizabeth Tillman

Why this persona fits the audience

She works at a boutique staffing agency in Manchester placing sales and customer support staff into SME clients across the UK. Each week she screens candidates, records short interview summaries for clients, and manages roughly a dozen open reqs across multiple accounts.

• Age: 41
• Location: Manchester, UK
• Occupation: Agency Recruiter
• Income: £47,000/year
• Education: Bachelor's degree in media studies
• Company size: Small (agency has 15 employees)
• Years in role: 8

“You have to be quick on your feet in this job, but it’s all about finding that perfect fit – for the candidate and the client. It’s a puzzle, really, and I enjoy putting the pieces together.”

Elizabeth Tillman, 41, is a seasoned agency recruiter based in Manchester, UK, who has carved out a niche serving small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the nation. Her career in recruitment spans eight years, a path she chose after realising her media studies degree provided a strong foundation in communication and understanding diverse audiences, skills she found directly transferable to connecting employers with talent. She works for a boutique agency, a dynamic environment that demands agility and a deep understanding of client needs, often placing sales and customer support professionals. Her income of £47,000 reflects her experience and the specialised market she serves. Elizabeth lives alone in a rented two-bedroom flat, a space she’s gradually personalising with practical smart home technology. Her approach to work is highly conscientious and results-driven; she thrives on the challenge of managing approximately a dozen open requisitions at any given time, meticulously screening candidates and providing concise, insightful interview summaries for her clients. She’s made a conscious decision to focus on SMEs, appreciating their directness and the tangible impact her placements have on their growth. This focus means she’s constantly adapting to the unique demands of businesses that may not have extensive HR departments. Recently, she’s been exploring new sourcing strategies, experimenting with niche job boards and advanced LinkedIn search techniques to find candidates for increasingly specialised roles. She’s also been refining her candidate screening process, aiming to identify not just skills but also cultural fit, a factor she knows is crucial for SME success. Her financial habits are practical; she saves diligently, aiming for a house deposit, and prioritises experiences like live music and walking holidays over excessive consumer spending. Time is a valuable commodity, and she manages hers with a structured, organised approach, ensuring she meets client demands while carving out personal time for her interests.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Elizabeth's typical weekday starts around 7:00 AM with a quick check of emails and industry news over coffee. She commutes to the agency office in Manchester by 8:30 AM. The morning is a whirlwind of candidate calls, screening applications, and updating her CRM. She’ll have a brief team huddle around 10:00 AM to discuss urgent roles. Lunch is usually a quick sandwich at her desk while reviewing candidate profiles or drafting interview summaries for clients. The afternoon involves more calls, client updates, and sourcing for new roles. She often stays until 6:00 PM, sometimes later if a client has an urgent request. Evenings are for unwinding, perhaps a quick gym session or preparing a simple dinner, before catching up on podcasts or planning her weekend.

Lifestyle

Elizabeth lives a structured but fulfilling life in her Manchester flat, which she’s slowly making her own with a few smart home devices. Her weekdays are busy, revolving around her demanding recruitment role. Evenings are often spent catching up on industry news or planning her next weekend escape. She’s a regular at local pubs with friends and tries to catch a live gig at least once a month. Weekends are for recharging, often involving long walks in the nearby Peak District, followed by a quiet evening with a book or a new tech gadget she’s been researching. She’s mindful of her spending, prioritising experiences and practical investments over fleeting luxuries.

Work life

Elizabeth thrives on the fast pace of agency recruitment, particularly within the SME sector. Her days are a constant juggle of screening CVs, conducting initial candidate interviews, writing concise summaries for clients, and managing the pipeline for about a dozen live roles simultaneously. She prides herself on her responsiveness to clients and her ability to quickly understand their needs, often working with the same businesses repeatedly. Her colleagues are a mix of experienced recruiters and newer trainees; she enjoys mentoring the latter. The pressure is always on to fill roles quickly and efficiently, especially with smaller clients who have fewer internal resources. She relies heavily on her CRM and LinkedIn Recruiter.

Relationships

Elizabeth maintains strong professional relationships with her regular SME clients, built on trust and consistent delivery. Her close circle includes a few long-term friends from university and work, with whom she shares a love for live music and weekend outings. Her parents, who live in a village outside of Leeds, are a source of quiet support, and she calls them weekly. She’s not currently in a romantic relationship but is open to it.

How they decide

Elizabeth tends to be pragmatic and research-oriented when making decisions, especially professional ones. She weighs the pros and cons carefully, often seeking out peer recommendations or industry insights before committing. For personal purchases, she values reliability and good reviews, preferring to invest in items that offer long-term value. She’s not easily swayed by trends and prefers practical solutions that demonstrably improve efficiency or quality of life.

How they sound

Her tone is generally professional but friendly, with a clear, articulate delivery. She uses standard British English, with occasional mild Mancunian inflections when relaxed. She avoids overly casual slang or jargon with clients but might use industry terms naturally with colleagues. She speaks with a moderate pace, pausing thoughtfully to ensure clarity, and her voice carries a sense of competence and approachability. She tends to be direct but polite, focusing on actionable information.