Talent Crunch - Berlin - The Talent Pulse (April 2025)
Radical transparency: Our first community scorecard, DEI workshop insights, and introducing the Talent Crunch Playbook.
This month's Talent Pulse is different. For the first time, we're sharing our complete quarterly feedback scorecard, “bad stuff” and all, because we believe true growth comes from radical transparency.
Because we promised to run this community like a product company: ship the numbers, iterate based on feedback, and build something genuinely valuable, not just another meetup with pizzas.
Also, for the 1st time, we create and publish a real article. Basically, the comprehensive DEI event breakdown with all the learning.
🎉 And we launch something new - The Talent Crunch Playbook (read more below)
We also share upcoming community gatherings including our Employer Branding workshops, and the launch of our new webinar series tackling HR tech frustrations.
Quiz Results
Last month we ran a quick poll in the newsletter asking how companies are approaching AI adoption and upskilling.
Just over a third of respondents (36 %) already treat full AI integration as a top‑line priority, and another 27 % are rolling out tools with starter training; leaving the two “watching or exploring” camps at 18 % each.
With hiring budgets flat yet output targets climbing, teams are clearly banking on productivity gains over fresh head‑count.
😏 Maybe we should double down on hands‑on AI case studies and bite‑sized upskilling sessions?
The Talent Pulse
We promised to run the community like a product company and ship the numbers, warts and all. Below is our very first quarterly “feedback scorecard”. Have a skim, poke holes, tell us what’s missing. If it sparks new ideas, leave a comment.
Below we extracted some good and some bad things which pop’ed up.
5 events in, we’re still standing only because you keep showing up, sharing wins, and calling out our blind spots. Stick with us, Q2 should be even more fun (and tastier).
Onwards and upwards - Building Europe’s most useful talent community, one honest metric at a time.
Bi-Weekly Hot Talent Jobs
👋 Access the full document here. Thank you once more, Oliver, for helping the community with this invaluable resource.
The Monthly Talent Download
Introducing: The Talent Crunch Playbook
We've always promised to share everything we learn, not just the highlights. Today, we're taking that commitment further.
The Talent Crunch Playbook is our new knowledge repository where practical insights from every event, workshop, and community conversation live permanently – accessible to all, completely free. We start with 2025.
What you'll find inside:
Complete workshop findings (not just the sound bites)
Step-by-step implementation guides
Templates, frameworks, and real examples, everything we gather from our events.
Community contributions and case studies
Why a Playbook 📚?
Great ideas shouldn't disappear after the event ends or get buried in old newsletters.
The Playbook is our way of building a living resource that grows with our community: practical, searchable, and always available when you need it.
How to access: The Playbook is completely free for all community members.
Simply [click here] to browse the collection or contribute your own insights.
This is community knowledge in its purest form, created together, shared openly, and built to be used, not just read.
Help us grow it by sharing what works in your organisation.
DEI Isn't Dead. It's Just Been Badly Done.
Key Takeaways from our April 10th Power of Inclusion Event
Our recent DEI event brought together 100+ professionals at OLX HQ for workshops and honest conversations beyond the usual performative approach. Here's what we learned:
5 Critical Insights 🔎:
Inclusion dies in the details: small oversights create invisible exclusion
Accountability requires consequences, not just intentions
Disability is still treated as a 'special case' rather than being built into design defaults
Better systems beat awareness campaigns: Performance metrics and infrastructure matter more than slogans
Your employees already have the answers if leaders are willing to listen
Quick-start actions you can implement tomorrow:
Add an "Inclusive Process Review" to your next sprint
Set DEI KPIs that go beyond headcount
Normalize personal "user manuals" for team communication
Want the full breakdown? This article is now part of our new Talent Crunch Playbook - access the full article and all the “easy to implement” information - here.
Community Highlights
1. The Talent Spotlight
It iss LIVE again 💥. Our 3rd Spotlighted Community Member is Bastian Raphael. Check out their story here and say “Hi!” 🙌.
Who will be out next Month’s Spotlight?
2. 📅 April and May Events
(past) 10th April - 18:30 CET Community Gathering (Meetup): The Power of Inclusion: Workshops and Stories Creating Change for DEI. Another interactive event featuring workshops and storytelling sessions exploring the real impact of DEI efforts in the workplace and beyond. The event was sponsored by Greenhouse Software and it will feature: Mark Ivan Serunjogi , Oana Iordachescu and Sarah Harnett. It was BIG, engaging, playful and with…an Aperol Bar.
(past) THU 24th of April - 17:30 CEST Community Gathering (Meetup): Employer Branding Workshops: Solve Challenges, Build Better Brands. An interactive and engaging session designed to equip attendees with practical strategies for developing and enhancing both their employer and personal brands within the talent ecosystem. Full description here.
WED 7th of May - 15:00 CEST Webinar: Good Tools. Bad Decisions. A 3-part series on buying smarter, building better, and making HR tech actually work for people.
The 1st episode in a series of Webinars where, together with our hosts: Andreea Lungulescu and Jessie Schofer. The overarching theme will be “How to stop wasting time, money, and trust on HR tech that doesn’t deliver because you don’t know what you really need”. Access it here.
WED 21th of May - 18:00 CEST Community Gathering (Meetup): Unapplied: How We Lost the Plot in Tech Hiring + What We’re Doing About It. Sponsored by We Are Developers and JOIN, there will be some pretty big announcements being made during this event. And it is an event with a mixed crowd - Tech and Talent! Get your FREE Tickets here.
WED 28th of May - 18:00 CEST Webinar: AI in Talent Acquisition: Foundation First.
The second episode of this Webinar series, with a special guest this time! Kevin Wheeler, Founder - The Future of Talent Institute, renowned for his work in the Talent space and the tremendous amount of relevant literature around AI and Talent Acquisition, will join Andreea and Christian for an informative, yet informal episode.
Community Corner
🤝 Partner With Us
Growing a community takes a village! We're looking for:
Venues to host our events
Sponsors to help us create magic
HR Tech companies interested in showcasing their tools
📨 Interested? Drop a line to Andreea at andreea@theprincipalrecruiter.com or tacrunch.berlin@gmail.com
💡 Help Us Grow
Your voice matters!
👍 Like, 🔊 Share, and let us know what content you'd love to see in future newsletters. Whether it's specific topics, formats, or features - we're all ears.
Drop a comment below or hit that reply button - we read everything!
🌟 Join the Talent Crunch Community!
Connect and collaborate with a diverse network of talent professionals within the DACH region. We are a proudly non-commercial and deeply inclusive community with a strong focus on delivering practical impact within the talent space. Join the conversation on LinkedIn Page, Humanitix Ticketing Page, Instagram and Slack.
Resource Roundup
9 Actionable Recruitment Metrics to Drive Performance and Change
Official - Basic Income Pilot Project: Field Study Debunks the ‘Welfare Hammock’ Myth – DIW Berlin
Official - Median Gross Annual Earnings in Germany Hit €52,159 in 2024 – Destatis Press Release
Watch the recording - How to Handle the Tsunami of Job Applicants
Recruiting Brainfood Big List of In-Person Events to Attend in 2025
Thank you for reading the April edition of the Talent Crunch Newsletter! Stay engaged with our community for more valuable insights and updates.