Talent Crunch - Berlin - The Talent Pulse (May 2025)
Workshops that actually fixed things, AI hype gets dismantled, and how to stop wasting your HR tech budget.
May 2025 Edition (Yes, in June, Double Win for You)
We know. It’s June. But this is your May newsletter, and the next one’s coming out next week.
Call it a two-for-one. Or a calendar glitch. Either way, you win.
So, what’s been happening?
At the end of April, we ran a full event of Employer Branding Workshops in Berlin, sponsored by MisterSpex and led by 4 of our highly engaged community members. Four hands-on sessions. And one - very highly regarded Community Stage talk from Rap Paulavicius - who graciously gave us access to his Presentation in full (find it in the Talent Crunch Playbook).
Here’s what came out of those rooms (in short).
For the (very) long version with practical exercises you can steal and implement…tomorrow, head over to the Talent Crunch Playbook
🎒 Free, forever, no email wall. Built for you.
🔗 [Access the Playbook here → link]
👀 1. Employees as Brand Ambassadors? Not Without a Plan.
Most companies are sitting on their most powerful hiring channel (their employees) and doing absolutely nothing with it. We mapped out why people don’t post, spoiler: it’s not laziness, and built a full activation playbook.
Biggest learning: Start with the people already posting, give them tools, and let it spread.
(Also: templates > begging.)
📉 2. Kununu and Glassdoor: You Can’t PR Your Way Out of a Bad Culture.
Stop asking for reviews if your exit interviews are a mess and your job descriptions are fairy tales. We built a simple strategy to clean up from the inside before chasing stars.
Best quote from the room: “Fix before you ask.”
🎁 3. Your Benefits Aren’t Boring: Your Messaging Is.
Everyone says “great perks”. No one remembers what they are. This session tackled how to repackage ordinary benefits into things candidates actually care about.
Turns out, “gym pass” doesn’t land, but “your life, your needs, your benefits” might.
Storytelling wins over bullet points. Every time.
💬 4. Hiring Managers on LinkedIn: From Ghosts to Advocates
The one you’ve been waiting for. We finally tackled the eternal mystery: how do you get hiring managers to post anything online?
Short answer: you bribe them (just kidding; sort of).
Long answer: we designed a lightweight, zero-fluff playbook for recruiter-led support that actually works. Templates, nudges, recognition.
Quiz
What’s Really Blocking Your Summer Hiring?
Hiring slows down in summer, we all know that. But this year, it’s not just holidays.
It’s:
Budgets frozen mid-quarter
AI noise confusing every brief
Talent pulling back after endless change
And yes, Berlin still pretending “stealth hiring” means something
We’re curious:
And if there’s something else…leave us a comment 😬.
The Talent Pulse
“The Stack Won’t Save You” and Other Sharp Truths We Heard This Month
This May, we ran 2 of the most direct and insight-heavy sessions we’ve ever hosted, both tackling the real story behind AI, tools, and tech stacks in recruitment. No pitches were involved.
Just really smart people saying the things most of us are thinking but don’t always say out loud.
Let’s rewind.
🌍 Webinar 1 – “HR Tech is Not Your Strategy: Why We Keep Buying the Wrong Things”
Co-hosted by: Andreea Lungulescu (Talent Crunch) & Jessie Schofer (Stakkd)
Part of the “Good Tools. Bad Decisions.” Series
You’ve got tools. You’ve got dashboards. You’re drowning in features.
But why is adoption low, workflows clunky, and no one checking those “insights”?
Jessie kicked off this 3-part series by pulling the plug on magical thinking around tech. Her thesis? It’s not your stack. It’s your buying logic.
Think founder ego, shiny-object syndrome, and buying for problems that don’t exist. Think chaos masquerading as urgency.
Favourite crowd takeaways:
Most tech fails not at implementation, but at decision logic.
You don’t need another demo. You need a strategy.
Sometimes, buying less fixes more.
A strong vendor doesn't just sell features; they fit your actual workflows.
🎥 Missed it? Rewatch the session on LinkedIn here → [LINK]
🌍 Webinar 2 – “Digital Doppelgängers & Algorithmic Bosses: Witnessing AI’s Takeover in TA”
Co-hosted by: Andreea Lungulescu & Christian Wastlhuber
Special Guest: Kevin Wheeler (Founder, Future of Talent Institute)
Let’s just say… this wasn’t your average “AI in Talent” fireside chat.
Kevin delivered a reality check that hit hard; and stuck. While many are still busy rebranding dashboards as “intelligent platforms,” he asked:
If AI is already misfiring in hiring decisions, why are we still giving it more power?
What will recruiters do when AI clones can technically outperform them on half the workflow?
Key insights from the session:
There was a lot of talk around the Global impact of AI and the ethics - we had to have a conversation about the entire ecosystem - we, Talent folks, don’t exist in a void.
AI isn't a strategy. It’s a tool. One that can easily go rogue if not governed well.
LLMs are persuasive liars. That makes them dangerous in high-stakes hiring.
The real threat isn’t AI replacing recruiters; it’s recruiters forgetting how to use their own judgment.
The recruiter role is evolving fast, but only those who shift from doers to orchestrators will thrive.
💡 Best quote?
“You can’t hire your way out of a toxic culture. And AI can’t fix it either.”
🎥 Replay the full session here → [LINK]
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
What we’re reading, saving, and side-eying this month.
All the links are below, in Resources 👇.
“The Confidence Trap: Why LLMs Have No Place in Hiring Decisions” – Martyn Redstone
A scathing, and necessary, look at why large language models don’t belong in candidate assessments. From fake reasoning to reward-hacking, this is your go-to resource the next time someone suggests letting ChatGPT rank CVs.“Recruitment Needs a Renaissance” – Felix Wetzel
Sixteen bold theses calling time on AI theatre, shallow hiring, and recruitment as a glorified admin function. A manifesto for rehumanising the craft—and building real candidate markets, not funnels.“Do You Even Need AI for That?” – Duolingo & Zapier Case Studies
Sometimes the smartest AI use case is not to use it. This internal benchmarking piece explores what 89% AI adoption actually looks like at Zapier—and how Duolingo saved time by not over-automating.
(Mentioned in our webinar, if you want a deeper dive, let us know. We’re sourcing internal playbooks.)AI Tool Audit Template (Free)
European AI Act Tracker – What Recruiters Need to Know
A rolling summary of what the EU AI Act actually means for hiring. Think of this as your non-lawyer cheat sheet on compliance, bias, and what to ask every AI vendor this year.
Community Highlights
1. The Talent Spotlight
It iss LIVE again 💥. Our 4th Spotlighted Community Member is Harveen Kaur. Check out their story here and say “Hi!” 🙌.
Who will be out next Month’s Spotlight?
2. The Talent Services Directory
Talent Crunch Services Directory - Now Live
From community to ecosystem - redesigned based on your feedback.
After the initial launch, we pulled everything back to redesign the submission process. Thank you for helping us get this right.
What's New:
We now have a cleaner submission form and streamlined directory.
👉 [Submit your services: [FORM LINK]
👉 [Browse the directory: [DIRECTORY LINK]
Read the Rules First
Every entry will be scrutinised.
Non-compliant listings get removed without questions asked.
This is pro bono and time-intensive. For now, this is our sustainable starting point.
For the Early adopters: You'll get a separate email with options to transfer or resubmit.
Standards Remain High
Coaches, consultants, workshop hosts, freelance recruiters: Welcome
HR Tech/Recruitment Agencies: Contact Andreea directly about partnerships
Talent Crunch isn't becoming a marketplace - we're building a quality-focused growth ecosystem.
Questions? Hit reply or find Andreea in Slack.
3. 📅 May and June Events
(past) WED 7th of May - 15:00 CEST Webinar: Good Tools. Bad Decisions. A 3-part series on buying smarter, building better, and making tech actually work for people.
(past) 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!
(past) 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, 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.
June was reserved for 2 Invite-Only Executive experiences - a Dinner Cruise on the Spree and a Breakfast Experience where we tried coffee-cupping AND proxy (0% alc.) wines (they are so so good!).
🔗How to stay in touch and be notified when an event goes live?
Humanitix - it is (for now) our Platform of choice
If you “follow” Talent Crunch here you will be notified everytime we release an event
And all the events are there
LinkedIn - similarly, we always post out events on LinkedIn as a LinkedIn Event
Follow our LinkedIn Page
We have an #events channel and here we post all the events, as soon as they come up.
📸 Do you want the photos from our events?
They are here.
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
The Confidence Trap: Why LLMs Have No Place in Hiring Decisions
AI Tool Audit Template (Free)
Recruiting Brainfood Big List of In-Person Events to Attend in 2025
Thank you for reading the May edition of the Talent Crunch Newsletter! Stay engaged with our community for more valuable insights and updates.
😎 Anonymous & Unfiltered: Speak Your Mind Button
Submit Your Thoughts Anonymously
At Talent Crunch - Berlin, we are dedicated to fostering a supportive and transparent environment where every member of the talent community feels empowered to share their perspectives openly. Whether you have a burning question, valuable feedback, a specific concern, or simply something insightful on your mind, this is your confidential space to be heard. Your anonymous contributions play a vital role in shaping our community and ensuring we address the topics that are most relevant to you.
Thank you for reading theMay edition of the Talent Crunch Newsletter! Stay engaged with our community for more valuable insights and updates.