how to improve your CV with AI?
Issue #142 (24 Mar) – 20+ jobs with sales and operations focus; Coffee Talk with Claire; where do richest Berliners live?; night of the libraries.
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Programming note #142: We are in the last week of data collection for Salary Trends 2025. I have only checked the total numbers so far and we will easily beat last year’s total responses. You can still participate and share it with your friends. Thanks.
! We’ve got plenty of great deals in this issue (great program for women, a free coaching slot, tickets for Freelance Unlocked, discounts and free presence in Handpicked Berlin). Check them out!
🌟 Handpicked community
is a place where we meet, share projects and ideas and look for help.
Meet — handpicked events:
Inspire the Product Leaders for Tomorrow | Wed, 26/03 19:30 | Online (Google Meet)
Investing 2025: Who's really in control – human or machine? 🇩🇪 | Wed, 26/03 18:00 | Spielfeld Digital Hub
betabreakfast: Notion x betahaus with Matthias Frank | Thu, 27/03 10:00 | betahaus*
signals AI Roundtable #2 – Discover AI Trends with VCs & Experts | Tue, 01/04 18:30 | signals Open Studios
European defense tech meetup: Sprin-D | Mon, 07/04 18:00 | location unknown
The Power of Inclusion: Workshops and Stories on true DEI | Thu, 10/04 18:30 | OLX HQ - Alexanderplatz
this could be your event - advertise it
Show cool stuff or Ask for something:
🔑 Turn your development budget into your most transformative month! Discover a 4-week leadership program for ambitious women: live training, 1:1 coaching, and an exclusive network. Check out early-bird prices or approach Christina for a chat.*
Simon is coaching me, and I love it. He has one free slot available. "Free business coaching for founders! With 30 years in business incl. coaching, I offer pro bono sessions to help you thrive. Successfully exited my SaaS company—now supporting your growth!" Drop him an email.
Carmen is researching how both migrants and locals navigate the healthcare system in Germany. Fill out this survey to help her understand your challenges (or lack thereof) & enter to win one of three €40 gift cards!
Sign the petition Freelancing legalisieren - Scheinselbständigkeit reformieren which urges the government to establish clear positive criteria for self-employment status.
📨 Submit your input for the community here. This section is also featured on LinkedIn in the weekly post.
👀 Handpicked jobs
is a rotating selection of jobs from companies I’d check out.
5️⃣ from the rotation this week: Sales, Customer Success and Operations
The remaining jobs (also outside rotation) are in the Handpicked online database.
Are you looking for new colleagues or work in HR? Submit a job.
✨ Handpicked deals
Your purchase or interest will help sustain this project.
Join the #1 Conference for Freelancers & Solopreneurs in Europe on May 14 & 15 in Berlin! 750 Freelancers will come together to learn and network. Save 15% on your ticket with the coupon HANDPICKED4FUN25
💻 Startups, freelancers, solopreneurs! Looking for a fixed or flex coworking space or an office for your team? Here is the direct link to the discounts from some of the best coworking spaces in Berlin.
Learn German with SmarterGerman — HANDPICKED11 for 11% discount. Read on how to learn German here.
☕️ Coffee Talk with Claire Siegert
is where my guest contributes three links and I write a short bio. Permanent collection.
Claire is an entrepreneur and an advocate for female founders who co-founded Businettes, one of the biggest platforms for women in business. You can join their June event in Berlin. Here is what she prepared for you:
I love Lessons in Chemistry! Bonnie Garmus’ debut novel is set in the 1960s and follows a fiercely intelligent chemist who challenges societal norms and—somewhat unexpectedly—becomes a TV cooking show host. While not your typical startup story, it’s an inspiring tale of perseverance, creativity, and female empowerment. If you love strong, trailblazing protagonists, this one’s a must-read!
Hamy at Hermannplatz is my go-to spot for delicious, no-fuss Vietnamese food! Hamy has been a favourite of mine since my student days—affordable, super fast, and always tasty. Their daily changing "dish of the day" never disappoints, and no matter the season, people are sitting outside, soaking in the Kreuzberg vibes. Every visit feels a bit like coming home.
If you're into startups, business, and bold career moves, Fast & Curious (🇩🇪) is a must-listen! Hosted by Lea-Sophie Cramer and Verena Pausder, this podcast gives unfiltered insights into entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal growth—packed with smart conversations, practical takeaways, and just the right amount of humour. Perfect for a quick inspiration boost during a walk or commute!
🗞 Snippets
is a selection of links focused on Berlin/Germany, career, timeless content and business.
Berlin & Germany, career & timeless
After investing dozens of hours I finally completed my 16-page guide on how to use AI to improve your CV and cover letter with step-by-step instructions and several prompts. To celebrate the release here is a limited coupon for a 34% discount: HANDPICKED19 Thanks to all the testers helping me! ❤️
Germany needs builders! I joined the bandwagon and created Launchpad. Recently or soon-to-be funded and looking for talent, beta testers, audience growth, event boost or more? I'm offering selected startups FREE access to our 25,000+ audience. Let’s build. More is coming soon.
💎 Best Bánh Mì in Berlin? I saved this thread a while ago and these seem to be good tips: Saveur de Bánh Mì, Mama Vân, Cô Cô bánh mì deli and Madame Ngo. Banh Mi Stable I like didn’t win many points in the thread but I can vouch for Saveur and Madame Ngo.
Where do Berlin’s top earner live? (A map by Berlin-Brandenburg Statistical Office.) The gap between the highest-earning district (Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg at €4,525) and the lowest (Marzahn-Hellersdorf at €3,314) is over €1,200 monthly. “At Gleisdreieck in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Kollwitzplatz in Pankow and Nordbahnhof in Mitte, more than every second employee earns a gross monthly income of over €6,000. The frontrunner is the Alter Schlachthof area between Frankfurter Allee and Storkower Straße with a median income of €6,438.”
Mark your calendars for Friday, 4th of April for the first Germany-wide Night of the Libraries. Here is the full program for Berlin. In total over 100 events including workshops, readings, and tours under the motto "Knowledge. Share. Discover."
After two years of renovation, Gendarmenmarkt was finally opened and … it’s not really green, is it? Critics are loud. In a nutshell, they didn’t want a park, but an event venue historically preserving the state from the GDR era. (RBB, 🇩🇪)
Photo from r/berlin with an interesting discussion. Career: Why is it not always good to do the job hoping every two years? A Twitter note with great points, especially if you are in a company that respects internal talent.
Career: What it really means to be a VP, Director or a Manager? An extremely useful read from the archives of Dave Kellogg for everyone aspiring to climb the career ladder.
Timeless: What to watch on streaming? Looks legit and a good idea to put that subscription to good use.
You can still participate in the Salary Trends survey or share it on social media.
Briefly
Bad news: Audi -7500 until 2029; Amazon -14k managers in Q1/Q2, Siemens -6k, 2.8k in Germany; Deutsche Bank -2k; Sausalitos (restaurant chain) filed for bankruptcy.
New BVG strike this week on Wednesday and Thursday! I lost count, but walking is also healthy.
Stats: According to IW Cologne, almost 26k companies will likely be going bankrupt in Germany this year. That’s double the amount compared to 2021.
Here is some HR SaaS drama for you: Deel (also in Germany) had a spy in Rippling. I liked the part when they hid in the toilet and ran away.
Things aren’t rosy for Tesla in Germany. Only 20% of Germans would consider buying it. In a recent online poll, 94% said they wouldn’t consider buying one.
Momox (re-commerce, Berlin) 2024: €377M revenue in 2024, up 8.6% YoY. Books and media account for 84% of total sales, fashion grew 10%.
Vonovia 2024: €962M loss, a significant improvement from 2023's record €6.75B loss. They expect a return to profitability in 2025. (They own 540k apartments around Europe).
DKB 2024: record pre-tax profit of €1.1B, up 11%. +237k new customers (total 5.84M) compared to ING's 570k, Trade Republic's 4M, and N26's 200-250k monthly additions. (Handelsblatt) Related, 343 Sparkassen (saving banks) had a pre-tax profit of €7.3B. They also plan to hire intensively.
Springer Nature (publishing, Berlin) 2024: revenue €1.85B (5% organic growth), adjusted operating profit €512M (7% growth). For 2025, they aim for €1.89-1.94B in revenue with similar profit margins.
Weekly social
Twitter: Two-finger typing by our Kanzler.
Twitter: Why you shouldn’t count on AI doing real-time translations for you and learn the language instead.
💸 Funded in Berlin & Germany
is a list of companies that received funding over €1M.
Doinstruct | Berlin | AI-generated training videos | €16M | Careers.
C1 Green Chemicals | Berlin | Green methanol production | €15M | Careers.
Kaiko Systems | Berlin | Shipping operational intelligence | €6M Series A | Careers.
G2 Esports | Berlin | Premier esports club | $1M | Careers.
NAO | Berlin | Co-investment platform | €1M Angel | Careers.
Cortea | Berlin | AI for auditing | €3.1M | Careers.
Buynomics | Cologne | AI price optimization technology | $30M Series B | Careers.
PeopleIX | Cologne | AI-powered HR intelligence | €2.3M Pre-seed | Careers.
Flexvelop | Hamburg | Flexible business financing solutions | €44M | Careers.
Tado | Munich | Intelligent home energy management | €30M | Careers.
Pulsetrain | Munich | EV battery management technology | €6.1M Seed | Careers.
😅 Meanwhile
I love self-replicating solar-powered machines
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