Talent Spotlight — Tamara Perry (No. 2 — 2025)

Welcome to Talent Spotlight — where every month, we shine a light on standout talent professionals and the real stories shaping our industry.

Hey Tamara, tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you, where are you, and what keeps you busy these days?

I am Tamara, and I'm a multilingual serial expat with tech recruiting experience in the U.S. and Germany, plus a few years of teaching in Spain. In January, I completed an intensive B2 Business German course, and I'm now exploring new opportunities in Berlin for my next role.

Your Story

A small moment that taught you a big lesson:

Things always work out. I have the skills and resilience to succeed, I just need to stay consistent, and the universe (a.k.a. God) will handle the rest.

When my government-sponsored teaching program in Spain ended after three years, I faced the uncertainty of what came next. I knew I wanted to stay, and my best option (aside from marriage, haha) was to transition to a freelance visa. I secured a lucrative client contract, navigated the paperwork, and ultimately earned more as a freelancer than I had in the previous three years combined.

Something from a completely different field that helped your talent work:

I've always been a strong advocate for leveraging transferable skills when making a career change. The COVID-19 pandemic showed me just how crucial they are in a true "adapt or die" situation.

In 2020, I went from teaching 100+ in-person classes per month across Madrid to shifting my entire business online overnight. Many of my students were young children used to hands-on engagement — singing, dancing, movement. I had to completely rethink my approach, relying on the soft skills I already possessed to create dynamic and engaging content that translated effectively through the screen. I not only retained my client base, I grew it exponentially.

Talent Talk

The most unconventional thing you've done in recruiting that worked really well:

When sourcing passive candidates, I craft engaging subject lines to increase the chances of them opening the email. One of my most effective came while sourcing an Ember developer — a quite niche skillset. I found a strong candidate on LinkedIn who wasn't actively looking and seemed well-established. Noticing he was from Porto, Portugal, I recalled my visit there and the famous Francesinha sandwich.

My subject line was something like: "John, do you enjoy Francesinha sandwiches?"

He replied the same day, and as we discussed the role we briefly reminisced over our shared love for this delicious Portuguese delicacy.

A trick or productivity hack that makes life easier:

Creating an email folder system based on subject lines and keywords for ATS notifications has been a game changer. In one role, I reduced response time for candidates asking for feedback on tech tests from 1–3 weeks to 2–3 days by organising all "Test Received" notifications from Greenhouse and reviewing them daily.

One thing about TA you've completely changed your mind about:

I've let go of the idea that the resume is king. There are many talented and highly qualified people who simply struggle with writing a good resume. At Amazon, I had the opportunity to attend Global Accessibility & Awareness courses that highlighted unconscious bias against neurodivergent candidates. Early in my career I was taught to eliminate resumes with typos — what I wasn't taught to consider was dyslexia.

Now, when reviewing resumes, I focus on core skills. I ask myself: Can the candidate do the job? If the answer is yes, I pass the resume along, typos and all.

Community Connection

I'm new to the Berlin Talent Acquisition network so I am still making connections — happy to connect with anyone interested.

One question you've always wanted to ask:

I just completed an intensive B2 Business German course, but many roles require advanced German even to be considered. How did you break into your first German-speaking TA role?