My Professional Journey

During each night shift, I am the only member of staff on site. I hold operational responsibility for guest support, security and the initial response to medical, technical or safety-related incidents.

• Independently managing late arrivals and early departures
• Assessing medical, technical and safety-related situations
• Deciding which internal or external parties need to be involved
• Arranging medical assistance, transport and other support services
• Checking doors, access points and publicly accessible areas
• Preparing a light early breakfast service for guests departing before normal service begins
• Reviewing and correcting check-in data recorded during the day
• Reconciling guest documentation with records in the Avalon hotel management system
• Checking addresses, identity document details, telephone numbers, email addresses and other mandatory information
• Submitting legally required guest data through the Hospedajes system
• Reviewing submission logs and resolving rejected records
• Creating concise work instructions for recurring processes
• Providing one-to-one refresher training for colleagues
• Identifying improvement opportunities in data, emergency and communication processes
• Persistently raising operational risks and unclear escalation routes

In this role, I worked three day shifts and two independently managed night shifts each week.

• Check-in and check-out
• Payment processing and cash handling
• Managing reservations and booking amendments
• Guest support in person, by telephone and in writing
• Communication in German, Spanish and English
• Arranging transfers, car hire and excursions
• Coordinating with housekeeping, maintenance and other hotel departments
• Handling and de-escalating complaints
• Reviewing and submitting legally required guest data during night shifts
• Sole operational responsibility for the hotel overnight

During an escalated security incident, I coordinated with the police and hotel management. After a ban from the premises had been issued, I enforced the decision calmly and consistently when the guest returned to the hotel.

I used this period to develop independent projects and deliberately expand my digital and technical skills.

My main areas of focus were product development, website technology, digital fabrication, process documentation and self-directed knowledge management.

I developed initial product ideas, costed materials and production workflows, and taught myself LightBurn, laser engraving and reproducible production processes. Some of this groundwork later became part of Arrel del Sol.

Technical customer support for an app-controlled hydroponic growing tower.

• Handled an average of 20 to 30 technical support cases per day
• Contributed to a substantial reduction in a backlog of several hundred open tickets
• Supported primarily German-speaking customers, as well as Spanish- and English-speaking customers
• Reproduced technical faults and analysed likely root causes
• Developed solutions and practical workarounds
• Handled difficult and escalated customer cases
• De-escalated frustrated customers through clear, solution-focused communication
• Built an extensive internal knowledge base
• Created numerous reusable solution articles
• Prepared content for a planned FAQ and customer self-service resource

The role combined technical support, troubleshooting, customer communication and knowledge management.

In this small trades business, I was the central organisational link between the owner, technicians, customers and suppliers. I coordinated jobs from the initial customer enquiry through to final invoicing and payment follow-up.

• Logged customer enquiries and organised and followed up on-site appointments
• Prepared and issued formal quotations
• Requested and followed up deposits
• Scheduled installation and service appointments
• Coordinated a high number of concurrent open jobs
• Grouped appointments geographically to reduce unnecessary travel time
• Ordered project-specific materials
• Received and checked deliveries
• Prepared the materials required by technicians
• Recorded labour hours and additional materials used
• Prepared and issued invoices
• Followed up outstanding payments
• Handled customer complaints and short-notice scheduling changes
• Reviewed invoice disputes against labour and material records
• Identified and corrected calculation, transcription and allocation errors
• Informally mediated tensions between the owner and employees

I also introduced regular stock checks for frequently used small parts, reducing unplanned purchasing trips by technicians.

The firm primarily advised German-speaking clients on property matters and on advance planning for assets and estates. Alongside office administration, I handled substantial legal case support, research and coordination with clients, notaries, public authorities and external specialists.

• Direct client contact
• Prepared correspondence in German and Spanish, and occasionally in English
• Researched and prepared case files
• Requested, reviewed and structured supporting documentation
• Communicated with notaries, authorities, registries, gestorías, translation agencies and external specialists
• Obtained land registry, cadastral and other official documents
• Coordinated surveyors and other service providers
• Prepared German-speaking clients for Spanish notary appointments
• Reviewed draft notarial deeds and agreements
• Explained contents and outstanding questions in clear language
• Provided oral language support between clients and Spanish-speaking notaries
• Worked with sworn translators

A particularly important project was the development of a reusable process for the recognition of German professional qualifications in Spain.

• Clarified requirements with the responsible authority in Madrid
• Created a checklist
• Requested and reviewed the required documentation
• Coordinated apostilles and sworn translations
• Prepared complete application packages
• Tracked deadlines and followed up outstanding decisions
• Applied the process across several professional fields

During this period, I was at home and took responsibility for family commitments.

Palmer Carpintería was a modern Mallorcan joinery business with approximately 13 employees, producing high-quality large-format window and sliding-door systems in iroko wood.

• Bookkeeping preparation
• Daily monitoring of bank balances and incoming payments
• Monitoring deposits and final payments
• Credit control and payment reminders
• Recorded ongoing business transactions
• Worked closely with the external gestoría and tax adviser
• Prepared payroll administration
• Prepared cost estimates in consultation with the owner
• Procured timber, fittings, glazing and other production materials
• Obtained and compared supplier quotations
• Coordinated delivery dates with production and installation teams
• Coordinated with external glaziers and finishing contractors
• Organised transport, collections and return deliveries

Over several months, I also supported the implementation of a new CNC milling machine. I acted as the central communication link between the owner and the Italian machine manufacturer, coordinating requirements, technical queries, software matters, delivery, installation and commissioning.

The machine was successfully implemented and subsequently operated reliably in production.

The company imported and distributed breakfast cereals and baked goods to major Spanish supermarket chains. Some products were manufactured specifically as private-label ranges for individual customers.

• Processed large B2B orders
• Communicated with Spanish supermarket chains
• Coordinated with German and other European manufacturers
• Checked production capacity and product availability
• Coordinated quantities and delivery schedules
• Arranged full truckload transport with a logistics provider
• Prepared delivery notes and shipping documentation
• Informed customers of delays or unavailable products
• Communicated with suppliers in German and, where required, English
• Bridged language and organisational gaps between management and international business partners
• Contributed to the development of private-label products
• Translated and adapted packaging copy for the Spanish market
• Requested and reviewed product samples

For a planned apple crisp launch, I coordinated samples, pricing and pack sizes. The initiative was stopped before market launch when a quality characteristic was identified that did not meet requirements.

During this family period, I worked in two fixed early-morning delivery areas for the Stader Tageblatt.

The independent delivery round began at approximately 4 a.m. and could be combined with caring for our children.

Following a two-week intensive training programme in Hamelin, I worked as a self-employed commercial agent and financial adviser. I shared an office with other advisers and built my own client base.

• Riester pension products
• Life insurance
• Home savings plans and allocations
• Mortgage finance

One particularly formative case involved financing a home for a family with six children. The initial finance application had been declined.

I reassessed the financial situation, presented the actual monthly cost comparison clearly and persisted with the relevant decision-makers. The finance was ultimately approved, enabling the family to purchase the property.

During more than eight years with Deutsche Bahn, I worked across several operational and customer-facing roles.

Arrel del Sol is my independently developed brand and product project. It includes handcrafted products as well as the non-fiction series WISSEN, WENN ES ZÄHLT.

• Developed the brand concept, website, product concepts and visual design
• Costed materials, machine time, labour, packaging and shipping
• Built the ordering and personalisation process
• Taught myself LightBurn and laser engraving
• Established suitable settings for different woods, fonts and designs
• Documented production parameters in Obsidian
• Four fully developed ritual boards
• A further 14 product ideas maintained in a structured idea backlog
• Initial orders and highly positive customer feedback

A current focus is the development of WISSEN, WENN ES ZÄHLT. What began as a single book project developed into a standardised multi-volume non-fiction series with its own positioning, quality standards, product roadmap and staged launch logic.

“Die Familienmanagerin” was a WordPress advice blog on household organisation and family management that I built and operated entirely myself. It was based on an organisation system I developed using short daily routines and clearly allocated weekly tasks.

• Website concept and build
• Technical administration
• Editorial planning and weekly articles
• Original copy, photography and video
• Search engine optimisation
• Email and affiliate marketing
• Built and managed a community of more than 100 women
• Approximately 1,000 page views per day
• Recurring affiliate commissions of approximately €300 per month
• Built a supporting YouTube channel

My project management portfolio documents four selected case studies drawn from real professional experience and ongoing projects.

• P01: Check-in and Guest Data Process – Operations, Process Improvement and Compliance
• P02: Emergency Preparedness and Escalation Standard – Risk Management, Operations and Knowledge Retention
• P03: Product Development and Launch of WISSEN, WENN ES ZÄHLT – Product Strategy, Standardisation and Go-to-Market
• P04: Technical Support and Knowledge Management – Troubleshooting, Prioritisation and Reusable Knowledge

For each case study, I deliberately distinguish between the initial situation, analysis, planned approach, actual implementation and demonstrable results. Ongoing or conceptual project elements are identified accordingly, and confidential company and personal information is anonymised.

The programme comprises seven courses.

• Project management foundations and lifecycle
• Project initiation
• Stakeholder analysis
• Project objectives and success criteria
• Project charter
• Roles and responsibilities
• RACI matrix
• Risk and communication management
• Project planning and delivery
• Agile ways of working and Scrum

Participant in a one-off, twelve-month coaching and mastermind programme limited to 26 participants.

• Affiliate marketing
• WordPress
• Development of an independent online venture
• Content planning and production
• Search engine optimisation
• Email marketing
• Community building
• Affiliate partnerships
• Monetisation of digital content

The learning was applied directly through the development and operation of “Die Familienmanagerin”.

• Train manager training with Deutsche Bahn
• Regular safety and emergency response training
• Training in brake tests, technical train inspections and train preparation
• ICE tunnel safety
• Regular first-aid training
• Two-week intensive financial adviser training with BHW

Distance-learning degree programme undertaken alongside shift work at Deutsche Bahn. Deutsche Bahn recognised my prior professional experience as equivalent to the German vocational qualification Kauffrau für Verkehr; together with my Fachhochschulreife, this recognition met the entry requirements for the degree programme. Subjects included business administration, economics and accounting. I ended the programme for family reasons without completing the degree.

Two-year upper-secondary programme with a business focus.

Confident written and spoken communication across all professional contexts.

Used daily over many years in Spanish companies, customer communication, dealings with public authorities and collaboration with notaries, gestorías and other professional bodies.

Strong reading and listening comprehension, with professional experience in customer, supplier and job interviews.

Good listening comprehension, with limited active speaking practice.

• Asana
• Microsoft Teams
• Zoom
• Obsidian
• Gmail

• WordPress
• Canva
• Website planning and architecture
• Website administration
• SEO
• Email marketing
• Content planning
• Affiliate marketing

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Outlook

• Avalon
• Hospedajes
• Ticketing systems
• Accounting systems
• Quotation and order management systems

• LightBurn
• Laser engraving
• Production preparation
• Cura
• 3D printing fundamentals

• Research and information structuring
• Comparing information and checking plausibility
• Supporting problem analysis and solution development
• Structuring and revising written content
• Translation support
• Idea and visual concept development

I identify recurring operational problems and seek to understand their structural root causes, combining analytical thinking with practical implementation.

I work calmly, methodically and with a strong sense of ownership, including in situations where information is incomplete or no manager is immediately available.

I raise relevant issues early and address them factually. In decision-making, I prioritise functionality, safety and professional accuracy, including when this requires uncomfortable questions to be resolved.

I approach new subjects largely through self-directed learning: researching, testing, reviewing outcomes and documenting solutions so that they are clear and useful to others.