In this episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kassandra Melish explains how to craft an effective Danish cover letter and why it still matters despite the rise of online applications and LinkedIn. She outlines the traditional Danish cover‑letter format (subject line instead of formal salutations) and stresses its value for newcomers, recent graduates, or career‑switchers. Melish advises job seekers to call the hiring manager directly—using the phone number listed in the ad—to ask a concise, intelligent question, and to reference that conversation in the cover letter within 24 hours. She then turns to LinkedIn, urging a polished profile with a specific, keyword‑rich headline, detailed project‑focused experience entries, and a portfolio of work samples. Finally, she reveals the “two magic words” that dramatically increase the chance a cover letter is read: the name of a current employee who can vouch for the applicant, used with permission. Throughout, she emphasizes cultural nuances such as showing genuine interest in Denmark and respecting professional relationships. The episode concludes with calls to action for the book and website.
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Hello and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kassandra Melish. This is the continuation. of our series about looking for a job in Denmark. Today's episode focuses on the Danish cover letter. You know, the letter that goes with your CV when you send out an application. Now, in the era of online applications, face-to-face networking, and LinkedIn profiles, the Danish cover letter is a bit of a lost art. Probably your future employer will meet you via one of these other channels before they ever read the letter that is supposedly introducing you. But it's still worth writing because it's a chance to set the experience on your CV in the context of the job on offer. For example, I met a woman who was looking for a job in Denmark who had spent her entire career in the telecom industry, but she really wanted to try something else. Although her CV showed one telecom job after another, her cover letter was a great place to explain why she was applying for a job in a different industry. And how her experience could be useful there. A good cover letter is particularly important if you're a new arrival in Denmark, a new graduate, or going for a job that isn't an obvious fit with what you've already done. If you're newly arrived in Denmark, you can also use your cover letter to explain why you chose this place over others. Danes love their country and they're proud of it. It certainly wouldn't hurt to show that you like it too. and that you're not just an opportunist who will take a job anywhere if it offers a good paycheck. The traditional Danish letter style dispenses with those annoying salutations like Dear Sirs and Madams. Instead, it has a subject line on top, a bit like an email. You can use this to your advantage. A line like Skilled juggler with 2 decades of circus acrobatic experience is certainly more eye-catching than the old-fashioned To whom it may concern. Let's scroll back for a minute, though. As I said, the COVID letter is probably not your first encounter with an employer. Many Danish job ads contain the phone number of the hiring manager, who is often the exact person you will be working for if you get the job. This is an opportunity for you to call, introduce yourself, and ask an intelligent question about the job. Yeah, an intelligent question, nothing that's already in the job description or anything you can find out on the company's website. Please, please, please find a quiet room where your future employer can hear what you're saying on the phone. I have had people call me from train stations with like trains whizzing by, or from coffee shops with Beyoncé's like latest hit pumping in the background. Approach the hiring manager along these lines. Hi, this is Kay Xander Mellish. I understand you're the hiring manager for this excellent job, and I'm interested. But I have a couple of questions. Is now a good time? Assuming the hiring manager is not halfway through her lunch or on her way to a meeting, you can then take 5 to 10 minutes of her time with a few questions that are directly relevant to the position, such as team structure, travel requirements, or management responsibilities. Please ask about things that relate to the work at hand, not whether you can get off early on Friday because you play tennis, or, is it okay I already have vacation planned for the company's busiest season? If the answers and the boss are to your liking, you can reference the conversation in the first paragraph of your cover letter. Just to make sure the contact is fresh in your memory, I recommend sending your application within 24 hours of having spoken to the hiring manager. Before your cover letter and before you approach a hiring manager, you should have your LinkedIn profile in order. Now, when it comes to social media, Danes use Facebook mostly for social purposes, and they're kind of indifferent about Twitter, but they love LinkedIn. Anyone who is serious about doing business and finding a job in Denmark should polish his or her LinkedIn profile like a diamond. Now, we talked in the last episode about how an excellent business profile photo is a must. And your job title you should work on too. It should be packed full of the kind of search words that recruiters will type in when they're looking for someone like you. The more specific, the better. I get so mad when I see people that have just written engineer as their title. No, you're an environmental engineer specializing in wastewater purification. That's like 5 keywords they can use to find you. And when it comes to the jobs you've had, on LinkedIn, just don't list your title and dates of employment. You can go into detail about the projects you've worked on and the products and materials and teams you've worked with. You can tell a little story about your time on the job and, and what you learned there. Unlike a CV, LinkedIn profiles don't have to be a dry collection of bullet points. LinkedIn even has a great portfolio feature to put up documentation of some of the work you've already done. You know, photos, newspaper articles, videos, short project summaries, whatever you've got. It really makes your work experience come alive and seem more concrete, particularly if most of it consists of work that's been done outside Denmark. Now, there's a good chance your future employer will find you via your LinkedIn profile. Even if he doesn't, he'll probably look at your profile after he reviews your CV and your cover letter. A great profile could prompt him to call you for a meeting, which is what we'll discuss in our next podcast. When I give presentations to job hunters in Denmark, I tell them there are 2 words you can add to your cover letter that will virtually guarantee that it will be carefully read. What are those 2 words? The name of someone you know who already works at the company. Now, of course, you should only use a current employee's name with his or her permission, and ask each time you use it. There's always a chance that your contact and this particular hiring manager may be bitter enemies, or that the company is so vast, like Novo Nordisk, that a recommendation from a scientist doesn't have any impact on the hiring of an accountant. But if your contact is in the same or similar department, knows the company's culture and priorities, and thinks you're a good fit, the hiring manager will at least take time to look through your application and see if she agrees. At the very least, she'll feel she might have to explain to her coworker why she doesn't agree. Denmark's a little job market, so people are careful not to offend their business contacts. This means that your CV and your cover letter will get a little extra attention. And that's the How to Live in Denmark podcast for this week. You can buy the How to Live in Denmark book at Denmark's National Museum, at the National Art Museum, or on Amazon or Saxo or Google Play or Apple Books. You can come visit us on the How to Live in Denmark webpage, howtoliveindenmark.com, or on our Facebook page, How to Live in Denmark. See you next time.
