In this solo episode of the How to Live in Denmark podcast, host Kay Xander Mellish answers a listener’s question about finding employment in Denmark. He explains that Danish employers typically favor native Danes because of language and cultural familiarity, so foreigners must demonstrate skills that surpass local candidates. Mellish recommends using Denmark’s free higher‑education system and intensive Danish language courses to build a local credential and network. He suggests taking low‑pay, Danish‑language jobs such as daycare assistant positions to gain daily language practice. For higher‑skill roles, he advises a strategic job‑search approach: scan job ads to identify in‑demand skills, attend industry events to learn local pain points, and craft applications that foreground how the applicant can solve those problems. He stresses the importance of a concise elevator pitch and a numbers‑game mindset, sharing his own experience of contacting 100 companies to land an eight‑year job. Mellish also provides detailed LinkedIn and CV tips—professional headshot, clear language, and using services like Fiverr for copy‑editing. He concludes by noting that the Danish government wants newcomers employed quickly, encouraging persistence. The episode ends with promotional mentions of his book, social media, and a live appearance at Gentofte Main Library.
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Hi, and welcome to the How to Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. Before I begin with the podcast this week, I'd like to announce my first public appearance. I will be speaking at the Gentofte Main Library on Thursday, March 13th at 7 PM, and admission is free. They do ask that you book a seat in advance so they know how many chairs to put out. I'll put a link at howtoliveindenmark.com. For the past couple of weeks, I've been answering some of the most frequent questions I get via email, mostly about how to find someone to date in Denmark. This week I'm going to answer another question I get frequently. Which is how to find a job in Denmark. So this is for you, Phil from Great Britain and Usman from Pakistan. Getting a job in Denmark is not easy, but it can be done. It depends a lot on what you can do and what you can do better than a Dane. Because let's be frank here, if it's between you and a Danish person, they're going to hire the Danish person. The Danish person knows the language. The Danish person knows the culture. The Danish person knows not to bring brie cheese for the Friday shared breakfast. In every office I've ever worked in, there's been a Friday shared breakfast, and they always eat exactly the same cheese— sliced medium-sharp Ribberhus Danbo cheese. Now, sometimes I would try to bring a different cheese, and my Danish colleagues would smile and nod like they do when a foreigner has done something silly, and then not eat my cheese. They'd eat no cheese at all until someone brought out the sliced medium-sharp Ribehus Danbo cheese. My daughter and I call it Danish people cheese. Anyway, the Danish workplace is about teams and working together and getting along as a group, and there's an automatic suspicion that a foreigner might not fit in. So back to my original point: to overcome this, you have to show what you can do better than your Danish rivals. If you have an education from within Denmark, that's a good start because it's kind of a local seal of approval. If you're just moving here with a partner, you might want to consider this as a way to start out. Higher education is free here, and the government even gives you a stipend to live on while you learn. By the time you're finished with school, you'll have a network that should make job hunting easier. Otherwise, I suggest you put all your effort into Danish classes at the start and then get a job that will force you to speak Danish all day, every day. I often recommend working as an assistant in a Danish daycare center. The jobs don't pay well, but they're relatively easy to get, particularly in Copenhagen, and particularly for men. They're always looking for men that the little boys can look up to. And quite frankly, the kids speak very simple Danish, and you speak very simple Danish. It's a good match. When people come from English-speaking countries— the U.S., Britain, Australia— They often ask me if speaking English well is enough to get them a job. The answer is no, even though there are many Danish companies that have English as their corporate language. But those are prestigious companies— Novo Nordisk, Lundbæk— places that everybody wants to work. So you have to have a job skill plus English to work there. So if you do have a job skill plus English and you want a job in Denmark, what do you do? This is my recommendation. Search the job ads, but don't necessarily apply. Figure out the skills companies are looking for. What skills can they not find? Go to as many professional events in your industry as possible. Chat with people, but don't ask them for a job. Ask them about your industry locally. Ask them where the pain is, where the problems are. And then write your job application and your CV explaining how you and your skills can help them solve exactly the problems that everybody's worried about. Put the problems at the top of your letter and explain how you can be the answer. For meeting people in person, create a little elevator speech about how you and your skills can help solve this problem or that problem in your industry. And then start approaching companies. And you got to be tough. The first time I was unemployed in Denmark, I approached 100 companies. I got about 3 responses and 1 job where I stayed for 8 years. So it's a numbers game. 2 more tips. Danish people love LinkedIn, so get your LinkedIn profile looking really spiffy. Please put up a professional picture that shows your real face. Of just the people who have asked me for my help, one guy had a picture of himself at a wedding, maybe his own wedding, wearing, you know, a tux and a little white carnation. He looked like Fred Astaire. Another guy had sort of a shadowy picture of himself at a nightclub, sort of leaning back and holding a beer. I said, no! You have to put up a clear picture of yourself smiling, looking friendly, in whatever type of clothing you wear for work. I mean, if you're a music producer, you don't have to wear a suit. If you're a banker, it's probably a good idea. Danes are casual, so a nice colorful sweater or blouse is perfect. And secondly, pay someone to look over your LinkedIn profile and make sure it's in really good English. I've been in the position to hire people in Denmark, and it's always amazing to me that I got so many CVs and cover letters in horrible English. There's a website called Fiverr at fiverr.com where people will copyread your CV or your LinkedIn profile for only $5. There's a link to it on howtoliveindenmark.com. It is definitely worth the investment. So that's my advice. It's hard to get a job in Denmark. But the good news is that everyone is rooting for you, particularly the Danish government. They want to get you working as quickly as possible so you can start paying your giant Danish taxes. And that's How to Live in Denmark for this week. Thumbs up to listener Aline Romance, who helped me with some of my sound problems. And you can read more at howtoliveindenmark.com, or at our Xander Mellish Facebook page, or on Twitter at @howtoliveindk. The 2 is a number. Music arranged by George Garvis. See you next week. Remember, the How to Live in Denmark book is available for download on amazon.com. You can read it on any phone or tablet. All you need is the Kindle app, and the Kindle app is free. The book's not free, but it's not very expensive either. If you read the book and enjoy it, please leave a review on your local version of amazon.com. It helps other people find the book and find the podcast.
