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Summary:

The 5 Danish regions have different types of companies and industrial focus, and you can benefit by researching them here on Eurocareers, because we have screened companies with international relevance for you. Typically applicants write a CV and Cover according to the job advertisement showing that you have a strong motivation and relevant skills. There are though also unsolicited and more alternative ways of getting connected with the employer and applying for jobs.

Morten Thygesen

Recruiter and business analyst

I love to research business concepts and develop marketing related recruitment services and find the best people for companies. ... Full Profile

Applying For a Job in Denmark

Updated 7.11.2018

There are many ways to apply for a job in Denmark. Many stick to the more common way of sending CV/cover letters for open advertisement in online job databases. If you apply in large companies you will face tough competition from many applicants. You could also try to approach this differently, especially if you are applying in the private sector. For instance meeting interesting people through conferences, participate in online education, take part in competitions, research the companies and take part of solving their problems, which can bring you to interesting knowledge, network and job openings.

Common job application


You will find the job advertisement through online job databases and start by taking a closer look to the requirements in the job advertisement and make sure you minimum are able to solve around 80-90% of the desired tasks, and provide statements and explanations of your experience and knowledge claiming that you are able to solve their main issues, and be humble to learn new things which are necessary in the long run to contribute to the company. Use specific examples that show your experience - and make it simple to overview and read.

CV


The CV is most often around 2-3 pages according to Danish recruitment company Ballisagers' annual recruitment report. Some applicants experiment with a 1-pager resume, which is easy to scan for the recruiter, but it all depends on the position and industry. It is important to remember that the recruiter or department manager does not spend much time on scanning your CV, so information has to be relevant and very tight to the employer needs and requirements.

The most typical content of the commonly applied reverse chronology CV:
● Professional picture
● Very short professional profile text containing a red line blending motivation, career and education
● Core Competences incl short explanations of your core competences
● Work experience
● Educational background
● Extra educational courses
● Language skills
● IT-Skills
● Some achievements (optional)
● Relevant interests (optional)
● Exam papers are asked for in 50% of the job advertisements.

Cover Letter


The cover letter is a motivational text of maximum one page written in simple and clear language.

The cover letter is often organized according to:
● Motivation for joining the company and working with the position
● Show your core competencies and explain that you are able to solve the actual problem
● Personal competencies. Companies also hire you according to your social skills and ability to work with others
● Elaborate more on your experience according to the employers' needs (you can fx be inspired by the star model)
● Furthermore you need an outro saying you look forward to meet them and to listen their needs etc.
● The size of the cover letter should not exceed 1 page.
● If you have been in touch with a department manager, HR or somebody else from the company, referring to a dialogue with this contact person giving you relevant knowledge and recommending you to apply for the position, you will benefit by mentioning this in the cover letter.


Improve job chances


If you want want to try an alternative way of job searching and enhance your chance of a job, you should look into your network (which fx could consists of entrepreneurial people, HR or CEOs) having a chat about your feelings in the current job. Hopefully opening for reflections on what to do. You could also send unsolicited applications, research interesting companies and start a progressive dialogue on company development and actual issues to be solved or take part in competitions showing and promoting yourself.

Unsolicited application


Search for relevant companies that are interesting to you and analyze what you will be able to contribute with. By applying unsolicited (sending Cover letter and CV without any specific open position) you reduce competition from 100s of other job seekers, but you don't know if the company has a need of your skills right now. There is a good chance, that you will be the first person the company thinks of, when they have a need for your skills. Remember to follow up on the application, so they do not forget about you. Chance is good to get invited for an interview, if they think you have relevant skills and would like to know you better. You can ofcourse also get in touch with HR or the department manager to get an understanding, if the company need people with your skillset now or in the future.

Progressive company research


If you want to be more progressive than 'just' using job databases you need to 1) be in touch with your existing network, or 2) research on companies in your interest and expertise area - to know what is happening. Is the company getting new orders, not selling enough, investing in new markets etc. With this approach and mindset you can improve your CV and cover letters by getting relevant knowledge and insights.

Information on Eurocareers.eu


Eurocareers provides information on companies, CV's, cover letters and job advertisement. You can find the companies that eurocareers.eu recommend and trust and which are open for hiring of international employees. Reading cover letters, CVs and job advertisement for the danish market is soon possible on the site and we urge you to research the research companies and examples of how to promote yourself to the Danish employers.

Sources:
 Ballisagers recruitment analysis
 STAR-model

Denmark