Copenhagen is a city that has much to offer with a great quality of life benchmark. To enjoy
this attractive city long-term, a job in the capital of Denmark is needed.
Career Denmark has written a guide to help you navigate landing a job in Copenhagen.
Note: This article is written from the perspective of international job seekers who already live in
Denmark. If you are moving from abroad, it’s best to read job search from abroad first.
Decide on the Industry
Before you dive into your job search, it’s crucial to understand your personal interest and
professional fit into relevant Industries. Copenhagen has strong industries such as IT,
pharmaceuticals, banking, consultancy, and green energy.
However, as with many capitals, it offers nearly any industry one could think of. List the
industries you deem fit and keep this as guidance to decide if an opening fits your
aspirations.
Unions & A-kasse
Exploring each industry by yourself can be a daunting task. Thankfully unions & a-kasse can assist through connections if you sign up for one.
You usually pay a monthly fee to receive services such as salary benchmarks, negotiation assistance & unemployment benefits.
Association inspiration
If a union is too costly, or you are lost in all the options, you can evaluate a list of many associations from one of the larger unions for free.
For example, by browsing the ‘medlemsforeninger’ on DI (Dansk Industri) website, we can see that there are over 100 organizations to get inspiration from, including an association that represents the bakeries.
Statistics Denmark
For those looking to evaluate the labor market potential and prefer a more empirical approach, you can use the publicly available Statistics Denmark to research current trends and insights such as vacancies to help you land a job in Copenhagen.
Evaluate your level of Danish for a job in Copenhagen
Copenhagen is an international city, and as such, you will find more jobs for English speakers than anywhere else in Denmark. However, it is still estimated that only 1 in 10 jobs are for English speakers.
Willing to learn
Consider your level of Danish and, perhaps more importantly, your willingness to learn the language to a proficient level. Being able to read, write, and speak the language, or show your progress towards this, will open you up to help you land a job in Copenhagen.
Open to English positions (only)
Should you decide on English jobs only, a good rule of thumb is that If the vacancy is in English, odds are the job will be too. You can learn more from our blog on how to find english-speaking jobs in denmark.
Find your industry-preferred job board
Depending on the industry you have chosen, vacancies might be plenty on LinkedIn, but not on Indeed, or perhaps Jobindex has much more variety than Workindenmark. Make sure you do not become overly reliant on one of these platforms.
If you are using LinkedIn to find your next challenge, don’t forget to set the location of the jobs you are browsing for, to Copenhagen including a radius. This will help you filter out positions that are too far from your willingness to commute.
Brush up the old CV
Update your CV (and cover letter) to reflect your current work experience and highest education followed – focus on your achievements, be specific, and quantify your results.
One advantage as a non-native would be to list your current skill in Danish and/or your openness to learning Danish. If you rather not, finding a job in Copenhagen does have the most English vacancies compared to the rest of Denmark, but it does limit your search.
Become part of the network
Networking is key in Denmark. If you have not done so already, find events within your industry in Copenhagen, and participate in them, Not only will this help to gain knowledge and credibility over time (I’ve seen that face before), but it will allow natural circumstances to begin conversations with people of similar expertise who might be hiring (in the future).
In addition, if you have not already, it’s a good idea to join specific LinkedIn groups that are in your industry and field to learn, gain knowledge, see job ads and look in the member list to have one-on-one coffee meetings with like Ingeniør for engineers in Denmark, for example.
Application & first interview
It is time to start applying for positions you have found online, or been informed about through your network.
If you do not get the position you are after on the first try, do not become discouraged. The labour market changes over time and timing is everything. Simply apply to the next batch of positions.
For the first interview, you may be asked to either participate in a video meeting or visit the office physically. Oftentimes, the first meeting is to ensure you can articulate any specific questions arising from your resume and a certain gut feeling. Learn more from our blog on how to let your personality shine in a Danish job interview.
Tests & further interviews
More often than not, companies will require you to complete two tests after several interview rounds. You may be familiar already with both the personality & logic tests.
As these tests are taken from home, make sure you are focused and in an as silent as possible environment. To receive your test feedback, a physician meeting is often booked. It serves you well to work out before arriving what the overall dress code is, to fit in and show you are serious about the job you would like to land.
Negotiation time
Once you receive a job offer, you are expected to negotiate. Understanding your worth and the salary range for your position in danish crows will help you massively to breach any gap and reach the middle ground. See this link for help with salary ranges.
Aside from salary, a job also brings other benefits. Do not forget to consider your expectations regarding vacation time, in-office vs WFH ratio, pension contribution, and paid courses/education.
How to get a job in Denmark?
If you’re looking to get a job in Denmark, one helpful resource you can use is Career Denmark. We can assist you in your job search by one-on-one career counseling and sessions in CV, Targeting the Application, Analyzing the Job Ad (Making the Call and Email to ask the right questions), Job Interview Preparation, Unsolicited Application, How to Network, LinkedIn Profile, LinkedIn Content.
To get started, you can fill out their free assessment form on our website to help you land a job in Copenhagen. Career Denmark understands your career goals and needs, and we can then provide personalized recommendations and assistance to help you find a job in Denmark. So if you’re looking for help finding a job in Denmark, do not hesitate to contact us by filling out our free assessment form on our website.
