How to Live in Denmark

Job interviews in Denmark are all about balance. Bragging is a big no-no due to Janteloven, but you still need to show that you’re the right person for the job. So how do you stand out without overdoing it? In this video, I’ll walk you through the key steps for a successful Danish job interview. Learn how to showcase your skills while keeping it humble, share stories of both successes and failures, and why admitting your mistakes might just be the thing that wins you the job. We’ll also cover the importance of punctuality, how to handle all those handshakes, and why Danish employers love candidates who can laugh at themselves. Watch now to get insider tips on how to ace your next interview in Denmark!

Your Danish cover letter is your chance to connect the dots between your experience and the job requirements in Denmark. Here are some key tips: 1. Keep it short and sweet - three paragraphs max! 2. Be direct and error-free. Danes value quality and thoroughness. 3. Explain why you chose Denmark if you're new here. Danes love their country! 4. Mention if you're willing to relocate within Denmark. 5. Skip the "Dear Sir/Madam" and use a subject line instead. For example: "Experienced social media copywriter with proven results" Now, let's talk about contacting hiring managers. Many Danish job ads include the hiring manager's phone number. This is your chance to make a great first impression! When you call: 1. Find a quiet place - no noisy backgrounds! 2. Introduce yourself clearly 3. Ask an intelligent question about the job - something not already in the description or on their website There are two words you can add to your cover letter that will guarantee it gets carefully read. Want to know what they are? The first and last name of someone who already works at the company. Now, let's break this down: - Always get permission before using someone's name. Ask each time you use it. - Ideally, your contact should work in a similar department and know the company culture. - Even if your contact isn't in the same department, their recommendation can still make a difference.

If you're looking to break into the Danish job market, this audio clip is packed with insider tips on writing a good CV or resumé that will make you stand out. Key Points: - Why your CV should focus on relevant projects and contributions - The importance of highlighting transferable skills, even from volunteer work - Keeping it concise: Why your CV should be 1-2 pages max - What Danish employers really care about (hint: it's not just grades and titles!) - How to show you're a great cultural fit for Danish workplaces We'll walk you through real examples and share strategies to make your experience shine, even if it doesn't seem directly related at first glance. Plus, we'll reveal the secret ingredient that Danish employers are really looking for in candidates. By the end of this clip , you'll know exactly how to structure your CV to grab attention and demonstrate your value from day one. Don't miss out on these game-changing tips! #DanishCV #JobHunting #CareerTips #WorkinDenmark #CVWriting

Learn more distinctive nature of Danish work culture, with this look at the flat organizational structure that sets Danish workplaces apart from many others around the world. Key points covered: The absence of traditional top-down management Bosses as coaches and team leaders rather than authoritative figures The importance of self-initiative and problem-solving skills Why flexibility and adaptability are crucial in Danish companies Common misconceptions about foreign workers in Denmark Learn how to thrive in this unique environment where your ability to think independently and take action is valued more than following strict orders. Whether you're considering working in Denmark or just curious about different work cultures, this video offers valuable insights into the Danish approach to professional life. #DanishWorkplace #FlatHierarchy #WorkCulture #CareerAdvice #InternationalJobs

In this eye-opening video, we explore a unique aspect of Danish culture - the passion for equality and the surprising lack of emphasis on job titles. Through a personal anecdote involving a Senior Vice President fetching water, we delve into the concept of "ligestilling" (equality) that shapes Danish society. Key topics covered: • The Danish social code "Janteloven" and its impact on workplace dynamics • Why fancy titles are considered embarrassing in Denmark • How the lack of visible hierarchy affects business interactions • The historical roots of Danish egalitarianism • Challenges this cultural norm poses for international business • Contrasting Danish work culture with more competitive societies Whether you're doing business in Denmark, curious about Scandinavian culture, or interested in alternative workplace philosophies, this video offers valuable insights into a society where cooperation trumps competition and titles take a backseat to personal connections. Join us as we unpack this fascinating aspect of Danish culture and consider its implications in our increasingly globalized world. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more cultural insights! #DanishCulture #WorkplaceEquality #BusinessCulture #Scandinavia

Job switching in Denmark is common - Denmark has one of the highest job mobility rates in the OECD. Up to 20% of Danes will change job this year, and not just young people - people in the prime of their careers and people over 55 also change jobs more frequently than elsewhere in Europe. If you don’t change jobs regularly in Denmark, or at a minimum change jobs within a company if you’re there for a few years, people might wonder why.

Copenhagen is a city where design and functionality meet in unexpected ways, creating an urban landscape filled with unique quirks and charming oddities. From the iconic benches to the colorful details, here are some Danish design features that make this city truly special. Copenhagen Benches Stroll through the city, and you'll notice the distinctive green benches that line Copenhagen's streets and parks. These aren't just places to sit—they're a piece of the city's identity. Designed with simplicity and comfort in mind, these benches encourage social interaction and provide a moment of respite amid the hustle and bustle of urban life. Copenhagen Green Speaking of green, have you noticed the particular shade that seems to pop up everywhere? "Copenhagen Green" is a color you'll find on everything from park benches to bicycle racks, and it's become a signature of the city's aesthetic. This deep, earthy hue reflects the city's connection to nature, seamlessly blending the urban environment with its green spaces. Swimming in the Harbor One of the most surprising and delightful aspects of Copenhagen's design is the way it embraces the harbor. The clean, inviting waters are a testament to the city's commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. Locals and visitors alike can enjoy a swim right in the heart of the city, surrounded by sleek, modern architecture that coexists with the natural beauty of the waterfront. Round Skyscrapers Copenhagen's skyline is dotted with round skyscrapers that defy conventional architectural norms. These circular structures not only stand out visually but also symbolize the city's forward-thinking approach to design. Their curves create a sense of harmony and flow, contributing to the city's unique, modern vibe. The Ugliness of Nørreport But not everything in Copenhagen is about perfection. Take Nørreport Station, for example. Often criticized for its stark and somewhat unappealing design, it's a reminder that even in a city renowned for its aesthetics, not everything hits the mark. Yet, Nørreport's functionality as one of the city's busiest transit hubs is undeniable, proving that in Copenhagen, form sometimes follows function—no matter the visual outcome. These quirks and more make Copenhagen a city that's as intriguing as it is beautiful, where every detail, whether celebrated or criticized, plays a role in the tapestry of Danish design.

Positive feedback is uncommon in Denmark, because Danes themselves are often uncomfortable receiving compliments. Compliments run smack-dab into the "Jante Law", which says specifically that “Don’t think that you’re better than us.” When you give someone a compliment, you lift them above you, if only for a moment, and that disturbs the equality, or at least the façade of equality, which is so important in Denmark. So compliments are not a natural thing in Denmark, either on the job or in your personal life.

Denmark’s doing a big recruitment campaign now, trying to get young professionals to bring their skills to Denmark, and a lot of them are single when they arrive. If they want to meet someone and don’t meet someone, and if they want a serious relationship and a family but can’t get started, they often go home again. So, in the name of economic development, here are my tips on romance in Denmark. I talk a lot in my speeches about how people bring their own work culture with them when they come to work in Denmark, but they also bring their own dating culture. The way you expect to meet a potential partner, to flirt, to show you’re serious, to take the relationship to the next level, these are expectations you bring with you to Denmark from your home culture. When you get here, you will meet Danes who have very different expectations. Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com

Many people living through this time in Denmark describe feeling low-energy – "sløj" is the very descriptive Danish term. It translates directly to “sluggish”. Others feel deeply depressed. Some eat too much, or drink too much. Some sleep all the time. It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are my tips for handling these dark months, which generally stretch from November until the end of February.

Fireworks, marzipan cake, and televised Royal speeches are among the traditions Danes observe on New Year's Eve.

If you are an American living in Denmark, or considering moving to Denmark, knowing how to handle a conflict the Danish way is very important.

Denmark is getting rich selling pharmaceuticals to other countries, but within Denmark itself, the approach is inconsistent. Getting illegal drugs doesn't seem to be too difficult, but getting legal drugs from your doctor can be. This is the 122nd episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.

When I first arrived in Denmark, you could shut down any dispute in Denmark by appealing to equality and the common good. Solidarity - “solidaritet” - and “fælleskab”, or community, or even “samfundssind”, societal spirit, were magic words. They still are with the older generation that built Denmark’s welfare state. If you want to convince this generation of anything, just make a reference to solidarity and community and societal spirit. Works like a charm. I’m often asked if the younger generation is as dedicated to these principles as their elders, and if they still follow the "Jante Law". Jante Law is not really a law – it’s like a legend, in which people living in Denmark are not supposed to act like they’re better than anyone else, or smarter than anyone else, or know more than anyone else. But young people aren’t too keen to put up with that, in particular in an environment where they are competing internationally. For many Danish young people, the idea that all Danes are equal and we must all move together, at the same pace, seems outdated. And one contemporary example is the rise of the electric bike. What has now been accepted in Denmark’s bike lanes is a concept that is used to be very "uDansk", or un-Danish….that some people simply go faster than others. This is the 121th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.

Many people who visit Denmark are fans of the Vikings, the colloquial name for Scandinavians before the medieval era, although technically speaking the Viking raiders were at their peak in the years 800-1100. There are plenty of opportunities, especially now during tourist season, to see modern-day Danes dressed up as Vikings, building wooden ships, cooking over open fires, and fighting with swords and shields. Exhibitions like this are very popular with visitors from overseas. What they might not know is that you can see actual Vikings in Denmark, or what’s left of their bodies. It was common in the Viking era and before to toss sacrificial items and people into peat bogs, which, it turns, out preserves bodies and clothing and hair very well. So there are several places in Denmark where you can see actual humans from the Viking age, more than a thousand years old, and sometimes their clothes and hairstyles, sometimes even the last food they ate, reclaimed from their stomachs. Some bodies are so well-preserved that they still have fingerprints. The top spot for this is near Aarhus, the Moesgaard Museum. It’s a huge museum that’s interactive, immersive, almost overpowering. You will see hundreds of Viking objects and and weapons and skeletons, amid multimedia exhibits. For example, there’s a room that lets you experience of what it was like to be in the middle of a Viking battle, with armed warriors shouting and screaming and running at you from all directions. It’s overwhelming, because the people it celebrates lived such brutal lives. Sacrificing people, sacrificing animals, killing each other with clubs and daggers and axes to the head in violent raids. It’s a lot. After a while I found myself cowering in the gift shop. (Read more at howtoliveindenmark.com) This is the 120th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.

In Denmark, the right to a long summer vacation is enshrined into law - the national vacation law, which states that all employees have a right to three weeks’ vacation between May and September. Shops close, too. An ice cream shop in my neighborhood closed down for the entire month of July last year. You would think this would be peak time for ice cream, but for the owners of the ice cream shop, their own vacation was more important. This year, I noticed that the bicycle store up the street is closed for three weeks – hope you didn’t want a new bike to enjoy the summer. So is the local "smørrebrød" sandwich shop. Too bad about your picnic. Danes believe that if you take a good, long, Danish vacation, you’ll come back refreshed, with new perspectives. Free time is precious in Denmark – certainly more important than prestige, since people don’t generally use their job titles, and far ahead of money, since whatever you have the government will be taking a big bite out of. Free time is cherished, free time is wealth, and that’s one of the reasons the summer vacation is so prized. You’ll often hear Danes ask each other how many weeks they’re taking for summer vacation. “So, this year, are you taking 3 or 4?” This is the 119th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.

Denmark is a rich country, but does it have rich people? It does, but Denmark’s wealthy tend to keep a low profile, due to the informal Jante Law in Denmark that prohibits too much showing off. That said, spring and summer is great time to see Danish rich people in their natural habitat. That’s when they put the roof down on their expensive German cars and drive through the medieval old towns, drink rosé chilled in silver buckets at fancy outdoor cafés, or sail through the harbor on their personal boats of various sizes. In the summer, Denmark’s rich come out to play. There are two types of wealth in Denmark, old wealth and new wealth. Old wealth is the leftovers of Denmark’s nobility, Dukes and Counts and Barons, even though noble privileges were officially abolished in 1849. Many of these families still own their old castles and country houses, some of which have been turned into hotels or fancy restaurants. You can stay there for a weekend with your sweetheart, very romantic. And then there’s new wealth. Denmark’s richest man owns Bestseller, a fast fashion chain that owns names like Vero Moda and Jack & Jones. The heirs to LEGO, which is less than 100 years old, are also quite well off, and so are the heirs to the Ecco shoe fortune. Finance types and entrepreneurs also figure on the list of richest people in Denmark. Every year, one of the local newspapers publishes a list of Denmark’s top taxpayers – the people and companies who have paid the most taxes. In 2020, the top individual was a successful hedge fund guy who somehow ended up paying more taxes than Danske Bank, Denmark's largest bank. In 2021, the list featured a man who got rich selling COVID quick tests. While there are small wealthy neighborhoods in Odense and Aarhus, most of Denmark’s rich live in the Whisky Belt, which is the area along the coast north of Copenhagen. It’s called the whisky belt because back in the day, whisky was the most expensive alcoholic drink. Poor people drank beer and schnapps. This is the 118th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.

When you’ve been an international in Denmark for a while, as I have, you sometimes forget what it was like to arrive here for the first time and know nothing. I remember arriving just about this time of year and being astonished by all the public holidays in spring. I’d arrived to work, but the office kept shutting down. Now one of my various gigs is cultural training for newcomers, paid for by the big corporations that bring them here. The questions they ask bring me back to the time when I first arrived. One of the most popular questions is pretty basic: How do I send a letter in Denmark? What does a postbox look like? Where do I buy a stamp? I also get a lot of questions about Danish bicycle culture, which the Danish government promotes so heavily in its tourist campaigns. A nice man newly-arrived from Russia asked me: Will it be possible for me to get a bicycle in Denmark? I said yes, it would. But hey, there are no dumb questions. (Would it be possible for me, Kay, to get a bicycle in Moscow? I have no idea.) Bicycle culture is often exaggerated in Denmark – the truth is, the number of kilometers cycled each year keeps falling, (https://samvirke.dk/artikler/vores-cykelkultur-ruster-se-hvor-meget-eller-lidt-danskerne-cykler)and the number of cars keeps increasing, even thought it is very expensive. You can still get by with only a bike in Copenhagen and Aarhus, but in the less urban parts of Denmark, life will be uncomfortable without a car. This is the 117th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.

The hottest competitive sport in Denmark over the past year hasn’t been handball, or football, or badminton. It’s been chasing cheap butter in the supermarket. Recent inflation has doubled the price of butter – in some places, up to 30 kroner – but if you rush, you can get…a package of butter for 10 kroner at one supermarket…wait, only three packages per customer…hey, this competing supermarket has matched the price…look, this other one has it for only 5 kroner…ohhhhhh, it’s sold out for today. Better come earlier tomorrow. Butter chasing is how even high-achieving, high-earning Danes have been spending their time. Nobody wants to pay 30 kroner for butter. ----- Butter is a part of the Danish soul. The Danish word for butter is smør…you might be familiar with smørrebrød, the famous open-faced Danish sandwiches. Smørrebrød means buttered bread. So even though inflation has hit Denmark recently just like everyplace else in the world, supermarkets use low, low butter prices to bring in customers who will buy their other goods. Butter is big business in Denmark – it is one of the world’s top 10 butter exporters – and dairy in general is a big part of the traditional Danish diet. There used to be corner shops called mejeri, dairy shops, that only sold dairy goods and eggs. Evolutionists would tell you that Scandinavians evolved to get more Vitamin D from food, since they don’t get much from the sun for most of the year. ----- If you’re learning Danish, look up all the expressions that begin with the word “smør.” I counted about 30 in Den Danske Ordbog (https://ordnet.dk/ddo), Denmark’s official online dictionary. One well-known expression is smørgris – butter pig. That’s someone who loves butter so much that they eat great amounts of it, with gusto. Or smørhul, butter hole. A butter hole takes its name from the hole in the middle of a bowl of oatmeal. You make a hole so you can put the butter inside. But smørhul has a bigger meaning. A ”butter hole” or smørhul, is a way to describe a very nice place, safe from the tumultuous world around it. A “butter hole” is the way many Danes see Denmark itself. This is the 116th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com. Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/14375645?utm_source=youtube

It seems as if every country has a city or region that it is the butt of jokes. The rest of the country makes fun of the locals’ unattractive accents and supposedly low-end behavior. In Denmark, that city is Randers. Randers is a city in Northern Jutland, about a half hour away from Aarhus. It used to be bigger than Aarhus, and bigger than Aalborg too, but it was a manufacturing town, and when manufacturing fell apart in Denmark after the Second World War, so did Randers. The stereotype of Randers today is...muscle meatheads, possibly criminal... possibly in some sort of motorcycle gang... with a rough, gravelly accent... lots of tattoos and leather. And that’s just the women. The men are the same but with shorter haircuts. Listen to hear more about Randers and how Danish urban planners ruined what was once a very nice medieval town into a paradise for very fast cars and Mokaï, a canned alcoholic fruit cider sometimes called "Randers champagne." Find out how you can spend more than DK1000 on a pair of gloves in Randers, and how you can visit a full replica of Elvis Presley's mansion Graceland nearby. This is the 115th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2023. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books about Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com. Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/11250847?utm_source=youtube

Denmark has several amusement parks, including the original Legoland, but the ones I know best are the ones in Copenhagen - Tivoli Gardens and Bakken. Tivoli and Bakken show two different sides of the Danish character. Tivoli is the sleek, confident, high-end image that Denmark likes to present to the world: it has exquisite flower gardens, fancy shops and restaurants, and a theater that hosts world-class performers. Bakken is more homey, more quirky, a little shabby, and a bit more hyggelig, under my own definition of hygge as “unambitious enjoyment”. The differences between the two parks also illustrates the class differences in Denmark – even though Danes like to pretend there are no class differences in egalitarian Denmark. Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/8943290?utm_source=youtube

It’s springtime, and the cherry trees are about to bloom in Copenhagen Northwest, which is usually the only time people who live outside Northwest bother to go there. Northwest is a working class neighborhood, so much so that the streets are named after working-class occupations. While other Copenhagen neighborhoods have streets named after kings and queens and generals, Northwest has brick-maker street, and book-binder street, and rope-maker street, and a barrel-maker street. But there are other things to see in Northwest besides the cherry trees, which have become a bit of a crowd scene since they were reported on by a national news network. Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/8312384?utm_source=youtube

Newcomers to Denmark often complain that the locals aren’t chatty. Danes don’t want to converse on the bus, or on the train, or in line at the supermarket, or really anyplace that isn’t a designated social zone. Like the company canteen at lunch, or a dinner party at home to which they have invited a precise number of people to match the number of chairs that they own. In general, Danes rarely talk to strangers unless they are drunk, but there is one exception: Danish people over 75 years old. Danes over 75, or even 70 or 65, often live alone, and they are often eager for conversation. Some don't speak much English, which means that spending time with them is an ideal opportunity for practicing your spoken Danish. Danish municipalities, sensing a match, have even set up special programs to bring internationals and the elderly together. Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/8048259?utm_source=youtube

No matter how they feel about the institution of royalty, almost everyone likes Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, who is celebrating 50 years on the throne this week. Every New Year’s Eve, the streets of Denmark go quiet as the Queen makes her annual televised speech to her subjects. I find the speeches pretty much the same every year, they’re about being kind to each other, taking care of the environment, and such. The real entertainment is in the Queen’s wardrobe - she designs her own clothes, and often chooses rather un-Danishly bright colors - and whether she’ll get her carefully written note cards mixed up. Every year she thanks the Danish military for its work, and every year she makes sure to shout out to the Faroe Islands and Greenland, the farthest flung parts of her kingdom. And she ends every annual speech with “GUD BEVARE DANMARK” – God Save Denmark. The Queen is the head of the Danish state church, and the Danish state – she still signs all the laws, including the specific law that made me a citizen. But the Queen is also an artist. She paints, and draws, and has designed stage sets for the Royal Ballet. This is the 109th episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran in 2021. Get all of Kay Xander Mellish's books on Denmark at http://books.howtoliveindenmark.com. Book Kay for a talk to your group or organization at http://events.howtoliveindenmark.com.