Jobs

The one thing I was really not looking forward to when I moved to Copenhagen was applying for jobs. From what I read on many of the expat forums, I knew the process would be long and difficult. While most Danes speak English, the common language at most workplaces in Denmark is Danish. It was only after looking at several of the job search websites that I really came to terms with the fact that I may only find a job when I become fluent in Danish...and who knows how long that would take.

I started applying for jobs at one of the large international firms that hires English speaking folk as soon as I moved here. There were quite a few jobs advertised requiring a Masters degree of Economics. I applied for these jobs, and started thinking that the process of getting a job would be way too easy. I completed the online tests, and waited. Just before I headed off to Greece, I heard back from the first one....DENIED! Not even an interview. I guess I have not dealt with that much rejection, so I was pretty upset that my resume was thrown out even before the interview stage. So I left for Greece, disgruntled and discouraged.

My fellow Greece explorer, Kaitie, really helped me put things in perspective. Applying for jobs is hard! Especially with limited experience in a difficult economy. Even when you are as awesome as we are (Rule #1: Stay positive. ALWAYS). My only previous experience applying for jobs in the adult workforce was when I applied for jobs while finishing my MA. I think I sent out about 10 applications, and was lucky to get the first job I interviewed for (Rule #2: All it takes is one job). I had not really thought about those other 9 jobs in a long time...but I actually was not chosen to interview for any of them.

When I came back to Copenhagen, relaxed and prepared to take on the job market, I decided I needed a distraction while appling for jobs...something to keep my mind off of all the upcoming rejections, something to help me stay focused on the goal. So I signed up for the Chartered Financial Analyst exam. I will talk more about this exam in an upcoming post, but let me just say here than the CFA Institute sends you a big box of books and you have to learn all the material. The exam was 2 months away, so I had A LOT of work ahead of me. With studying for the CFA exam, and studying and attending Danish lessons for 20 hours a week, applying for jobs left the center stage of my agenda. I actually started using applying for jobs as my method of procrastinating from studying the CFA material.

I should also mention here that Ben's work hired an organization called Spousecare to help me with finding a job. In November, I attended a tutorial sessions on how to update your resume for the Danish workforce and what to expect from the interview process. Did you know that it is customary in Denmark to include a photo on your resume? This would NEVER be acceptable in Canada! I also got the chance to meet with other spouses who have been relocated to Denmark with their partners work and were undergoing the same process as me. It was comforting to know that there were other people who were also in my shoes. It was also great to hear about other people's interview experiences. I think attending this session and receiving some help on my resume (thanks to Mike too!) really helped me obtain an interview. Two months after Spousecare started helping me, I had a job.

Alright...now to the job. I received an invitation to the first interview the day before the CFA exam. I had barely made it to London the day before, catching one of the only flights from Copenhagen that would land in frozen, snowy London albeit a 6 hour delay at the airport (Thank you British Airways). I had only applied to that job four days before during my pre-exam procrastination. The only problem was that the interview was scheduled for 9am the following Wednesday, while I arrived back to Copenhagen at 9:30pm on the Tuesday evening. I managed to get the time pushed back to 11am, but I was still left with no choice. Poor Ben was subject to hearing me prepare for the interview for three days while touring around London. We talked about my strengths and weaknesses while touring on the double decker bus, discussed my goals while enjoying yummy English pub food, and discussed optimization while touring the Tower of London.

Thankfully there were no delays on our flight back to Copenhagen, and we made it home by 11pm on the Tuesday night. The next morning, I was off for the lovely one hour commute to the job interview.

Interview 1.
Danish interviews are a lot more relaxed than Canadian interviews. I remember my first interview at the VPD. I was sitting at one side of a rectangular table with the four members of the selection committee on the other side. I cannot remember if I was offered water before the interview. When I walked into the job interview room in Denmark, I saw a small round table laid out with cookies, tea, coffee and juice! I did not eat any cookies during the interview, but I must say that it was very nice to have a cup of tea while talking with the interview committee. The questions were typically the same as seen in a Canadian interview, so I am happy to say that all my prep work in London did pay off. I was told there were four candidates in the first stage of interviews and that I would hear back the next day if I had moved on to the second round.

Testing
That same afternoon, I was told I had been chosen for the second round of interviews. My second interview was scheduled for Friday and before that interview I would have to take an analytical test and a personality test. The analytical test involved 50 multiple choice questions that you had 12 minutes to answer. The questions involved eight categories: antonyms, deviations from a category, pairs of concepts, verbal analogy, logical reasoning, series of numbers, simple calculations and complex calculations. The personality test involved 40 sets of four statements. Within each set of statements, I had to choose which statement was most like me and which was least like me. The results of both tests would be discussed at the second interview.

Interview 2
The main part of the second interview was discussing the personality assessment. My score on the analytical test was 43; I managed to answer 46 of the questions and only got three wrong answers. My score was perfect on the numerical problems I had answered (a good thing for the job I was applying for). The results of the personality assessment were laid out in front of me and I had the opportunity to discuss whether I felt the results fit with who I thought myself to be as a co worker. This as the most difficult part because I really had no idea what kind of personality profile had been created for the job and whether or not my skills matched the profile or not. In the end, I guess they did because I was offered the job at the end of the second interview.

The timing of this could not be more perfect! One week after having written the dreaded CFA exam, I had a job. I do not start until the middle of January though, which gives me the chance to having a quick back-to-work shopping spree in Paris. I am sure this trip will be much more relaxing than the London trip; I have promised Ben he will not hear a single interview question and answer.