Inspiring story
Bumps on the road to the student job
Published online: 26.03.2021
Inspiring story
Bumps on the road to the student job
Published online: 26.03.2021
Inspiring story
Published online: 26.03.2021
Inspiring story
Published online: 26.03.2021
About Laura Detels
As an international in a new country, and as a new student at a new university, Laura’s priorities revolved around her studies.
“However, I quickly realised – also through the help of the Young Professionals in Denmark programme – that I wanted to deepen my practical knowledge in addition to the theoretical insights I was gaining at AAU.”
"So, it was important for me not to look for a job at random, but to accompany my studies in the best possible way. Since I am particularly focused on international economics and also on global trade relations with China, I wanted to focus on jobs in this field."
"I tried to structure my job search and not to apply for just any job. Still, it was hard to keep focused for me.”
Laura attended a variety of seminars and worked on improving her CV and her LinkedIn profile.
“I also took part in a number of virtual job fairs and got to know many interesting employers there as well. I have previously attended job fairs in Germany, however, it was in Denmark I learned how to actually use them successfully. This requires not only good preparation, but also follow-up. Unfortunately, my contacts from job fairs haven’t resulted in a professional relationship or a work contract. Nevertheless, I still keep in touch with most of the people I met at the fairs via LinkedIn.”
Laura became aware of the company Centrica through AAU Jobbank where they had a job opening. She sent them a targeted cover letter and CV to the position she was interested in.
“I was invited to an assessment day where I first had to take a two-hour logical and mathematical test. Afterwards, we did a case study, which we had to work on in groups and present later.”
“After the assessment center, the recruiters contacted me again and invited me to a personal interview. It turned out that not only Trade Support, but also another department was interested in possibly hiring me. Unfortunately, the other department had decided on another candidate in the meantime, although the recruiters had recommended me again personally.”
Speaking Danish – or not – can also be decisive for whether you might get a specific job, Laura experienced:
“For me, language was always an obstacle I had to face. I got feedback from some companies that I needed to have at least a certain level of Danish language skills to be employed. An NGO even contacted me to ask about my skills because they planned on hiring me. When I told them that I was just starting to learn Danish, I got the feedback that unfortunately that would not be enough, even though I assured them that I was working hard on improving my language skills.”
“If you want to stay in Denmark in the long run, speaking Danish is certainly important, but definitely not the decisive criterion.”
Laura advises you be specific and targeted in your search for student jobs.
“In the beginning, when you arrive in Denmark, there are many things that make you feel insecure. The people may be different from those back home, and you have to adapt to all the other changed circumstances. If you also only receive rejections because you apply randomly everywhere, I can say from experience that it is really difficult.”