The Danish job interview

The Danish job interview

Author: Kay Xander Mellish May 22, 2016 Duration: 10:08

If you've been asked for a job interview at a Danish company, congratulations. Danish companies don't like to waste time, so they wouldn't be setting aside time to meet you if they didn't think there was a solid chance they might hire you.

Job interviewing in Denmark is a difficult balance, because the Jantelov makes all forms of bragging or self-promotion distasteful to the Danes. You've got to convince the person interviewing you that you're skilled and capable without sounding like a used car salesman.


For anyone curious about or currently navigating Danish life from the outside, How to Live in Denmark serves as an essential, on-the-ground guide. Hosted by Kay Xander Mellish, an American writer who has made Denmark her home for over ten years, this conversation cuts straight to the heart of the everyday realities in one of the world's most homogenous-and often puzzling-societies. Rather than lengthy lectures, you'll find concise, ten-minute episodes packed with practical advice and cultural translation. This isn't just about travel tips; it's a deep dive into the unspoken rules of Danish social etiquette, the nuances of the local workplace, and the sometimes surprising path to feeling at home in a country frequently labeled the world's happiest. Mellish draws from her own long-term experience to explain everything from navigating the infamous Jantelov to understanding the Danish approach to business meetings and casual Friday night hygge. As Denmark's longest-running English-language podcast, it has become a trusted resource for internationals, whether they are planning a move, newly arrived, or have been settled for years but still occasionally find themselves wondering, "Why do Danes do it that way?" Each episode feels like a chat with a well-informed friend who helps decode the complexities of a fascinating culture, making your time there richer and a lot less confusing.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 151

How to Live in Denmark
Podcast Episodes
More thoughts on Danish summer: The downside of the 'light times' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:35
If you’re in Denmark right now, you’ll know that we’re coming up on the year’s longest day this week. June 21. You know it because it starts getting light at 4 in the morning, and the sun doesn’t go down until 10:30 or 1…
Danes and Swedes: The world's worst haircuts are Swedish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:44
Hello, and welcome to the How To Live in Denmark podcast. I'm Kay Xander Mellish. I don't regret many things in life, but I do regret not going to a party I was invited to almost 14 years ago. That was in 2000, when I fi…
Danes & IT: Anyone can guess your CPR number [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:19
Ordinarily don’t get my technology news from the local newspaper sold by the homeless in Denmark, but I did this week. First of all, I learned that you can pay your homeless newspaper seller by text message. If you don’t…
Danes and Norwegians: Bitter envy and brotherly love [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:05
Danes and Norwegians were part of the same country for hundreds of years, and they're still family. Written Danish and written Norwegian are very similar – so similar that I once tried to find a Danish-Norwegian dictiona…
Stories of a Salty: Arriving back in Denmark after vacation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:16
When you go back to your country of origin, it's alarming sometimes to realize how Danish you are becoming. I've been on vacation in the USA for a couple of weeks. But I'm back now, and it only takes a few minutes after…
Salaam and Gooddag: Denmark for Muslims [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:26
There's a new mosque opening down the street from me this spring, a big one. It will be the first mosque with minarets in Denmark, although the minarets are legally prohibited from calling to prayer. The people behind th…