Knowing people
Networking has played a significant role in acquiring a job in Denmark for Murina Chan. Murina recently relocated to Denmark to work as a Portfolio Manager at the Danish pension powerhouse, ATP.

“When I decided to relocate to Copenhagen I leveraged my network in Toronto to make local connections, which inevitably lead to my current position”, stated Chan. ”My strategy for finding employment in Demark was enhanced by the close connections I had developed over the past 10 years, and their extensive global networks.”

Chan began her search over a 5 month period where she made several trips to Copenhagen for meetings and informational interviews. Over this period she found herself proactively reaching out to a variety of actors in the Danish investment landscape which required a flexible approach toward making local professionals. 

”I found myself spending a considerable amount of time in Toronto making connections via e-mail and LinkedIn and arranging meetings for my next visit,” explained Murina. 

”I also had to be quite flexible with regard to the schedules of these new contacts by sometimes meeting informally on the weekends at local cafes.”

She inevitably used these informal discussions to further her network and to understand the most effective way to maneuver her job search in a Danish context. 

Careful preparation
From the start, she realized that perhaps best option for employment in Copenhagen would be to target an international company, headquartered locally. As she had not yet learned Danish, an international company would provide an English speaking environment and would enable an easier transition into work life. Also, an international company would appreciate her broad international experience and global mindset. 

Chan found that ATP would provide such an environment and would also benefit from her international network in their future investment strategies.

”I kept finding that the new connections I was making in Demark had experience with organizations that I had done deals with in the past,” explained Murina.

”The knowledge that I had gained about how these organizations operate allowed me to build credibility and integrity locally.” In addition, Murina found that through attaining international designations like the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) would pay dividends in the local market.  She also supported her networking with careful preparation for interviews and related questioning. 
She found that the interview process was quite different from what she had previously become accustomed to in Canada, with increased scrutiny around details related to her experience. 

Although the timing around her contact with ATP was very good, the preparation and study of the company’s business model proved valuable. 

Murina summed up her experience in the interview process as requiring significant persistence, attention to detail, and follow-up. 
”Over the 5 month period that I was searching, I spent considerable time studying almost every detail related to the companies I visited,” stated Murina.” I enhanced these interactions by making sure that I always followed up to thank the contacts I made and to keep them informed of my progress.” 

Striking differences
Now, after a few months in her new job, Murina shares a few observations on striking differences between working in Denmark and elsewhere. “In Denmark, I have found that there is increased focus on work-life balance – of course, we are all expected to work hard, but I have yet to experience management pressure or micromanaging,” mentioned Murina. 

Murina also remarks that the logistics of foreigners settling into Denmark is sometimes time consuming and not very well organized. Fortunately, her employer was very helpful with much of the immigration related paperwork, formalities and procedures alleviating the pressure and allowing her to concentrate on her career and life in Denmark.