My quest for happiness in Denmark #7
Finding a mentor
How can foreigners slip into a tightly networked community?
If you consider finding a job in Denmark, you will hear three words so many times you will be fed up by the end. And they are, “network, network, network!”
It is often the case in Denmark that people find their jobs through networking. Even though there is a job ad, it can in reality already be taken by acquaintances of someone who works at the company.
This is the tough reality for foreigners who have zero network to begin with. Furthermore, in my case, I am trying to seek new opportunities in a field entirely new to me, leaving behind my 20-year career as a Japanese newspaper reporter. This means, I have not only the odds against me as a foreigner, but also “zero experience in that area”.
That sounds like mission impossible, right?
Luckily, I found a program which worked out almost like magic. A program where a person who already works in the desired area will become a mentor for you, explain their industry, and give you advice on finding a job. And all that for free.
This is the mentorship program recommended to me by the municipality.
More than 2,000 volunteers registered
The program is officially called “Copenhagen Host Program” and there are two types of hosts: a “Culture Host” who helps settling into Copenhagen, and a “Career Host” (we call them mentors) who helps with job hunting.
The mentor’s role is to support a mentee’s job hunting, not to guarantee a job for a mentee. Nevertheless, 70% found jobs within the first six months and 40% found jobs that specifically matched their competences.
All hosts are volunteers, and more than 2,000 potential people are registered in the database for the candidate. In a city with a population of 600,000, having 2,000 volunteers is quite an amazing figure, I think.
As I wrote in my previous column, there is a tough political atmosphere for immigrants in Denmark, but according to Peter Raunkjær Christensen, a project manager of Copenhagen Host Program, “there are people who want to support immigrants, especially because the situation is getting tougher for immigrants. Such people actively support our program”, he said. This is quite touching.
I also participated in the event where I could hear the “success stories” of people who used the mentorship program. One example was a Slovenian woman working for a pharmaceutical company. She said that she “applied to more than 200 companies,” until she got her current job. She talked as if it was nothing, but the moment we heard the number “two-hundred”, the crowd let out a low moan. It is a tough world we are about to step into…
Inspired by my friend at IDEO
In order to get a match with a mentor, I had to tell the municipality which industry I would like to be in.
I actually only had one vague idea.
When I was in Tokyo last summer, I met a friend who worked at “IDEO Tokyo”. IDEO is a global design consultancy which has spread the idea of “design thinking” to the world. A human-centered approach to problem solving in the business world. I was interested in IDEO, so wanted to hear exactly what my friend was doing there.
Her job as a design researcher sounded really fun. Moreover, she explained that an important part of her work was to research and interview.
Research and interviewing were exactly what I did as a newspaper reporter. Although the final outcome would be different, the actual content of the work might have unexpected similarities, I thought. In other words, could there be a possibility of me getting a similar job…?
When I submitted my application for the mentorship program, I remembered that I had a faint hope in Tokyo. IDEO does not have a branch in Denmark, but maybe, there are companies here with a similar profile?
One such company, which caught my attention, is called “Kontrapunkt”. They are famous for creating the logos of several leading Danish companies, like Carlsberg, but actually it is one of Scandinavia’s leading strategic design and brand agencies and has done extensive corporate branding strategies globally.
As I mentioned in my previous article, my ideal job is to work in the area where Denmark has a unique strength, and thus makes sense to come to Denmark to learn about it. Well, design is definitely one of the strengths that Denmark has. And also, since Bo Linnemann, co-founder of Kontrapunkt, has taught at a university in Tokyo, they have strong ties to Japan with many Japanese clients and even an office there. This might work in my favor with my Japanese background.
So when asked to provide an example of the ideal mentor for the municipality, I chose Christina Juul Bladt, Head of Brand Strategy at Kontrapunkt.
What I never expected was that the municipality actually reached out to Christina herself and asked her to become my mentor! What is more, Christina graciously accepted.
“What, really?”, I was astounded. That's fantastic. I guess you never know what would come true unless you say it out loud.
Rediscovering my potential
I had my first meeting with Christina in mid-January of 2019.
After introducing myself and explaining why I was interested in her, I asked her directly, whether in her opinion, I could be in the same business as hers?
I could, she said.
Well, to be precise, she said if I would equip myself with the necessary tools for the job, then there could be a possibility. I know it is just a possibility, but still, it was such a relief to hear. I thought my experience as a Japanese newspaper reporter would never be transferable to a Danish context, but if I break down the skills I have developed throughout my career, there may actually be a few that could be used in a new context.
Christina explained that in the work of a brand strategist, the skill of “storytelling” would be my strength, in addition to research and interview skills. That is, the ability to create impactful stories that move people and organizations in their desired directions. Also, in my case, my ablility to use English seems to be a plus. She said that if I can work with clients who use English, then it would increase my chances to work as a brand strategist in Denmark.
Although her words were quite encouraging, I also learned that it was very competitive to get a position as a brand strategist. Besides, there is a lot to learn. So, I started meeting more people in order to better understand the industry.
Jim Forrest, a successful digital strategist from the U.S. who uses Republikken (co-working space in the story #5) as I do, gave me an hour-long deep-dive into the world of a strategist. Miki Morita, a young Japanese architect who used to work at Kontrapunkt, explained how the Nordic style of design thinking can often pick up on diverse opinions in less hierarchical societies such as those in Scandinavia.
But most of all, I learned that both Christina and Jim, whose career paths seem to be perfect unbroken lines, had in fact periods where they'd had to explore what they really wanted and met many people for a cup of coffee.
I remember a book titled “Designing Your Life: How to build a well-lived, joyful life”, based on the popular class at Stanford University, which aims to apply design thinking to finding one’s ideal career. The book claimed that what is important for job hunting is not applying for as many jobs as possible online, but to meet people whose jobs seem interesting and hear their stories. They call it “life design interview”, and through many interviews, we should ask for advice (not a job)on how we can possibly get where they are, and also explain who you are and what you are interested in. As a result, it is more likely to get an ideal job, and above all, it is an important process to understand one's self in a deeper sense.
I have no idea where I go from here, but for now, I just want to keep the window of possibility open...
