Opinion
Welcome Onboard! • The cross-cultural communication breakdown dilemma
Karey-Anne Duevang
May 30th, 2021
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This article is more than 3 years old.
Slamdunk of a podcast (photo: Pixabay)
As a recent guest on the ‘What the Denmark’ show, I spoke about how internationals can navigate the Danish job market, and also how companies in Denmark can benefit from great international talent.
Employment woes
Sam Floy, a British expat who arrived in Copenhagen in 2020, contacted me to discuss the hardships that internationals sometimes face when job seeking in Denmark.
Having created the East Africa Business Podcast (which is now one of the top business shows in Africa), Sam decided to tackle the issues of living, settling and thriving in Denmark.
He wanted my perspective as a senior recruiter & HR business partner about international employment and the issues faced when trying to secure employment in Denmark.
The issue is complex and covers many different aspects, which is why Sam has allocated two of the ‘What the Denmark’ shows to finding employment in Denmark.
Smoother hiring process
To Sam’s surprise, I shared real-life examples of internationals who were unable to find work here, even though they are often well educated and highly experienced.
I have worked with former NASA engineers who helped to build the world space station, as well as countless doctors, accountants, dentists, web developers and IT professionals – all unable to secure full-time employment within their area of expertise.
In my work, I come into contact with thousands of internationals seeking employment on a daily basis, so I was only too happy to contribute to a two-part show that will help to guide, inform and educate both Danes and internationals about what could be a much smoother hiring process.
Knock Knock
One of the main issues that arises during the recruitment process is the breakdown of communication between candidate and company.
Companies often fail to communicate, assess and consider internationals for positions, preferring instead to stick with ‘what they know’, whilst candidates often don’t communicate their skills and experience in a manner that companies find attractive enough for them to take a leap of faith and hire them over a Dane.
This critical breakdown of cross-cultural communication is quite simply creating a bottleneck of companies thirsty to grow in an international arena, but without the talent needed to do so, even though the talent is literally knocking at the door!
Take a listen to the ‘What the Denmark’ show to hear what was discussed and to find out how to launch your career in Denmark.
About
Karey-Anne Duevang
Formerly the CEO of a consulting firm, Karey-Anne is a partner of The Welcome Group. Over the past 20 years, she has worked extensively in strategic HR, overseeing change management projects, the training of employees and managers, and the recruitment of international specialists and executives.
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