Liz's European Adventures: I Got a Job in Denmark!

Let's be honest, looking for a job is never easy. I had been immersed in the job search process since January 2010, although I wasn't giving it my all while I was writing my thesis at the same time. I started to kick the job search process into high gear as summer and the end of my thesis neared. I was looking back home in the US as well as in Denmark. At the time, I did not feel necessarily ready to come back home, although I knew it would have been ok if I had.

I was looking for a career switch. Ultimately, I would like to be involved in training, development, leadership, change management, coaching, consulting - something of the sort. Throughout my search process, I realized many of these types of positions required experience in the Human Resource field. Man, let me tell you - that is a tough field to break into! It is a catch-22 - you won't be hired for any position without a bit of HR experience (I did have one internship in HR, but also dealt a lot with HR aspects through my department manager position at Neiman Marcus), but I could not get entry level positions because I was overqualified! I am still finding that this is a battle.

I interviewed for a few positions in Denmark - I actually had pretty good success for an international not fluently speaking the language. But nothing was happening. I applied to a retail company called Bestseller for a buying position. That did not work out, but one thing I really respect about the company is that they were interested in me enough that they passed on my resume to someone else in reference for a different position. I had two interviews for the position of Buying Planner before I went home for the summer.

While I was home, I interviewed for a few positions, and made a lot of connections. What I sadly realized was I was not going to be hired for anything back in the US, until I was physically living in the US.

I came back to Denmark to finish and hand in my thesis. A few days later, I had a final interview and was hired for the position of Buying Planner. I thought about my opportunities that night, and decided to take the position. At that point, I was kind of temporarily letting go of my dream career path because I saw a paycheck. When you have no income coming in whatsoever, it is possibly almost arrogant to pass up a paycheck - a way to make sure there is an ends to the means.

My position in a new position, which is exciting. There is a lot of change evolving within the organization, and I get to deal with a lot of it - so some of my interests are being satisfied. I am a bit afraid of being stereotyped as a retail girl for the rest of my life, so I am definitely keeping my options open.

I left my job with NM before the economy took a dive. Then I was in a protected bubble at school, and did not feel the effects of it. I definitely felt the effects of the economy as a recent graduate searching for a job, so I think to myself - I am a bit lucky for having found a position at all. And I just have to have faith that everything will work out the way it is supposed to.

This is the website of my company: www.bestseller.com

I primarily work with the brands Vero Moda, ONLY and Pieces. I work in Horsens, which is a city outside of Aarhus. I have to take a train for 30 minutes to get to work, and then walking or a bus. All in all, my commute time averages around 2 hours a day, which is a little brutal. But the main offices are in a city called Brande, which is 1 hr 15 min from Aarhus by car - so I am actually thankful I am not working there!