Mentor Program Led to New Job

Greater Copenhagen Career Program helps young international talents get a foothold in the Danish labour market.

During the next four years Relocare Group A/S and Nelleberg Potentialeudvikling in collaboration with Science City Lyngby will organize the mentor program as part of the Greater Copenhagen Career Program. The program aims to retain international students in Denmark after graduation.

New Experiences as a Job Seeker
The first team of international students is ending their program in mid-May. One of them is 23 year old Fatima Fükö from Hungary who after three years recently completed her bachelor in International Sales and Marketing Management at ChpBusiness.

“I signed up for the program in order to improve my chances of getting a job. I wanted to learn how the recruitment works in Denmark. As an international student it is difficult to get a relevant student job, which otherwise is a good stepping stone into the labour market for many”.

“There are cultural differences between Denmark and Hungary, also when it comes to the labour market. I thought I had a good idea about how to write CV’s and cover letters when we began the program. But I quickly realized that you do it differently in Denmark”, says Fatima Fükö.

Sparring with a mentor
“I was not completely sure what to expect when I started in the program. I hoped to become clear about where and how I could find a job. So it was very nice having a mentor to spar with”.

Fatima’s mentor is Mikkel Schønning Sørensen from Science City Lyngby. During the program they met both in person and online to discuss different career paths as well as creating a good CV and the base for a good cover letter.

“We have come a long way in a short amount of time. First we focused on making Fatima more clear about which direction she wanted to go. I could help by asking questions about her motivation and discussing how she could make use of her professional and personal competences. And I set her up with contacts in my network”, tells Mikkel Schønning Sørensen.

Honest dialogue about the challenges
When Fatima was clear about her preferred career path, the job hunt began. This happened simultaneously as she finished her bachelor.

“We have been 100 % open and honest toward each other from the start. It makes everything so much easier when we have been able to talk freely about the challenges that Fatima experienced during the process”, says Mikkel.

“It means a lot to have a mentor that is very positive, supportive and always motivating. I have been able to share my thoughts, my challenges – and at times my frustration – with him. And Mikkel has given me feedback, tips and tricks and motivation”, reflects Fatima about the mentor-mentee relation.

“I will definitely recommend international students to sign up for the program. Just be open to the possibilities and try it!, Fatima encourages others.

New exciting job
It was a tip about a career fair that led Fatima to her first real full-time job. Today, Fatima Fükö is employed in a full-time position at Auditdata, where she works with sales development.

“Fatima has made a great effort in the process of finding a job, so it is really her own merit that she has landed a good job at an interesting company. I am truly happy on her behalf”, states Mikkel.

Even though the mentor program ends in May, Fatima tells that the two will continue to have contact, so she will have someone to spar with about how the Danish labour market, its working culture and workplaces functions.

About the Greater Copenhagen Career Program
The Greater Copenhagen Career Program consists of a 6-month mentoring and networking program for international students in Denmark, and includes both workshops on e.g. CV writing, use of LinkedIn and Danish corporate culture as well as an associated mentor part, where a volunteer mentor with the same professional background or personal match as the mentee guides and helps the student into the Danish labor market.