A Good Personal Profile Counts

The aim of your personal profile or summary of competences section of your CV is to make the recruiter see that you match a vacant job, and it has to make the recruiter want to read your full CV and motivation letter – and ultimately want to meet you for a personal interview. Here you will learn what Danish recruiters expect to find in a personal profile of a CV. What is the purpose, what should it contain, and how do you meet the expectation of a Danish recruiter?

You can start by viewing this short video, giving you a quick overview of what to include:

Where to place the personal profile and what to include

The layout of your CV is a personal choice and should reflect your professional background and personal qualities. If you want to apply for jobs in Denmark, you might want to know what Danish recruiters look for and to some extent expect to find in a CV in order for you to incorporate that knowledge when choosing your layout.

Templates are widely used, but keep in mind that it is common to start your CV with a short section that provides a summary of your primary qualifications – both professional and personal – targeted towards the job you are applying for.

This section is typically placed at the top of your CV, sometimes next to your photo, and is typically between 4-8 lines. This section has many names, some call it a Personal Profile, a Summary of qualifications, or a Summary of Competences. The content of this section should enable a recruiter to quickly – within a few seconds – determine if you are a match for the vacant job or not.

Recruiters use this section in their first scan of all the applicants that they have received for a vacant job. Therefore, you can help the recruiter by listing your top three competences that match the requirements of the job and thereby let the recruiter know why you think you are qualified for this specific job. This often includes your degree, any experience related to the vacant job, and your reason for coming to Denmark. In Denmark, internships, part time jobs and projects done as part of your degree all count as experience. A good tip is to use the title of your personal profile or your CV to describe your main qualifications, e.g. Engineer with experience in plastic moulding.

Please note that recruiters expect you to change the content of your personal profile each time you apply for a new job thereby making sure that you match the exact job you apply for.