The business made sense, but it was the people who made the difference
Line Herzberg Jessen is an HR consultant at LINAK in Sønderborg and holds a master’s degree in Business, Language and Culture. In her work, she draws on language skills, cultural understanding and business insight when recruiting, collaborating with educational institutions and supporting wellbeing initiatives in a global organisation.
"When I finished my bachelor’s degree, I could tell that I had learned an enormous amount about languages, economics, finance and law. But something was missing. I felt that I didn’t know enough about people. That made me choose to continue the master’s programme and start taking a greater interest in organisational strategy and the human perspective.
It was especially my internship that really pointed me in the direction of HR. I ended up working in a software department, where I worked with HR-related tasks such as onboarding and collaboration. That was where I realised that this was exactly where I belonged. Working with people, relationships and communication was what made sense to me.
Today, I work as an HR consultant at LINAK, a global manufacturing company with around 2,400 employees worldwide. My tasks are very diverse. I recruit students, apprentices and interns and work closely with primary and lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and universities – both when they visit us and when I visit them. This is something I enjoy the most, because I meet so many different people and perspectives.
In addition, I am responsible for values surveys as well as leadership and wellbeing surveys globally. I coordinate the process from preparation in the HR systems and translations to data processing, reporting and follow-up. It’s not just about data, but about understanding the context behind the responses and helping the organisation work further with the results.
”I use my language skills every day – primarily Danish and English, but also German. Cultural understanding and communication play a major role in my work, especially when I recruit or work with managers and HR colleagues across countries.
I use my language skills every day – primarily Danish and English, but also German. Cultural understanding and communication play a major role in my work, especially when I recruit or work with managers and HR colleagues across countries.
What drives me the most are the people. I love that no two days are the same, and that I can work in a structured way with systems while also being in close contact with people. If I only had to sit in Excel, it wouldn’t be the right job for me – but the combination is just right.”
Line's path
Line holds:
- a Bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration, Language and Culture (University of Southern Denmark)
- a Master's degree in International Business, Language and Culture (Cand.merc.int.) (University of Southern Denmark)
Line’s career path has been shaped by both academic and personal interests, as well as the choices she made during his studies. What will your path be?