Dutch CV Format (Netherlands)

Dutch recruiters expect a compact, factual document:

1. 1.Personal details — name, city, phone, email, LinkedIn. Address, date of birth and nationality are traditional on Dutch CVs but optional; include nationality if it explains your right to work.
2. 2.Profile — three or four lines in plain language. Dutch readers are put off by superlatives.
3. 3.Work experience — most recent first, with month and year, and achievements in concrete terms.
4. 4.Education — degree, institution, year. For Dutch qualifications, name the level (WO for university, HBO for universities of applied sciences, MBO for vocational).
5. 5.Skills — tools and methods.
6. 6.Languages — with levels. English is usually assumed in international roles; Dutch, German and French are valuable.
7. 7.Interests — Dutch CVs often include a short line on hobbies or volunteering; keep it brief and true.

One page is common for early-career applicants, two for experienced ones.

Language follows the vacancy. An English job advert at an international company means an English CV; a Dutch advert means a Dutch CV, even if the employer will interview you in English. Many large Dutch employers — banks, technology companies, logistics and life sciences — work in English internally.

Photos are optional. A professional headshot is more common on Dutch CVs than in the UK or US, especially for Dutch-language and customer-facing roles. International employers and those with structured, bias-aware hiring often prefer no photo. If you include one, make it professional; if the employer asks for anonymous applications, leave it off.

Date of birth and marital status were standard on older Dutch CVs and are now optional; Dutch equal-treatment law means employers should not use them in selection, so many applicants omit them.

The motivation letter matters. Dutch employers often weigh the motivatiebrief heavily: a direct, one-page explanation of why this role and why you.

Non-EU applicants should state their status in one line, because Dutch employers can only hire you if you have free access to the labour market or they sponsor a permit.

• EU citizen — free access to the labour market (also EEA and Swiss)
• Orientation year (zoekjaar hoogopgeleiden) residence permit, valid until July 2027 — for eligible recent graduates; no work permit is needed during the year.
• Highly skilled migrant residence permit (current employer)
• Requires highly skilled migrant permit — employer must be an IND recognised sponsor
• EU Blue Card holder (another EU country)
• Student residence permit — work limited; employer needs a work permit (TWV)

The highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) scheme requires the employer to be recognised as a sponsor by the IND, which publishes a public register of recognised sponsors — a useful list to target. Salary criteria are set by the IND and updated every year; check ind.nl for the current figures rather than any number in a CV guide.

Europass is the EU's standard CV format and is understood everywhere in the Netherlands. It is most useful for public-sector and EU-funded roles, cross-border applications and employers that explicitly request it.

For most private employers, a well-written custom CV is better: Europass forms produce long documents with many empty fields and generic self-assessment grids, while Dutch recruiters prefer one to two concise pages. If you use Europass, delete empty sections and keep the language self-assessment honest.

Applying from outside the Netherlands, state your permit need and target employers on the IND's register of recognised sponsors. International students can generally work only a limited number of hours during the academic year (with the employer obtaining a work permit) or full time in the summer months — check the current rule on ind.nl and state availability within it. Graduates of Dutch universities, and of some top-ranked universities abroad, may qualify for the orientation year; if you have it, it is the strongest line on your CV. See the international students guide and, for German employers just across the border, the German CV format guide.

LinkedIn and Indeed carry most international vacancies. werk.nl, run by the public employment agency UWV, lists Dutch-language and public roles; Nationale Vacaturebank and company career sites cover the rest. Recruitment agencies (uitzendbureaus) handle many temporary and junior roles.

Large Dutch and international employers screen through applicant tracking systems including Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Greenhouse and SmartRecruiters. A clean single-column PDF parses best — check yours with the free ATS resume checker.