How to Write a Dutch CV: Expat Guide 2026

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Quick answer: Write a Dutch CV that gets interviews. Expat guide covering format, photo rules, length, cover letters, and what Dutch recruiters actually look for.

The Dutch CV in Context

The Netherlands is not the UK, and it is not the US. Dutch professional culture has specific conventions around CVs that differ meaningfully from other markets. The good news is that the differences are not complicated — once you know what they are, adapting is easy.

The most important underlying principle of a Dutch CV: concrete, factual, evidence-based. Dutch hiring managers are direct people. They are not looking for sophisticated personal branding language or the sort of soft-skill superlatives that might work in some other markets. They are looking for specific evidence of what you have done, what you know, and whether you are the right fit for the role.

The Standard Dutch CV Structure

1. Header

Name: Full name, large and clear at the top.

Contact details:

• City (you do not need your full address)
• Phone number (mobile, with international dialling code if applying internationally)
• Professional email address (firstname.lastname@domain or similar)
• LinkedIn profile URL (clean and professional)

Photo: A small professional headshot, typically top right. This is standard in the Netherlands — include it.

Do not include: Date of birth, nationality, marital status, or gender. These are not required and should not be on a modern Dutch CV.

2. Profile Summary (Profiel)

A four to six line professional summary at the top. This is not a generic “results-oriented professional with excellent communication skills” — those phrases are meaningless.

Write what you actually do, what you are good at, and what you are looking for:

“Finance professional with 8 years of experience in FP&A and management reporting in the tech sector. Skilled in SAP, Power BI, and cross-functional stakeholder communication. Currently seeking a senior financial controller or head of finance role in a scale-up or mid-size company in Amsterdam or Rotterdam.”

This is concrete, specific, and useful to a recruiter in under 30 seconds.

Tailor this section for every application. It is worth the extra 10 minutes.

3. Work Experience (Werkervaring)

Reverse chronological order — most recent first.

For each role, include:

Job title | Company name | Dates (month/year – month/year) | City

Then three to five bullet points covering:

• Your key responsibilities (one line)
• Your specific achievements (with numbers where possible)

Example (weak):

• Responsible for managing a team and ensuring project delivery

Example (strong):

• Led a team of 8 engineers delivering a EUR 1.2M API integration project for a major retail client, completed on time and 12% under budget

The Dutch market rewards concrete, numbered achievement. “Managed” means very little. “Managed a EUR X project / team of X / process covering X users” means something.

Dates: Use month and year (not just year). “Jan 2021 – Mar 2023” is clearer than “2021 – 2023” and shows no hidden gaps.

Part-time roles: If a role was part-time, note it briefly (e.g., “24 hours/week”). This is relevant context, not a weakness.

4. Education (Opleiding)

Reverse chronological, most recent first.

Include:

• Degree/qualification name
• Institution name
• Graduation year (or expected graduation year)
• Country if studying outside the Netherlands

You do not need to include your grade unless it is particularly strong (summa cum laude, distinction, 1st class). Include relevant honours, scholarships, or programmes if they add something.

For academic credentials from outside the Netherlands: you do not need to have your degree verified by Nuffic (the Dutch organisation for international credentials) unless specifically required by the employer — but for some regulated professions (medicine, law, education) credential recognition may be needed.

5. Skills (Vaardigheden / Competenties)

A brief, clear list of:

• Languages: List all languages with level (e.g., “Dutch: A2 (in progress)”, “English: native/C2”, “German: B2”)
• Technical skills: Software, tools, programming languages, certifications (relevant to the role)
• Other relevant skills: briefly and specifically

Do not use visual skill bars (the kind that show a half-filled bar rating your Excel as “4/5 stars”). These are not informative and look dated. Use text: “Advanced Excel (pivot tables, Power Query, VBA)”.

6. Optional Sections

Certifications and training: Include relevant professional certifications (CPA, CIMA, PMP, AWS, CFA, etc.) with issuing body and date.

Volunteer work / side projects: Include if relevant and real. A tech professional who contributes to open-source projects, or a marketing manager who runs a small community initiative, gains credibility from specific mentions.

Interests / hobbies: Most Dutch CV experts say: include only if they genuinely add something. A sports professional listing marathon running is relevant. An office administrator listing “reading” adds nothing. If you have a genuinely interesting or achievement-oriented hobby (competitive sport, amateur musician who has performed, multilingual reading), a brief note can make you memorable. Keep it to one or two lines maximum.

What Dutch Recruiters Specifically Look For

Concreteness beats soft skills. “Strong communicator” without an example means nothing. “Presented monthly financial results to a board of 12, including non-financial stakeholders, for 3 years” means something.

Numbers wherever possible. Revenue, team size, cost savings, project budgets, client numbers, timelines. Numbers make achievements credible and specific.

Honest dates. Gaps are noticed and not automatically negative — but gaps without explanation invite speculation. A one-line note is better than hoping nobody notices.

Relevant tailoring. A CV sent to 50 companies without tailoring is obvious. Dutch recruiters read many CVs; a generic profile summary and work history that does not connect to the specific role will lose to a well-tailored application from a slightly less qualified candidate.

Language evidence. If you list Dutch: A2 or Dutch: B1, this signals cultural investment and is noticed positively, even at early stages. If you are studying Dutch, include it. If you have completed a specific Dutch language course (Taalthuis, Language Academy, NT2), name it.

Length and Formatting: The Practical Details

Length

• Under 5 years’ experience: one page
• 5–15 years’ experience: one to two pages
• 15+ years’ experience: two pages maximum

Three pages is almost never the right choice.

Font and readability

• Calibri, Garamond, Helvetica, or Georgia at 10–12pt body text
• Headings at 13–14pt
• Consistent spacing and margins (at least 1.5cm on each side)
• PDF format unless otherwise requested

Layout

A clean, single-column layout is safest for ATS compatibility. If you are applying to creative industries (design, marketing, agency), a more visually distinctive layout can work — but even then, functionality should come first.

Avoid: tables that break formatting when parsed by ATS; text boxes; headers/footers with contact info (ATS often misses these); inline images embedded mid-text.

Checking your CV

Run it through a free ATS scanner (Jobscan or similar) if you are targeting larger companies. This shows which keywords your CV is missing compared to the job description. A small investment of 15 minutes can substantially improve response rates.

Cover Letters in the Dutch Market

Are they still relevant?

Yes, but they have become shorter and more focused. Most Dutch job applications that request a cover letter expect a professional but brief communication — one page or less.

The purpose is different from a CV. The CV shows what you have done. The cover letter shows why this specific role at this specific company, and two or three concrete reasons you are the right match.

Structure

Middle (2–3 short paragraphs or 3–4 bullet points): Specific, concrete examples from your background that directly match the role requirements. Reference the job specification explicitly: “The role requires experience in cross-border payment reconciliation — in my current position I led a team of 5 managing EUR 80M in monthly transaction reconciliation across 12 currencies.”

Close (2–3 sentences): Confident expression of interest, mention of your availability for an interview, contact information.

Language

Length

Half a page is often enough. A full page is fine. Never more than one page.

Adapting Your Existing CV for the Dutch Market

If you have a CV from the UK, US, Germany, or another market, here is a quick checklist:

A Note on Discrimination and Diversity

Dutch employment law prohibits discrimination on grounds of age, gender, race, nationality, religion, disability, and sexual orientation. However, unconscious bias exists in every market.

A well-constructed CV that avoids unnecessary personal information protects you. Do not feel obliged to include information beyond what is relevant for the role. Your name, professional experience, skills, and education are what matters.

If you have experienced what you believe is discriminatory behaviour in a Dutch hiring process, you can report it to the College voor de Rechten van de Mens (Netherlands Institute for Human Rights).

Quick Summary: The Dutch CV Checklist

• Two pages maximum (one page if under five years’ experience)
• Professional photo included (top corner)
• Name, city, phone, email, LinkedIn — no date of birth or nationality
• Strong profile summary (four to six lines, specific to the role)
• Work experience: reverse chronological, achievements with numbers
• Dates: month and year for all roles
• Education: degrees, institutions, years
• Languages listed with CEFR levels (include Dutch even at A1)
• Technical skills listed specifically (not skill bars)
• PDF format, clean layout, ATS-compatible
• Cover letter: specific, half to one page, tailored

Further Reading on ExpatNetherlandsHub

• How to find a job in the Netherlands as an expat
• Best job boards in the Netherlands for expats
• Short-stay furnished housing for your first months
• Best Dutch health insurance for expats
• Side hustles and passive income in the Netherlands
• Dutch utilities explained
• Retiring in the Netherlands: financial planning
• Single expat in the Netherlands: social guide

The Dutch LinkedIn Culture

If your CV is the door, your LinkedIn profile is the building that door opens into. Dutch recruiters use LinkedIn very actively — more so than in many other markets. Before and after seeing your CV, they will look at your LinkedIn profile. Inconsistencies between your CV and LinkedIn create doubt.

Specific Dutch LinkedIn conventions:

• Your LinkedIn headline should be specific: “Senior Financial Controller | FMCG & Retail | Amsterdam” rather than “Finance Professional”
• The summary section is worth filling out in both Dutch and English if your language level allows it — Dutch summary for Dutch companies, English for international ones
• Recommendations from Dutch managers or colleagues carry significant weight. If you have worked with Dutch people previously, asking for a LinkedIn recommendation is not pushy — it is professional
• Posting relevant content (industry articles, thoughtful comments) builds visibility in a relatively small professional market
• Your profile photo should be the same one as on your CV — consistency matters

LinkedIn for the Dutch job search specifically: Dutch companies post jobs on LinkedIn heavily. Many Dutch recruiters send InMails directly to candidates rather than waiting for applications. Having an up-to-date, detailed profile significantly increases the chance of being contacted directly. If you are job-hunting, setting your profile to “Open to Work” (visible to recruiters only, not publicly) is the standard signal.

After the CV: What Happens in Dutch Recruitment

Understanding what happens after you submit your application saves frustration.

Timeline expectations: Dutch hiring processes are typically 4–8 weeks from first contact to offer, though larger corporations can take longer. Do not expect the urgency of startup hiring in a traditional Dutch corporate environment.

Stages: A typical Dutch hiring process involves: CV screening (1–2 weeks), phone or video call with HR or a recruiter, first interview with the hiring manager (often over video), a second interview or case study / assessment, reference check, and offer. Assessment days (with group exercises or role plays) are common for graduate roles.

Salary negotiation: The Dutch market is more direct about salaries than some other markets. Job postings increasingly include salary ranges. If not, it is entirely professional to ask “What is the salary range for this role?” early in the process. Do not wait until the offer stage to raise the question.

FAQ

Should I include a photo on my Dutch CV?

Yes, including a professional photo is standard practice in the Netherlands and expected by most Dutch employers. Unlike the UK, where photos on CVs are actively discouraged to prevent discrimination, the Dutch market generally expects a small professional headshot in the top right or left corner of your CV. The photo should be recent, show your face clearly, and look professional — a plain or neutral background, business or smart casual attire. Do not use a holiday photo or a cropped social media image. If you have a professional LinkedIn headshot, that works well.

How long should a Dutch CV be?

One to two pages. For most professionals with under 10 years of experience, one page is ideal. Two pages is acceptable for senior professionals with a substantive career history. Three pages is almost always too long and suggests you cannot prioritise. Dutch recruiters are efficient readers — they scan CVs quickly. A long CV does not signal more experience; it signals that you have not been selective about what matters. Edit ruthlessly.

Do I need to write my Dutch CV in Dutch?

It depends on the job and the company. For international companies, multinationals, and roles explicitly advertised in English, send an English CV. For Dutch SME employers, government roles, or positions where the job advertisement is in Dutch, writing your CV in Dutch shows cultural commitment and will be noticed positively. If your Dutch is limited (A1–A2), writing a poor Dutch CV can work against you — in that case, an English CV with a note about your Dutch learning progress is better than Dutch riddled with errors. Many expat candidates submit one CV in English and one in Dutch and use whichever is most appropriate.

What format should a Dutch CV be in?

PDF format is standard and preferred. It ensures your formatting is preserved regardless of what software the recruiter uses. Microsoft Word format is sometimes requested by larger ATS systems — if so, save your CV as a .docx. Avoid heavily designed, graphic-heavy CV templates: columns, infographic-style skill bars, and elaborate layouts often fail ATS (applicant tracking system) parsing and can look unprofessional in conservative sectors like finance or law. A clean, well-formatted Word or InDesign-style PDF in black and white or minimal colour is always safe.

Should I include personal details like date of birth or nationality on my Dutch CV?

You do not need to include date of birth, nationality, or marital status on a Dutch CV. Dutch anti-discrimination law (WGBH/CZ) prohibits using these characteristics in hiring decisions, and responsible employers do not want to be seen collecting this information unnecessarily. Some older Dutch CV templates still include date of birth — this is an outdated convention. Include your full name, current city (not full address), phone number, professional email address, and LinkedIn profile URL. That is sufficient.

How should I explain a gap in my CV when applying for Dutch jobs?

Be brief and honest. Dutch culture values direct, factual communication — a short explanation is better than omission (which invites speculation) or an elaborate justification (which sounds defensive). For a gap due to caring responsibilities, job searching, health, travel, or relocation: a one-line note in your work history such as ‘Career break: family relocation and settling in the Netherlands (2023–2024)’ is perfectly acceptable. Dutch employers are generally understanding of relocation periods. Gaps due to mental health, burnout (overspanning or burn-out is well understood and destigmatised in the Netherlands), or other personal reasons can be addressed briefly and honestly. You do not owe a detailed explanation on the CV itself; save the fuller context for the interview if relevant.

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And polish your Dutch language skills to stand out in the job market: Learn Dutch with Mondly

External source: IND — Residence permits — independent information on this topic.