How to write a Dutch CV in NL

In the Netherlands, a CV is usually one to two A4 pages, written in reverse-chronological order, and focused on relevant, concrete results. Most Dutch employers expect a short personal profile, clear dates, and job titles they recognise. A photo, date of birth and marital status are optional and are often left out. If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, state your work authorisation plainly. International experience is valuable here but not always automatically understandable: hiring teams may not read role titles, education systems, work rights or sector context from abroad. The goal is not to make your background smaller, it is to make its value easier to read.

This is a checklist, not a fixed template. CV expectations differ by sector, seniority, employer and role, and the right emphasis shifts with your stage. CV conventions are not regulated, so nothing below is a rule an employer must follow. Work-authorisation rules do change, so check the official source for anything you will state about your right to work. Decide your target role before you rewrite anything, because every other choice on the page follows from it.

1. 1

   Clarify the role you are targeting

   Choose one target role or role family before you rewrite anything, and mirror the language used in Dutch job descriptions without copying it blindly. The top of the CV should show what you are ready for now, and details that do not support that role can come out. Every other decision on the page follows from this one.

   Do this: Pick one target role, then cut anything on the CV that does not support it.

   Documents needed

   • Your current CV
   • Two or three job descriptions for the target role

   Common mistake: A CV that is too broad and does not point at a clear next role is the blocker most often mistaken for a formatting problem.

   Official source

   Work in NL · Finding work in the Netherlands, the official portal
2. 2

   Translate your experience so a Dutch reader can place it

   Hiring teams here may not recognise company names, universities or job titles from abroad, and may not know the sector context they sit in. Explain the unfamiliar ones briefly, turn responsibilities into specific outcomes or scope, and add the context that makes international experience readable. The aim is not to make your background smaller but to make its value easier to read.

   Do this: Explain unfamiliar employers, institutions and titles, and rewrite duties as outcomes and scope.

   Documents needed

   • Your current CV

   Common mistake: Listing responsibilities rather than results hides the achievement behind the task, which is what a Dutch reader is scanning for.

   Official source

   EURES · Living and working conditions in the Netherlands
3. 3

   Check the local expectations for length, structure and personal details

   A Dutch CV is usually one to two A4 pages, in reverse-chronological order, with a short personal profile, clear dates and job titles a reader recognises. Keep the structure easy to scan and make dates, locations, education and work history clear. A photo, date of birth and marital status are optional and are often left out, so add personal details only where they serve the application.

   Do this: Cut the CV to one or two pages, in reverse-chronological order, and remove personal details that are not needed.

   Documents needed

   • Your current CV

   Common mistake: CV conventions are not regulated and vary by sector, seniority and employer, so treat this as a checklist rather than as a template an employer must accept.

   Official source

   EURES · Living and working conditions in the Netherlands
4. 4

   State your language levels and your work authorisation honestly

   Give language levels precisely rather than vaguely. If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, state your work authorisation plainly, because it is one of the first things an employer wants to understand. If work-status, visa or orientation-year context is relevant to the target role, verify it against the official source before you put it on the page.

   Do this: Add honest language levels, and state your work authorisation where it is relevant to the role.

   Documents needed

   • Your residence permit or proof of your right to work

   Common mistake: Work-authorisation rules change. Check the official source for anything you will state about your right to work rather than repeating a summary.

   Official source

   IND · Residence permits for work, and recognised-sponsor requirements
5. 5

   Connect the CV to your visibility

   The CV is one surface among several. Update LinkedIn so it matches the same story, prepare a short introduction message you can reuse, build a small list of relevant employers, sectors and communities, and ask for feedback from people who understand the Dutch context. Track which version of the CV you send to which role, so a pattern in the responses is readable later.

   Do this: Align LinkedIn with the CV, prepare an introduction, and track which version went to which role.

   Documents needed

   • Your LinkedIn profile
   • Your target employer list

   Common mistake: A CV and a LinkedIn profile that disagree undo the work done on both.

   Official source

   Work in NL · Finding work in the Netherlands, the official portal

• Your current CV
• Two or three job descriptions for the target role
• Your LinkedIn profile
• Proof of your right to work, where it is relevant to the role
• A short introduction message you can reuse

The rewrite itself is short once the target role is decided. Expect a further pass per role family rather than a single CV that goes everywhere, and allow time for feedback from someone who reads Dutch applications.

Requirements depend on your situation. Check the latest requirements with the relevant authority.

• Rewriting before choosing a target. A CV that is too broad and does not point at a clear next role is the blocker most often mistaken for a formatting problem.
• Leaving job titles, employers or degree levels from another country unexplained, so a reader cannot place them.
• Listing responsibilities instead of outcomes and scope, which hides the achievement behind the task.
• Giving a vague language level, or leaving work-status context out when it is relevant to the target role.
• Letting the CV and the LinkedIn profile tell different stories, and applying before either is ready.

• Update LinkedIn so it matches the CV story rather than an older version of it.
• Prepare a short introduction message you can reuse when you approach people directly.
• Build a small list of relevant employers, sectors and communities where your experience is legible.
• Ask for feedback from people who understand the Dutch hiring context, and track which version of the CV went to which role.