Dutch CV format 2026, with free template

What does a Dutch CV look like?

A Dutch CV is short, factual and specific. EURES, the European Commission's job mobility service, advises a maximum of two A4 pages, only the information that matters for the job, and a version adapted to each role. Dutch recruiters read for evidence: what you did, how big it was and what changed because of you.

The traditional order is personal details, then education, then work experience, then interests and voluntary work, with exact start and end dates and the most recent first. EURES also notes that experienced people increasingly send a shorter, more selective version that opens with the kind of job they want. If you have more than a few years of experience, put work experience above education. That is what an international hiring manager wants to see first.

Tone matters as much as layout. Dutch working culture favours open, direct conversation, and that carries into the CV. Strip out words such as passionate, dynamic and results-driven. Replace them with numbers, named tools and outcomes.

How is a Dutch CV different from a UK CV?

Most of a good UK CV carries over. The changes are in order, tone, dates and the extra lines a non-EU applicant now needs. Here is how the two compare, element by element.

Do you need a photo on a Dutch CV?

No. Nothing requires one, and the EURES outline of a Dutch CV does not include a photo in its list of sections. Some local candidates still add one, so a photo will not count against you, but it adds nothing to your case either.

Our advice for UK applicants is to leave it off. It takes space you can use for evidence, and online applications through company websites are the norm in the Netherlands, so your CV will often be read by software before a person sees it. If a Dutch-language advert asks for a photo, use a plain, recent head and shoulders shot.

How do you write each section of a Dutch CV?

Use these sections in this order, moving education above or below experience as described above. Keep every line specific to the job you are applying for.

• Personal details: full name, city and country, phone with country code, email and LinkedIn. Add your nationality and a one-line work status, for example: British citizen, would require a highly skilled migrant permit.
• Profile: two or three lines stating your profession, years of experience, sector and the role you want. Leave out any adjective you cannot prove.
• Work experience: job title, employer, city, and the month and year you started and finished. Under each role, three to six bullets that start with a verb and include a number: budget, team size, volume, saving or growth.
• Education: qualification, subject, institution, country and dates, most recent first. EURES advises listing relevant courses and saying whether you completed the qualification.
• Skills and languages: named software, methods and certifications. For languages, use the European A1 to C2 scale, for example Dutch A2.
• Interests and voluntary work: one or two lines. Dutch CVs often include these, and they give an interviewer something human to ask about. Keep them real and short.

What should you leave off a Dutch CV?

Cut anything that is not evidence for this job. Two pages fill quickly, and a Dutch reader will not hunt for the relevant part. In particular, remove these:

• Copies of certificates and reference letters. EURES says they need not be attached; take them to the interview.
• Referee names and phone numbers. Offer them when asked.
• Long personal statements and lists of soft skills with no proof behind them.
• Your full home address, date of birth and marital status. City and country are enough to judge an application, so we leave the rest off.
• UK-only shorthand: GCSE grades, UCAS points, internal grade codes and acronyms that mean nothing outside your old employer.
• Salary history. If the advert asks for expectations, put them in the letter, not the CV.

How do you present UK qualifications and employers?

Write your qualification exactly as it appears on the certificate, then add a plain description, for example: BSc (Hons) Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, United Kingdom, three-year bachelor's degree, completed 2016. Do not claim a Dutch equivalent you have not been given.

If an employer wants to know how your degree compares, IDW, the Dutch credential evaluation service, compares foreign diplomas with the Dutch system. IDW says an evaluation is usually not mandatory but an employer may ask for one. The fee shown on its site when we checked was €148.83 per diploma. For a regulated profession, such as nursing or teaching, contact the competent authority first. Healthcare professionals who provide individual care must register in the BIG register.

Assume the reader has never heard of your employer. Add one line under each name saying what the organisation does, how big it is and where it operates, for example: UK housebuilder, 2,000 staff, 30 sites. Translate internal job titles into the market title a Dutch recruiter would search for, and keep the official title in brackets if it matters.

What goes in a Dutch motivation letter?

For qualified and highly qualified roles, EURES describes an application letter with a CV as the standard procedure, and motivation as one of the most important selection criteria for Dutch employers. Keep the letter to one A4 page, and write it in Dutch unless the advert is in English or says otherwise.

Use three short blocks. First, why you are applying for this job at this company. Second, why you are suitable, with two or three facts from your CV that match the advert. Third, that you would welcome an interview. Add one plain sentence on your right to work, for example that you would need the highly skilled migrant permit, which a recognised sponsor applies for.

Dutch employers usually reply fairly quickly. EURES suggests phoning the company if you have heard nothing after 14 days.

Do Dutch employers use applicant tracking systems?

According to EURES, online applications on company websites and CV databases, such as those run by UWV and EURES, are the norm in the Netherlands, and employers search those databases for candidates. Recruitment agencies often start with a psychological test or an assessment.

So build the CV for software as well as people. Use one column, standard headings, no text boxes and no tables for core content. Save it as Word or a text-based PDF. Mirror the exact job title and key skills from the advert where they are true for you. If you upload your CV to a database, write the headline in the words a Dutch recruiter would search, and add the Dutch job title where you know it.

What should you say about your right to work?

Say it at the top. UK nationals who started living in the Netherlands after 31 December 2020 need a residence permit for a specific purpose, such as work. Most professionals come through the highly skilled migrant scheme, which only an IND recognised sponsor can apply for. UK nationals do not need a provisional residence permit (MVV) to enter.

A recruiter scanning international applications wants to know in seconds whether hiring you is possible. One line under your contact details does that: British citizen, would require a highly skilled migrant permit. If you hold an orientation year permit, say so. It lets you work without your employer needing a work permit, and a lower salary threshold applies if you move on to a highly skilled migrant permit.