Netherlands CV and resume guidance – Page 2

An "open sollicitatie" is an unsolicited application sent to a company that has not advertised a vacancy. It is a common and accepted route in the Netherlands, especially with smaller companies.

Adapt your CV by:

• Naming the type of role you want in your profile or title.
• Highlighting skills the company is likely to need.
• Adding your availability and preferred working hours.

Send it with a short, direct motivation letter explaining why that company interests you and what you could contribute. If you can, address it to a named person, found on the company website or LinkedIn, so it reaches someone who can act on it.

Mention it when the job involves driving or travel, such as field service, sales, delivery or care roles. The standard Dutch car licence is "rijbewijs B".

Example: "Driving licence: B"

If your licence is from outside the Netherlands, give the country and category, for example "Driving licence: India (LMV)". Whether a foreign licence can be used or exchanged in the Netherlands depends on official rules, so do not claim it is valid there unless you have checked. For office jobs in cities, where many people cycle or use public transport, the line is optional.

Yes, especially if it shows responsibility or relevant skills. Volunteering is widespread in the Netherlands, and many Dutch CVs have a short "Nevenactiviteiten" (other activities) section for board roles in clubs, student associations or community work.

Example:
"2023 – present Treasurer (volunteer), Voorbeeld Football Club, Utrecht

• Managed club accounts and annual membership fees for 300 members"

Board positions ("bestuursfuncties") in student or sports associations are particularly well understood in the Netherlands. Keep each entry short and focus on what you did.

Write it in English, put your technical skills and projects front and centre, and keep it to one or two pages. Tech employers in the Netherlands often hire internationally and use English as the working language.

Tips:

• Start with a short profile naming your stack and focus, for example backend, data or embedded systems.
• Group skills by type: languages, frameworks, cloud, tools.
• Add links to GitHub or a portfolio if they show good work.
• Use bullets with results: performance gains, features shipped, users served.

Example: "Cut API response time from 800 ms to 200 ms by adding caching and query indexes."

Mention any Dutch you speak, but it is rarely the deciding factor for English-speaking tech teams. Keep the layout simple and single-column, because many tech employers use online application systems. If you are applying from outside the EU, state your current location and availability clearly, and only mention work authorisation if you already have it.

No. Keep salary out of the CV. Many Dutch adverts, especially in the public sector and education, show a salary scale ("schaal"), and your exact placement is usually discussed later.

If the advert or form asks for your expectations:

• Answer in the form field or one sentence in the motivation letter.
• Base your answer on the advertised scale and your experience.

Example: "Given my five years of experience, I would expect a position in the upper part of the advertised scale."

If nothing is asked, do not mention salary at all.