Destination: Life Abroad.

Working in the Netherlands – Part 1

The #coachforexpat column, where I provide useful guidance to help you plan your life and career abroad.

Are you thinking about moving to the Netherlands, but first, you want to find a job and have started sending out your CV?However, the responses are either negative or nonexistent. Your CV has been discarded. But why?

Aside from the more general reasons (poorly written CV, too long, etc.), here are some possible explanations:

• Your CV includes unnecessary personal data. Privacy regulations (GDPR 2016) are very strict in the Netherlands, especially in certain sectors such as academia. So, remove any unnecessary personal details like photos, date of birth, and gender.

• You applied to a job posting in Dutch with an English CV. Generally, if a job ad is written in Dutch, the employer is looking for a native speaker or someone with at least a C1 proficiency level.

• Lack of international experience or work abroad. Even if you have a strong professional background, if your experience isn’t directly relevant to the local job market or isn’t clearly explained, your CV might not catch the recruiter’s attention.

• No motivation letter (cover letter) explaining your decision to move. Before starting a hiring process, companies want to be sure of your commitment and motivation to relocate abroad.

Yesterday, I attended Career Expo 2025 at TUE here in Eindhoven. It was an event primarily for STEM students but open to everyone.This kind of career fair is very common in the Netherlands, and it’s worth attending—even just to have a chat with recruiters from local companies.

When asked, "Do you hire international candidates?", the answer was yes, but recruiters also consider other factors:

• Is the team entirely Dutch? If so, meetings will be held in Dutch.

• Does the role require interaction with clients? If the clients are Dutch, the required language will naturally be Dutch.

• Does the role involve reporting? In this case, the preferred language will likely be Dutch as well.

Dutch companies are becoming increasingly international, but you need to consider the industry you’re applying for and the job requirements to ensure your CV is taken into account.

Want to learn more? You can find the list of companies that attended the event on Wervingsdagen - Career Expo .

Thinking about moving abroad but don’t know where to start? Let’s talk about it!