How to apply for jobs in the Netherlands

EURES describes a Dutch CV of normally no more than two A4 pages, adapted to each position. It opens with personal details, then education and work experience, each with exact dates and the most recent entry first, and ends with hobbies and voluntary work. References and copies of certificates do not need to be attached. Experienced candidates sometimes send a shorter, more descriptive résumé that starts with the type of job they want. Our Dutch CV format guide shows the layout and what to do about a photo.

The letter matters as much as the CV, because Dutch employers treat motivation as one of the most important selection criteria. Keep it to one A4 page and write it in Dutch unless the advert says otherwise: why you are applying, why you suit the role and why you are motivated, closing with an offer to explain more at an interview. The cover letter builder drafts one from your resume for the specific vacancy.

A Europass CV, which you can create, store and share in 31 languages, is not yet widely known among Dutch employers according to EURES. It can help for agricultural and lower-skilled jobs; for other roles and unsolicited applications, use the standard Dutch CV.^[1][12]

Dutch law forbids discrimination on twelve grounds, including race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, belief, political opinion, disability or chronic illness, civil status, age and nationality, as well as working hours and the type of contract. None of these belongs in a selection decision, so you do not need to put your date of birth, marital status or nationality on your CV.

The government's guidance on interviews is concrete. An employer should not ask about your private life, for example whether you want children, and you need not answer if they do. You do not have to say that you are pregnant. An employer may not ask about your health or your sick leave at a previous employer; health questions belong only in a medical examination for certain positions, and the vacancy must say that one is required. What an employer may ask is whether you can carry out the tasks of the job.

There is no law that sets out the whole recruitment process. The NVP Sollicitatiecode, updated in September 2025, is the voluntary standard many employers follow for a fair and transparent procedure, and it makes salary information in vacancies the norm ahead of the EU pay transparency directive.^[2][3][6]

Salaries in the Netherlands are discussed as gross amounts. Many sectors have a collective labour agreement (cao) that sets pay scales above the statutory minimum hourly wage, so ask which cao applies and which scale the role sits in. On top of salary you are entitled to a holiday allowance of at least 8% of your gross annual salary. Keep a record of every offer and counter-offer next to your applications.

The probation period (proeftijd) depends on the contract. A temporary contract of six months or less may not include one. Contracts of more than six months but less than two years, and temporary contracts without an end date, allow at most one month; a permanent contract or a temporary one of two years or more allows at most two months. A collective agreement can set other rules for temporary contracts.

The employer must put the probation period in writing. During it, you and your employer can end the contract immediately, with no notice period; whoever ends it must give the reason in writing if the other side asks. A follow-on contract with the same employer usually cannot start a new probation period, unless the new role clearly needs different skills or responsibilities.^[1][4][5]

If you do not hold the nationality of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, you will usually need a residence permit to work, often combined with a work permit as a single permit. The IND work pages list each route.

The most common route for professionals is the highly skilled migrant permit. Only an employer recognised by the IND as a sponsor can apply for it, the salary must be in line with the market rate and meet the income requirements, and the permit lasts as long as the contract, up to five years. Before you invest in an application, look the employer up in the IND's public register of recognised sponsors, which is updated monthly.

A credential evaluation of a foreign diploma is usually not mandatory, but an employer may ask for one; you or the employer (with your permission) apply through IDW, run by Nuffic and SBB. It is advice, not a legal right. If your profession is regulated in the Netherlands, you need permission from the competent authority instead. To prepare a Dutch version of your CV, translate your resume and keep the original for international roles.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}