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Dutch CV conventions · A4 format · No signup

How to Make a Dutch CV (CV Maken): Structure & Rules

The Dutch CV has its own character: short, direct, and headed by a profielschets. This guide covers the structure Dutch recruiters expect — from personal data to references 'op aanvraag' — plus the mistakes to avoid.

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The Dutch CV character

What makes a Dutch CV different

Dutch recruitment culture is famously direct — and the CV reflects it. Exaggeration ('world-class negotiator') reads as suspicious rather than confident; plain facts with numbers read as strong. Dutch recruiters typically spend seconds on a first scan and forgive almost anything except vagueness.

Length is one to two A4 pages: one for starters, two for experienced professionals. A third page is accepted only in academia and some senior government contexts. Reverse-chronological order is the norm.

The sections

The structure Dutch recruiters expect

  • Persoonlijke gegevens Name, phone, professional email, city, optionally LinkedIn. Date of birth and nationality were once standard lines; today many candidates omit them, and employers increasingly do not ask. A photo remains common but is never mandatory.
  • Profielschets The Dutch CV's signature element: two to four lines under your name describing who you are professionally and what you bring. Written in plain Dutch — or English for international roles — without adjectives you cannot prove.
  • Werkervaring Job title, employer, city, dates with month and year, and three to five bullets per role. Dutch recruiters value concrete outcomes — revenue, tickets closed, students taught — over responsibility lists.
  • Opleiding Highest qualification first (WO/HBO/MBO level naming is understood by every Dutch recruiter), institution, years. Courses and certificates (cursussen) get a separate block if relevant to the vacancy.
  • Vaardigheden & talen Six to ten skills matching the vacancy wording, and languages with honest levels. Dutch employers test language claims in the interview — state the real level.
  • Referenties Conventionally reduced to 'References available on request' (op aanvraag) or omitted entirely; contact details are shared once the process advances. Have two referees briefed before you need them.

The opener

Writing a profielschets that works

The profielschets is not a wish list: 'looking for a challenging position' says nothing and is the single most common Dutch CV error. It is a compressed pitch: your professional identity, one proof, one intention.

A working pattern: role + seniority + sector, then one verifiable result, then what you are targeting. For example: 'Logistics planner with 4 years in e-commerce fulfilment. Planned routes for 60 daily deliveries and cut late arrivals by 22%. Looking for a planning role in a growing distribution centre.' That is two and a half lines — and it survives every scan.

Formalities

Photo, tone and ATS in the Netherlands

The photo is customary but declining, and large employers with formal D&I policies increasingly drop it. If you include one: professional, recent, neutral background. A casual photo costs more than an empty space.

On ATS: the Dutch market's corporates (and platforms like OTYS/Connexys, Workday and AFAS) parse CVs literally. One column, standard section titles, a common typeface, selectable text. And the tone rule in every sentence: straight, factual, no American-style superlatives — in the Netherlands, understatement with numbers beats emphasis without them.

Practical example

Profielschets: before / after

The same candidate, twice. Only one version is recognisably Dutch proof.

Profile sketch (care sector) — before / after

3 lines, rewritten

BEFORE: Enthusiastic care worker with a passion for people, looking for a position where I can use my communication skills and develop myself further. AFTER: Verzorgende IG (level-3 nurse) with 5 years in elderly care, den Bosch region. Run medication rounds for 24 residents and coordinate the family contact for my ward. Looking for a senior care role in a residential setting.

Qualification named in Dutch terms, scale given, duty owned, target stated — and not one adjective needed defending.

Matching templates

Templates for a Dutch CV

Fill in your details online and export to PDF or Word — A4 layout, ATS-readable, room for a profielschets.

Resume templateeuropean

Amsterdam Nederlands CV

Dutch CV template with Dutch headings, a direct no-photo layout and A4 geometry. Free Nederlands CV voorbeeld with instant PDF download.

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Resume templateminimal

Pure Minimal

Ultra-clean minimal resume with sky-blue accent, generous whitespace and a left-aligned header. Perfect for tech and product roles.

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Resume templateminimal

Nordic Minimal

Scandinavian minimal resume with slate primary, icy blue accent and generous whitespace for engineers and product leaders.

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Complete your Dutch application

FAQ

Dutch CV questions

Should I put a photo on a Dutch CV?

It is customary but optional: many Dutch CVs include one, many do not. If you add a photo, make it recent and professional. Large employers with formal diversity policies increasingly run photo-free screening — there, leaving it off is the safer default.

Do I list my date of birth?

Increasingly candidates omit it, and discriminatory use is not permitted. It is still seen on Dutch CVs, so including it is harmless — but it earns you nothing.

How long should a Dutch CV be?

One page with little experience, two for experienced professionals. Dutch recruiters are explicit that a third page works against you except in academia.

Do references go on the CV?

Not the contact details: 'op aanvraag' (on request) or nothing at all. Share names when the process advances — but brief your referees first, because Dutch employers do call.

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