A useful Dutch CV template makes your experience easy to understand for employers in the Netherlands. It does not require you to force every job into an impressive-sounding description. The strongest starting point is accurate information, relevant examples and a structure that lets a recruiter find the essentials quickly.
For WorkInHolland applications, prepare your CV in English. You must also be able to discuss the work in English, so choose wording you understand and can explain. This guide includes a reusable structure and examples you can adapt honestly to your own background.
What your CV needs to achieve
Your CV should answer four questions: what can you do, where have you done it, what does the vacancy require and when are you available? Put relevant information first. A long list of unrelated tasks can make useful experience harder to see.
Europass recommends tailoring your CV to the opportunity, using clear examples and showing recent experience before older experience. [20] Use those principles whether you choose a Europass layout or create your own document. There is no need to invent a special format for every employer.
Before writing, read our guide on how to find work in the Netherlands. A CV works better when it supports a focused application rather than trying to suit every possible role.
Start with contact details and a short profile
Make your name, email address and phone number easy to find. Include the country where you currently live and whether you are preparing to relocate. Check that your email address is professional and that you can receive calls or messages on the number you provide.
You do not need to fill the top of the page with private administrative information. Avoid adding bank details or scans of identification documents to a general CV. Share documents requested for employment through the agreed, verified process instead.
Keep your profile short. A useful structure is: your relevant background, two strengths supported by experience and the type of work you want. Avoid a paragraph of adjectives that could describe anyone.
Use this practical English CV template
The bracketed fields below are spaces for your own information. Replace them with accurate details and remove any section that does not apply.
[Full name]
[Current city and country] | [Phone number with country code] | [Email address]
PROFILE
[Your relevant role or background] with experience in [two or three relevant tasks]. Confident working in [accurate language description] and following [relevant procedures]. Seeking [type of role] in the Netherlands, available from [realistic date].
WORK EXPERIENCE
[Job title] – [Employer], [Country] | [Month/year to month/year]
Main responsibilities: [Specific tasks relevant to the vacancy].
Equipment or systems: [Tools, machinery or software you actually used].
Example contribution: [A genuine improvement, responsibility or achievement you can explain].
[Earlier relevant role] – [Employer], [Country] | [Dates]
[Brief description of relevant duties and experience].
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
[Qualification or course] – [Institution], [Country] | [Year]
[Relevant practical training or specialisation].
CERTIFICATES AND LICENCES
[Certificate or licence] | [Issuing organisation] | [Expiry date, where applicable].
SKILLS AND LANGUAGES
Practical skills: [Relevant skills supported by experience].
English: [Honest description or verified level].
Other languages: [Languages and levels].
AVAILABILITY
Start date: [Date]. Preferred hours or shifts: [Accurate availability].
Relocation: [Current plan]. Accommodation support: [Needed or not needed].
Replace vague statements with specific evidence
“Responsible for orders” is less informative than “checked picking lists, packed customer orders and reported missing products to the supervisor”. Use only tasks you actually performed. An accurate description is stronger than adding a result or percentage you cannot support.
For unskilled jobs in the Netherlands, relevant evidence may come from retail, hospitality, volunteering or a practical course. Explain the task and what it shows. The absence of an identical job title does not mean you have nothing useful to present.
If you are considering part-time work in the Netherlands, state your availability clearly. Your skills still matter; the hours simply need to match the role. Do not hide a fixed commitment and hope to resolve it after accepting an offer.
Tailor the document without rewriting your history
Make a short checklist from the vacancy’s essential requirements. Check that the recruiter can find the relevant experience, language skills and certificates in your CV. Where you do not meet a requirement, be honest rather than changing a title or qualification to appear eligible.
Explain an unfamiliar qualification in plain English, but do not declare a Dutch equivalence that has not been confirmed. You can state the original title, institution and subject, then describe the practical skills you gained.
Use the cover-letter guide for applications in the Netherlands when the employer asks why you want that specific role. The CV records your background; the letter connects that background to the opportunity. Avoid copying the same paragraph into both documents.
Check the practical details before sending
Read the CV aloud to catch awkward wording. Confirm your dates, contact details and file name. Open the final PDF or document on another screen when possible to check that nothing has moved or disappeared. Follow the employer’s requested file format.
If you plan to relocate, use our guide to moving to the Netherlands to think through your realistic start date. Write “available immediately” only when the travel, notice period and other necessary arrangements genuinely allow it.
When you need housing support, explore jobs with accommodation in the Netherlands and state that need in the application conversation. Your CV does not need to solve every practical question, but it should give the recruiter an honest starting point for discussing a suitable job.
Frequently asked questions
Should my CV be in English or Dutch?
Use English for your WorkInHolland application. For another employer, follow the vacancy instructions. Do not submit a polished Dutch translation that suggests language skills you cannot demonstrate in a conversation or at work.
What can I write without previous paid employment?
Include relevant education, practical projects, volunteering and responsibilities that demonstrate useful skills. Describe what you actually did. A short, honest CV is better than filling the page with invented experience or claims that you cannot explain.
Should I send the same CV for every vacancy?
Keep the underlying facts consistent, but adjust the profile and emphasis to the role. Make relevant experience easy to find and remove unnecessary detail. Tailoring means improving relevance, not changing your employment history or qualifications.
