Dutch CV format: how to write a CV for the Netherlands
A Dutch CV is one or at most two A4 pages, newest entries first, with contact details, a short personal profile, work experience, education, skills, languages and often hobbies, sent as a PDF named after you.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
What Dutch career advisers agree on
There is no Dutch law or national standard for a CV. What exists is advice from two kinds of source: werk.nl, the job site run by UWV (the Employee Insurance Agency), and the career services of Dutch universities. Read side by side on 13 October 2026, they agree on more than they disagree: keep it short, put the newest item on top, write plainly, and send a PDF.
Leiden University's Career Zone sets the ceiling at two A4 pages and says the content matters more than the layout. Radboud University's hand-out, dated 7 August 2024, gives the same limit and adds that a longer CV is normal only for scientific jobs, where publications are listed. werk.nl breaks the CV into six usual parts, which the table further down follows.
Left to the other guides in this series
The photo, date of birth, nationality and the BSN question have their own guide, and so does the motivatiebrief that goes with the CV. Both are linked at the end.
First step: analyse the vacancy, then cut
Dutch advisers treat the CV as a document you rebuild for each application, not a fixed record. Radboud suggests keeping one long master CV with everything in it and trimming a copy for each vacancy.
- Copy the vacancy text and mark the tasks, skills and words the employer repeats.
- Open your master CV and delete lines that answer none of them.
- Move the most relevant job, course or project to the top of its section.
- Rewrite each remaining line so it starts with what you did and, where you can, ends with a number or result.
- Check that every period has a start and end month, not just a year.
- Export a PDF and name it after yourself, for example cv_Ayse_Demir.pdf.
How the Dutch format works
One page if it fits, two at most
Leiden gives two A4 pages as the maximum and says to use the second page rather than cram. It also notes that most templates are one page and that you do not have to stick to that. Radboud says a one-page CV is fine and you should not force it to two. Leiden puts an academic CV at 3 to 10 pages, which is a different document.
Newest first, and education first only while you are new
werk.nl puts your last job at the top and your first at the bottom, and does the same for education. Radboud adds a switch point: starters begin with education, and after about two years of work experience the order flips. TU/e's career academy gives students the same advice.
Months, not just years
Leiden asks for the start and end month of every job, because 2023 to 2024 could mean two years or two weeks. Write the current role as 03/2024 to present.
Plain and direct wording
Welcome to NL, a site commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, describes Dutch workplaces as fond of open and honest conversation where feedback is given directly. On paper that means short, active lines. Leiden asks for active verbs, no long sentences, no third person and no jargon a layperson could not follow in five seconds; Radboud caps each experience at three lines or bullets.
Hobbies are expected more than elsewhere
Leiden calls hobbies and interests very common on a Dutch CV, because recruiters want to know the person and use them as an icebreaker. List only ones you still do and can talk about. TU/e says Dutch companies value soft skills and personality more than employers in other countries.
References on request
Leiden says it is common to write ‘upon request’ under a References heading, so you can warn your referees before an employer calls. Radboud suggests the same note after the Work experience heading.
The file
werk.nl and Leiden both say to send a PDF so the layout holds, and to put your name in the file name. Leiden also suggests a footer reading Curriculum Vitae plus your name.
Section by section, with a sample line for an applicant from Türkiye
The order follows werk.nl's six parts, with the extras Leiden and Radboud list. The sample person is invented: Ayşe Demir, a supply chain planner in Mersin with five years at a shipping firm, applying in English to a logistics company near Rotterdam.
| Section (Dutch heading) | What goes in it | Sample line |
|---|---|---|
| Persoonlijke gegevens | Name, town, phone, email, LinkedIn link (werk.nl). Photo and other personal fields have their own guide. | Ayşe Demir · Mersin, Türkiye · +90 532 000 00 00 · ayse.demir@example.com · linkedin.com/in/aysedemir |
| Profiel | A few lines on who you are, what you can do and what matters to you in work, rewritten for each vacancy (werk.nl). | Supply chain planner with five years in container logistics; I plan inland transport for 40 to 60 import containers a week and want to do this in a Dutch port business. |
| Werkervaring | Job title, employer, town and country, month and year; two or three lines on tasks and results; newest first. | 04/2022 to present Supply Chain Planner, Örnek Denizcilik A.Ş., Mersin (Türkiye): cut average container dwell time from 6.1 to 4.3 days by rescheduling truck slots. |
| Opleiding | Degree, field, institution, town, months; add a thesis or minor if it fits the job (Leiden). | 09/2015 to 06/2019 BSc Industrial Engineering, Çukurova University, Adana (Türkiye); thesis on port gate scheduling. |
| Cursussen en trainingen | Courses that matter for the job; older or unrelated ones can go. | 02/2025 SAP S/4HANA Extended Warehouse Management, online course, 32 hours |
| Nevenactiviteiten | Volunteering or board work done next to a job (werk.nl). | 2021 to 2023 Volunteer logistics coordinator, earthquake relief depot, Mersin |
| Vaardigheden | Software and skills you can prove (werk.nl). | SAP EWM, Excel (Power Query), Power BI, incoterms, customs declarations |
| Talen | Each language with a level the reader understands; Leiden warns not everyone knows what C2 means. | Turkish native · English C1, full working use · Dutch A2, evening course since 01/2026 |
| Hobby’s en interesses | Hobbies you still do, ideally with a skill behind them (Leiden). | Long-distance cycling (Mersin to Antalya, 2025); chess club member |
| Referenties | ‘Op aanvraag’ / upon request (Leiden, Radboud). | References available on request. |
Keep Turkish names as written, with ş, ı and ğ, and add the country after a Turkish town once. Write the Dutch level honestly; an A2 learner who claims B2 is found out in the first phone call.
Dutch or English
None of the sources read for this guide sets a rule. Study in NL, the Nuffic site for international students, says Dutch is still the main language of the country and can be a requirement for a job, even though many people speak English. A practical reading: write the CV in the language of the vacancy, and if the vacancy is in Dutch but you cannot yet work in Dutch, send English and state your Dutch level plainly in the Languages line.
If you do write it in Dutch
- Use the Dutch headings from the table above, so a Dutch reader finds each part where expected.
- Have a fluent speaker read it; werk.nl and Leiden both tell applicants to let someone else read their letter, and a CV in a language you are still learning needs that even more.
- Give your Dutch level with the CEFR scale and a word on what you can do with it; the CEFR guide explains the levels.
Where Dutch employers receive applications
- The employer's own site or applicant portal. Most vacancies end in an upload or a form; paste the same lines into the form and upload the PDF where it allows.
- werk.nl. Its CV database lets employers search for candidates, but posting a CV there means logging in to the Werkmap with DigiD, and DigiD requires a BSN. If you have never had a BSN, apply to the vacancies directly instead.
- Welcome to NL's job board, linked from Study in NL as a list of jobs that also offer residence permits.
- AcademicTransfer, which Study in NL names for academic jobs.
- LinkedIn, which Study in NL recommends for building a professional network early.
- Recruitment agencies. The NVP application code points agencies to a separate Recruitercode.
What UWV and werk.nl do for a job seeker
werk.nl offers the six-part CV guide, a downloadable sample CV, and an online CV maker whose result you can download as PDF or DOCX. A posted CV stays active for 80 days, and you can choose a public or anonymous version. Applicants who are still in Türkiye will mostly use the advice pages, not the database.
University career services
If you study in the Netherlands, your own university's career service is the closest help: Leiden offers CV checks through each faculty's career service, and Radboud students can submit a CV for a check through Brightspace. Study in NL also suggests asking your career officer about job chances in your field.
Before you apply from abroad
If you need a work permit, the IND says only an employer it has recognised can apply for a highly skilled migrant permit. Check the employer against the IND's public register before you tailor a CV; the kennismigrant guide explains the route. Rules change, so read the IND page itself before applying.
What each source says, read on 13 October 2026
| Point | werk.nl (UWV) | Leiden Career Zone | Radboud hand-out (07-08-2024) | TU/e Career Academy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | Not stated | Two A4 pages at most | Two A4 pages at most; longer for scientific jobs | One or two pages |
| Order | Latest job and latest education on top | Reverse chronological | Education first for starters; switch after about two years | Reverse chronological by end date; students put education first |
| Profile | Yes, a few lines, adapted to the vacancy | Increasingly common | About five sentences or bullets; optional | No more than 3 to 4 lines |
| Hobbies | Not stated | Very common in the Netherlands | Optional, if they fit the vacancy | A few keywords |
| File | PDF, saved under your name | PDF with your name in the title | Not stated |
Where this format stops
- Academic jobs: Leiden puts an academic CV at 3 to 10 pages with publications, teaching and grants.
- A master's application follows the programme's own list of documents; the master's CV guide covers it.
- A visa file is judged on its documents, not on CV style; the visa CV guide explains what is checked.
- Flemish employers in Belgium also write in Dutch, but none of the sources here speak for Belgium.
Next steps and other ways to build it
- werk.nl's sample CV and its free Word templates, if you are comfortable formatting the document yourself.
- Leiden's five example Dutch CVs, which range from plain to colourful.
- CitedCV, if you want the English version written with EU conventions from facts you confirm. It writes in English, Turkish and German, not Dutch, and its templates are single column.
Then settle the photo and personal lines and write the motivatiebrief; each has its own guide below.
Questions people ask
What is the Dutch CV format?
A one or two page CV with personal details, a short profile, work experience, education, courses, side activities, skills, languages and often hobbies, newest first in every section and sent as a PDF.
How long should a CV be in the Netherlands?
Two A4 pages at most, and one is fine. Leiden University and Radboud University both give two pages as the limit; academic CVs are the exception.
Should my CV for the Netherlands be in Dutch or English?
Use the language of the vacancy. Study in NL notes Dutch can be a job requirement, so if you answer a Dutch vacancy in English, state your Dutch level plainly.
Is there a Dutch CV template?
Yes, werk.nl offers a sample CV and links to free Word templates, and Leiden University publishes five example Dutch CVs from plain to colourful.
Do Dutch CVs include hobbies?
Often, yes. Leiden calls hobbies very common on a Dutch CV because recruiters want to know the person; list only ones you still practise.
Do I put references on a Dutch CV?
Usually not by name. Leiden says it is common to write upon request, which lets you brief your referees before the employer contacts them.
Can I post my CV on werk.nl from Türkiye?
Only with DigiD, which requires a BSN. Without a BSN you cannot log in to the Werkmap, so apply to vacancies on employer sites instead.
Is a Dutch CV reverse chronological?
Yes, the newest job and newest education come first. werk.nl puts your last job at the top and your first at the bottom.
Sources
- werk.nl (UWV), Cv makenwww.werk.nl/nl/solliciteren/cv-maken
- werk.nl (UWV), Handleiding cv aanmaken en beherenwww.werk.nl/nl/over-werk-nl/handleidingen/handleiding-cv
- Leiden University Career Zone, Curriculum Vitae (CV)careerzone.universiteitleiden.nl/en/develop-your-skills/application-skills/cv/
- Leiden University Career Zone, Sections on a Dutch CVcareerzone.universiteitleiden.nl/en/develop-your-skills/application-skills/cv/parts-cv
- Radboud University Career Service, Hand-out Curriculum Vitae (version 07-08-2024)www.ru.nl/sites/default/files/2024-10/Hand-out_CV_EN.pdf
- TU/e Career Academy, CVeducationguide.tue.nl/career-skills/tue-career-academy/self-guided-learning/cv
- Study in NL (Nuffic), Working after your studieswww.studyinnl.org/after-your-studies/working-after-your-studies
- DigiD, Apply for DigiDwww.digid.nl/en/apply-and-activate/apply-digid
- Welcome to NL, Dutch workplace culturewww.welcome-to-nl.nl/work-in-nl/workplace-culture
- IND, Highly skilled migrantind.nl/en/residence-permits/work/highly-skilled-migrant