Dutch CV Format 2026: Direct, Short, and Free of Superlatives
Most CV advice for the Netherlands boils down to “be direct”, which is true and not very useful. The practical question is what directness looks like on the page, and what has changed recently that makes it matter more. This guide covers both, and it sits alongside our Netherlands CV format page, which has the short version of the rules.
What changed in Dutch hiring recently
In September 2025 the Dutch HR association NVP published a renewed version of its recruitment code, the Sollicitatiecode. Two changes are relevant to anyone sending a CV. First, salary transparency becomes the norm in job adverts, and employers should no longer ask candidates what they currently earn or earned before. Offers are meant to rest on the job requirements, your experience and qualifications, and what is customary in the organisation. Second, the code tightens its guidance on AI tools used for CV screening and matching: organisations should be open about using them and be able to explain why a candidate scored higher or lower.
Both points shape how you write. Putting your current salary on a CV used to be an easy mistake; now it hands over exactly the number the code tells recruiters not to anchor on. And if an AI tool reads your CV before a person does, a plain structure with standard headings and concrete, searchable facts will survive that step better than a designed two-column layout.
For applicants who need a work permit, the numbers moved as well. The 2026 gross monthly thresholds for the highly skilled migrant route, excluding the 8% holiday allowance, are €5,942 for applicants aged 30 and over, €4,357 for those under 30, and €3,122 for the orientation-year and recent-graduate category. They apply to applications submitted in 2026, new hires and extensions alike. We break these down in our Netherlands and Ireland salary guide.
The Dutch CV at a glance
| Element | Dutch convention |
|---|---|
| Length | One or two pages. Longer reads as an inability to edit |
| Photo | Optional. Common, never required, and nobody is marked down for leaving it off |
| Profile | Three or four lines at the top, factual rather than aspirational |
| Order | Reverse chronological, with the most recent role in the most detail |
| Languages | State levels honestly, ideally on the CEFR scale (for example Dutch B1, in progress) |
| Tone | Modest, concrete, down to earth. Superlatives are read as a warning sign |
| Language of the CV | English is widely accepted in international employers. If the advert is in Dutch, reply in Dutch |
The format, section by section
The structure is close to a standard international CV, with a few Dutch habits layered on top.
PRIYA NAIR
Utrecht, Netherlands | +31 6 XX XX XX XX | you@email.com | linkedin.com/in/you
PERSOONLIJK PROFIEL
Backend engineer with six years in payments. Cut settlement failures by
40% at my last employer. Looking for a senior role on a platform team.
Right to work: Highly skilled migrant, sponsorship required
Notice what the profile does. It states a role, a length of experience, one measurable result and what you want next. There is no “passionate”, no “results-driven”, no “dynamic”. In a culture that prizes nuchterheid, which roughly means sober, level-headed realism, those words do not make you sound stronger. They make the recruiter wonder what you are covering for.
Below the profile, list work experience with your title, the employer, the dates, and three to five bullets per role. Each bullet should say what you did and what changed because of it. Task lists (“responsible for…”) can wait for the interview. Then add education, skills and languages. A driving licence line, Rijbewijs B, is worth including only for field, sales, healthcare and logistics roles where it is a practical requirement.
Personal details are the area where Dutch practice is most relaxed and Dutch privacy guidance is most cautious. A date of birth is common and harmless. A full street address is not needed; city and region are enough. Marital status, a BSN (your citizen service number), a passport scan and anything about health or religion do not belong on a CV, and Dutch privacy guidance says an employer should only ask for a copy of your ID once you are hired.
Four things that get Dutch applications rejected
- Superlatives and self-promotion. “World-class”, “expert” and “visionary leader” are the fastest way to look like someone who will be difficult to work with. Replace each one with the fact that made you reach for it: the team you led, the cost you cut, the system you shipped. If you cannot find a fact, delete the claim.
- Running past two pages. The Dutch expectation of directness extends to length. A three-page CV tells the reader you could not decide what mattered. Cut older roles to a single line each, drop the early jobs unrelated to the target role, and keep the detail for the last five to eight years.
- Silence on right to work. For anyone outside the EU, the first question in the recruiter’s head is whether you need sponsorship, and whether the salary clears the threshold. If your CV does not answer it, many will not ask. One line near the top, such as “Highly skilled migrant, sponsorship required” or “Orientation-year visa, valid until March 2027”, saves everyone a week of emails.
- Data the employer should not be holding. A CV that includes marital status, a BSN, or a current salary figure is doing the recruiter no favours, and under the updated code the salary line works against you. Leave it for the offer stage, where the employer is expected to be transparent about the range first.
If you are applying from outside the EU
A recruiter at a recognised sponsor will check the offer against the threshold before they check anything else about you, which means your seniority needs to be legible from the CV. Make the level of your most recent role obvious in the title line, show scope (team size, budget, systems owned) in the bullets, and list your languages with levels, since Dutch ability is a tiebreaker rather than a requirement at many international employers.
If you are coming from an India-style CV, remove the “Declaration” line, the father’s name and any religion or marital status field, and cut the objective statement in favour of the profile above. If you are coming from the US, remove the superlatives and consider whether your one-page resume has the right detail for an employer who will read two pages. For a comparison with a neighbouring market, see our German Lebenslauf guide.
Bottom line
A good Dutch CV is short, specific and unembarrassed by its own modesty. Lead with a factual profile, state your right to work, keep the personal details to what the role needs, and let numbers carry the claims. The 2026 changes reinforce all of that: salary conversations are moving toward openness, screening is moving toward software, and the CV that wins is the one that is easy to read and hard to argue with.