Match your English CV to a job in the Netherlands

A practical guide from Remedy.cv · For international job applicants

Start with one vacancy and your real experience. Make it easy for an employer to see the connection. This guide shows each step with an English tech CV example.

There is no single CV that fits every Dutch employer. Follow the vacancy instructions for language, documents, and application method. Utrecht University recommends matching each CV to the position and its requirements.

1. Separate required skills from useful extras

Copy the main requirements into a short list. Mark each as required or preferred. Keep language, location, and work arrangements separate from technical skills. A missing required skill needs a different response from a missing optional skill.

Do not assume that a job is suitable only because its technical skills match. Check the stated language and work arrangements before you adapt the CV.

2. Match each requirement to evidence

A skill can be absent from the CV even when the candidate has it. First check your work history. Add evidence only when it is true.

For this example, the candidate confirms that they built a Node.js order API, used PostgreSQL, and added integration tests to GitHub Actions. They plan to move to Amsterdam. They have used Docker, but not Kubernetes.

1. TypeScript and Node.js: listed, but weak evidence. Name the order API and explain what you built. A skills list alone does not show how you used a tool.
2. PostgreSQL: experience exists, but the CV says only SQL. Replace the broad term with PostgreSQL in the relevant role. Keep the wider SQL skill if it is also relevant.
3. Testing and CI: the CV is too vague. State that you added integration tests to GitHub Actions. Explain what the tests checked.
4. English and Amsterdam attendance: partly answered. English C1 is visible. Add the planned move date and confirm the two office days only if you can meet them. State your real language level.
5. Kubernetes: a preferred skill the candidate does not have. Do not add it to the CV. Docker experience is relevant context, but it is not Kubernetes experience.

This is an evidence check, not a pass score. The employer decides whether the application meets its needs.

3. Replace a general duty with a clear result

Use this structure: action + system or task + result. Use a number only when you can support it.

The new version names the work, the tools, and the purpose of the tests. It does not invent a percentage improvement. If you have a measured result, add it with its scope and period.

For an employer outside your home country, add brief company context when it helps. For example: “ParcelFlow — software for parcel tracking.” Keep your official job title. Add a short English explanation if the title is unclear.

4. Make the application easy to read

• Use clear headings for experience, education, skills, and languages.
• Put the most relevant evidence near the start. Shorten unrelated detail.
• Use readable text. Follow the requested file format and check the exported file.
• Give your current city and a realistic relocation date when these affect the role.
• Follow the employer's questions about work authorization. Do not guess what a permit allows.

WorkinNL explains the purpose and basic content of a CV: show your education and work experience clearly so an employer can understand them.

An applicant tracking system (ATS) helps an employer manage applications. Remedy.cv's score is an indication from its own analysis. It is not the employer's score, and it cannot guarantee an interview.

5. Check your own CV before you apply

• I can point to evidence for each required skill that I claim.
• I used the vacancy's tool names where they accurately describe my experience.
• I separated missing CV evidence from skills I do not have.
• I checked the language, location, and attendance requirements.
• Every result and number is true and can be explained in an interview.
• I opened the final file and checked that all text is readable.

Sources and method

Remedy.cv prepared this guide with AI assistance. The worked example is fictional. The sources above support the general guidance. They do not endorse Remedy.cv or the example.

You can use the checklist without an account or payment. Keep a copy of the original vacancy and your original CV so you can check each change.