Laden

CV TIPS: HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT CV

As a newcomer in the Netherlands it can be difficult to know what most resumes look like here in the Netherlands. That's why we created this blog and animated video to give you some tools for creating a CV that will speak to employers here in the Netherlands

What personal details should I report?

  • Mention your name and nationality.
  • Always state your date of birth. Companies do not filter by age, but by experience and seniority.
  • Make sure your contact details are up to date, so that a recruiter can easily contact you. Important to mention are your e-mail address, phone number and address.
  • Mention which languages you are able to speak and how skilled you are in them. Do not mention languages you cannot have a basic conversation in.
  • If you have a driver's license, mention which one(s): A, B, C1 etc.
  • Add a short profile sketch of 5-6 sentences. Introduce yourself, your skills and your ambitions. Do you find this difficult? Ask family/friends how they would describe you.

 

How do you report former job experience?

  • Report it chronologically, starting with your most recent experience and ending with the job you had the longest ago.
  • Describe your most recent experience extensively. The longer ago your experience, the shorter you keep the description.
  • When you describe previous experience, mention the responsibilities and tasks you had, and what results you received.

 

How do you report education?

  • Report the education you have followed chronologically. Again, starting with the most recent one. In this section, only mention education you went to school for. So no small courses.
  • Mention if graduated with a diploma, or not. 
  • You can make a seperate section in your CV where you report all the certificates you have. For example, if you have a language certificate from a course you took, or if you are currently taking language classes.


What else is good to report?

  • Mention your skills. If they are abstract, add an example. For example, if you say you have "communication skills" maybe add that you are good at maintaining contact with clients by establishing a good, professional relationship with them over a longer period.
  • If relevant for the job, mention your Office skills. With this we mean how well you can work with Excel, Powerpoint or Word for example.
  • Definitely mention volunteer work if you have done it!
  • Add one or two hobbies to your resume. It seems irrelevant, but it gives a personal touch to your CV.

What should your CV look like lay-out wise?

  • Don’t make a CV longer than two pages. Again, keep it concise.
  • Choose a clear font that is easy to read. Make subheadings bold to make them more noticeable.
  • Use blank lines and bullet points to create a clear and neat CV.
  • Add a photo of yourself, but make sure this is a professional photo. After all, this is the first impression you give.

Additional tips:

  • Use spellcheck or let family/friends proofread your cv. Spelling or grammar mistakes will not look good on your CV.
  • Save and send your CV as a pdf file. In this way nothing can "jump" or get hussled when you send out your CV.
  • If you have an updated LinkedIn profile, add a link (if sending your CV out virtually) or a reference to it.
  • If you have difficulty with putting together a CV, you can always use our CV template. Just send us an email inquiry about it!

Do you want some more CV tips about in which language to write your CV or what email or phone number to use? Check out our video below!

Related news