Dutch for a CV and Application (Cv en Sollicitatie) - The Application File, Wording and Deadlines

A Dutch application is shorter and more direct than what many newcomers expect, and the employer reads it for the facts rather than the flourishes. Two pages are normal, and nothing essential should be left out.

The good news is that the form is predictable. Once you know the words for the file, the covering letter and the references, you can build an application that a Dutch recruiter recognises at first glance.

The Words of the Application

Dutch term	English meaning
de sollicitatie	the application
de sollicitatiebrief	the covering letter
het cv	the CV
de vacature	the vacancy
de functie	the post, the role
de bijlagen	the attachments
de sollicitatietermijn	the application deadline
het motivatiegedeelte	the motivation section

The covering letter is written to one specific vacancy and must say why this company and this role, while the cv carries the facts. The attachments are sent as a set, usually as one PDF, in the order in which the vacancy asks for them.

The Structure of the CV

Dutch term	English meaning
de personalia	the personal details
het werkervaringsoverzicht	the career history
de opleiding	the education
de werkervaring	the work experience
de vaardigheden	the skills
de talen	the languages
het profiel	the personal profile
de datum en de ondertekening	the date and the signature

A Dutch cv is compact and reverse chronological, with the most recent position at the top and no unexplained gaps. A short profile at the top is expected, and it should describe what you do rather than what you would like to become.

Describing Your Experience

Dutch term	English meaning
de werkzaamheden	the duties
de aandachtsgebieden	the main areas
de verantwoordelijkheid	the responsibility
het projectwerk	the project work
de bijscholing	the further training
de certificaten	the certificates
de computervaardigheden	the computer skills
de rijbewijscategorie	the driving licence category

Dutch employers compare duties rather than job titles, because the same title means different things in different firms. Writing "goederenontvangst en controle van 40 leveringen per dag" tells a reader far more than "medewerker logistiek".

Diplomas, References and Equivalence

Dutch term	English meaning
de diploma's	the diplomas
het einddiploma	the final diploma
het getuigschrift	the certificate of employment
de erkenning	the recognition of a foreign qualification
de gelijkwaardigheid	the equivalence
de vertaling	the certified translation
de legalisatie	the legalisation
het samenwerkingsverband	the competent body

A foreign qualification often needs to be recognised before it counts, and the competent body issues the decision. Starting that process early is worthwhile, because it can take months and employers ask about it at interview.

Applying in Practice

Dutch term	English meaning
het cv uploaden	to upload the CV
het sollicitatieportaal	the application portal
de brief aanpassen	to adapt the covering letter
de referentie	the reference
de opvolging	the follow-up
de ontvangstbevestiging	the acknowledgement of receipt
het sollicitatiegesprek	the interview
de afwijzing	the rejection

Most large Dutch employers use a sollicitatieportaal, and the system filters on the fields it asks you to complete. Uploading a well formed PDF is not enough if the form fields are empty, so the two parts must agree with each other.

Common Dutch Phrases in Applications

Dutch term	English meaning
hierbij solliciteer ik naar	I hereby apply for
ik ben momenteel werkzaam als	I am currently employed as
mijn taken waren onder andere	my duties included
ik beschik over	I have at my disposal
ik breng het volgende mee	I bring the following
met vriendelijke groet	with kind regards
ik zie uw reactie graag tegemoet	I look forward to your reply
een uitnodiging stel ik op prijs	I would welcome an invitation

These formulations are conventional rather than creative, and that is their value: a Dutch reader sees a clear, correct letter and turns to the content. Attempting an unusual style costs attention that should go to your experience.

Deadlines and Follow-Up

Dutch term	English meaning
de termijn	the deadline
het halen van de deadline	meeting the deadline
de ontvangstbevestiging	the confirmation of receipt
de vraag om opheldering	the follow-up question
de behandeltermijn	the processing time
de wachtlijst	the waiting list
de afwijzing	the rejection
de onderbouwing	the reason given

A sollicitatietermijn is respected to the day, and an application that arrives late is usually discarded without being read. If no answer arrives after the stated behandeltermijn, a short and polite follow-up is acceptable and is not held against you.

What Dutch Employers Look For

Dutch term	English meaning
de betrouwbaarheid	the reliability
de nauwkeurigheid	the accuracy
het initiatief	the personal initiative
de samenwerking	the ability to work in a team
de stressbestendigheid	the resilience under pressure
de leergierigheid	the willingness to learn
de zelfstandigheid	the ability to work independently
de discretie	the discretion

A Dutch recruiter looks for reliability and independence, and asks directly whether you can work without supervision. A cv that shows what you achieved rather than what you were responsible for answers the main question before the interview even begins.

Nauwkeurigheid and zelfstandigheid are read from small signs: whether the letter names the right vacancy, whether the attachments are complete and whether the dates add up. A single careless error is taken as an indication of how the candidate would handle a customer file.

Initiatief is valued strongly in the Netherlands, and a candidate who says what they changed and what it produced is taken seriously. Dutch employers dislike waiting for instructions, so describing a problem you solved alone is the most persuasive thing you can say.

Discretie is expected and rarely mentioned, because a Dutch employer assumes that internal matters stay internal. Mentioning a former employer's internal figures in an application is one of the fastest ways to lose a candidature. If you want to write a Dutch application that reads correctly from the first line, learn Dutch with CV and covering letter language built into the course.

The bars show the order of the stages; each value is a sequence number rather than a duration.

Applying for Work in the Netherlands

The application is the first piece of Dutch most newcomers write under their own name, and it is worth doing carefully. A short, correct, well organised file removes every doubt about your seriousness and leaves the reader free to judge your experience.

The vocabulary is a fixed set of nouns that appear in every vacancy, so learning them once serves you for every application. If you want to learn Dutch for your career, the language of applications and interviews is the most valuable place to begin.

A Dutch application rewards brevity, clarity and deadlines met. Learn Dutch with CV, covering letter and interview language built into the course.

Put your Dutch to work. The LanguageSkills Dutch course is self-paced and built around real situations like these — you speak, and your AI tutor corrects you on the spot, from A1 to B2.

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