Dutch for the Job Interview (Sollicitatiegesprek) - Questions, Answers and Follow-Up

The Dutch interview is informal in tone and precise in content. The conversation feels like a discussion between equals, but every claim is still tested and a vague answer is still noticed.

That directness is an advantage. If you prepare the standard questions and the words for your own experience, you can walk into the room knowing what will be asked and what a good answer contains.

The Shape of the Interview

Dutch term	English meaning
het sollicitatiegesprek	the job interview
de begroeting	the greeting
de kennismaking	the introduction
het gespreksverloop	the course of the conversation
de vraag	the question
de doorvraag	the clarifying question
de bedenktijd	the time to think
de afronding	the closing of the meeting

A Dutch interview opens with a handshake or a casual greeting, and it closes with a clear statement of what happens next. Taking a moment to think before answering is normal, and a short honest "dat weet ik niet" is respected more than invention.

The Standard Questions

Dutch term	English meaning
Vertel eens iets over uzelf	Tell me about yourself
Waarom heeft u gesolliciteerd	Why did you apply
Wat zijn uw sterke punten	What are your strengths
Wat is uw zwakke punt	What is your weakness
Waarom wilt u weg bij uw huidige werk	Why do you want to leave
Wat weet u van ons bedrijf	What do you know about us
Hoe ziet u deze functie	How do you picture the role
Wat verwacht u qua salaris	What salary do you expect

The expected answers are concrete and short: one example per claim, one number where possible. "Ik ben betrouwbaar" means little without "in mijn vorige baan heb ik drie jaar de vroege dienst zonder verzuim gedraaid".

Talking About Your Experience

Dutch term	English meaning
de vorige functie	the previous role
de verantwoordelijkheid	the responsibility
het praktijkvoorbeeld	the practical example
de oplossing	the solution
het resultaat	the result
de samenwerking in het team	the cooperation in the team
de conflictsituatie	the conflict situation
de bijscholing	the further training

Dutch interviewers often work through the cv line by line, so you must be able to explain any gap or change plainly. A short, honest reason for leaving is respected far more than a vague one.

Questions You Should Ask

Dutch term	English meaning
de werktijden	the working hours
de inwerkperiode	the induction period
de teamgrootte	the team size
de proeftijd	the probation period
de opleidingsmogelijkheid	the training opportunity
de doorgroeimogelijkheid	the chance of progression
de vakantiedagen	the holiday entitlement
de startdatum	the start date

Asking two or three prepared questions signals genuine interest, and asking none can be read as indifference. The inwerkperiode and the proeftijd are the safest and most useful topics, because they show that you intend to stay.

Money, Notice and Availability

Dutch term	English meaning
het salaris	the salary
de salarisindicatie	the salary indication
het brutoloon per jaar	the gross annual salary
de opzegtermijn	the notice period
de beschikbaarheid	the availability
de vroegste startdatum	the earliest possible start
de referenties	the references
de documenten	the documents

A Dutch employer expects an indication, so it is worth researching the range for the role and the region before the interview. Naming a range is normal in the Netherlands, and it can be narrowed once the duties are clear.

Follow-Up and Second Rounds

Dutch term	English meaning
de tweede ronde	the second round
de proefopdracht	the test task
de kennismaking met het team	the introduction to the team
het aanbod	the offer
de afwijzing	the rejection
de bedenktijd	the period to consider the offer
het antwoord	the written reply
de bevestiging	the confirmation

Dutch firms often run a second round with the team and a short practical case, and the tone becomes more relaxed. A short email confirming that you remain interested is normal in the Netherlands, and it is appreciated rather than considered pushy.

Cultural Expectations in a Dutch Interview

Dutch term	English meaning
de punctualiteit	the punctuality
de handdruk	the handshake
de vriendelijkheid	the friendliness
het je	the informal form of address
de openheid	the openness
de zakelijkheid	the factual tone
de zelfverzekerdheid	the confidence
de vakkennis	the professional knowledge

Punctuality in the Netherlands means arriving a few minutes early and waiting outside rather than at reception, and a late arrival is remembered. A firm handshake, eye contact and a clear greeting open the meeting, and the exchange stays friendly and fairly informal throughout.

Dutch candidates are expected to speak positively about themselves, and understating your contribution is read as a lack of confidence rather than as modesty. Describing a result with a number, then saying plainly what you contributed, is the accepted style.

Zakelijkheid is the tone: opinions are welcome when they are supported, and the interviewer will interrupt with a direct question. Expect a question about your weak point, and expect to give a real answer rather than a disguised strength.

Practising for the Interview

Dutch term	English meaning
de voorbereiding	the preparation
de zelfpresentatie	the self-presentation
het voorbeeldantwoord	the example answer
de oefening	the rehearsal
het rollenspel	the role play
de aantekeningen	the notes
de vragen aan het bedrijf	the questions for the company
de samenvatting	the summary

Preparation for a Dutch interview is written rather than rehearsed aloud: the cv, the vacancy and a page of your own examples. For each claim you make, one situation, one action and one result are enough.

A short self-presentation of ninety seconds is worth preparing word for word, because it is the question you will certainly be asked. Practising with a partner who interrupts and asks follow-up questions is the closest thing to the real conversation.

Notes on the company belong on a single sheet, and using them openly is expected rather than merely tolerated. Knowing the number of employees, the location and the last annual result shows seriousness far more than repeating the company slogan.

After the interview, an email summarising what was agreed and when is normal in the Netherlands and is well received. It turns a pleasant conversation into a concrete record of the next step. If you want to answer the standard Dutch interview questions with confidence, learn Dutch with interview and salary language built into the course.

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

Interviewing in the Netherlands

The Dutch interview is a low-uncertainty event for a prepared candidate, because the format changes very little from firm to firm. What changes is the depth of your examples, and that is what practice improves.

The questions are the same words in almost every interview, so the vocabulary can be learned once and used for years. If you want to learn Dutch for your career, interview language is the highest-return set of phrases you can own.

Dutch interviews reward directness, prepared examples and a clear salary indication. Learn Dutch with interview, salary and follow-up 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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