› A complete CV must include:
- Personal information
Name, nationality, place and date of birth,
marital status, contact details and military
obligations.

- Educational background
Universities, date attended, majors, classes,
thesis, grades, academic projects and
references.

- Prior work experience
Company, position, employment period, main
tasks and references.

- Other skills & experience
Language and computer skills, distinctions,
training, military service (if applicable and not
mentioned before), sports, seminars and
interests/hobbies.

› Apparently, listing all projects, courses, training
etc may not be practical or even useful. Be sure
to mention only the most relevant ones.

› A Curriculum Vitae is written in reverse factual
chronological order.

› Between professional and educational
experience, you should mention first the one that
describes the most recent status. For instance,
if you just graduated, it is advisable to mention
your studies before your work experience if any.

› Recruiters scan numerous CVs for the same
position, so an appealing CV must not exceed
two pages. In fact, a single-page CV should do
the trick.

› Write an appealing CV. Pay extra attention
when choosing letter fonts and avoid dense
writing.

› Use bullets instead of long paragraphs.

› Dutch recruiters highly value extracurricular
and leisure activities. Nevertheless, include only
those that are relevant to the job (e.g. being
good in team sports indicates team spirit).

› In the Netherlands, it is not necessary to
include copies of diplomas, employer references
or other official documents in your CV. You will
be asked to supply the employers with these
papers at a later stage of the interview process.

› If you have little or no full-time work
experience, then you need to emphasize on
academic projects you participated in and
important courses you took. Part-time
occupation, summer jobs and voluntarism is a
good way to demonstrate capabilities and
accomplishments.

› In general, it is advisable to adjust your CV for
different job applications. Try to make its content
as relevant to the job description as possible.

› Most online recruitment agencies ask for a
word file of your curriculum vitae, but a pdf
version is always more eye-catching.

› A CV only mirrors facts and figures. Your
motivation for the role, aspirations, suitability for
the job and qualifications should be reflected in
your cover letter.

› If applicable, mention your military service and
describe your main duties as well as the ranking
you had. Military experience can trigger
discussions about your personality and pressure
handling.

› Last but not least, beware of any linguistic
errors!

Follow the links below to find numerous CV
templates and more.

› CVtips
› Europass
› Monster