If you’ve submitted a CV and cover letter and been invited to an interview, you should feel proud of yourself! But, as the old saying goes: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Both good preparation before and confidence during an interview are essential for success. This page offers some tips on attending job interviews in the Netherlands, and looks at some standard questions you can expect to be asked, with some suggestions for how to answer them.
Job interviews in the Netherlands
There is a lot you can do to prepare for your job interview in the Netherlands ahead of time. While interviews may vary significantly depending not only on the position and industry but also on your profile as well as the interviewer’s experience and judgment, standard patterns do exist.
Interviews in the Netherlands are generally relatively formal - although of course this depends on the company you are applying to. In any case, you should dress professionally, arrive punctually, and bring a copy of your CV and other relevant documents with you to the interview. Shake hands with the interviewer at the beginning and try to maintain a good amount of eye contact with them throughout.
How to prepare for a job interview
To prepare for your job interview, you should not only brush up on what you wrote in your CV and cover letter, but also do some background research on your interviewers, the company and the industry. It’s a good idea to also re-read the job description to remind yourself of exactly what the employer is looking for.
On top of this, it’s worth preparing some answers to some standard interview questions. You don’t need to memorise your responses, but having thought about it in advance and prepared some examples will help you feel more confident and relaxed on the day.
If Dutch isn’t your native language, it’s also a good idea to brush up on some useful words and phrases (some Dutch language schools actually offer courses on preparing for job interviews). Even if you will be working in English, some socialising at your office may be done in Dutch.
Interview guide for the Netherlands
Here, you can find a brief overview of some different interview questions and some suggestions on how to answer them - although, of course, you should modify the answers to suit the role and your own personal position.
Job interview questions: About you
It should go without saying, but you should prepare some answers to questions asking you to introduce yourself and your work history:
Tell me about yourself
A typical but tricky opening question. It is important to draw the interest of the interviewer from the very first moment, so keep it short and to the point (less than five minutes). Elaborate on your qualifications, career history and skills but avoid going into too much detail. If you lack any (significant) prior work experience you can always focus more on your studies and correlate them with the specific entry position.
What have your achievements been to date?
In your reply to this question, you should focus on position-related and (fairly) recent achievements, and illustrate their impact on the company. e.g. "I managed to decrease stock levels and thus, reduced warehousing costs by 30%."
What are your strengths?
Surprisingly, most candidates believe that this is one of the most difficult questions. All you really need to do is name some of your core attributes, backed up by examples, and match them up to the skills required for the job.
What are your greatest weaknesses?
Be ready to mention (some of) your weak points. Admitting lack of experience is always an option but stressing your weaknesses along with actions you are undertaking to improve them is much better.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Your answer should include both short and long term goals. Describe the position that you would eventually like to work in and give a brief overview of how you plan on getting there. Keywords such as "ambition" and "determination" should be mentioned but not repeatedly.
Are you happy with your career to date?
A straightforward answer justifying your up-to-date choices should be enough. Do not forget to mention the word "happy" and elaborate on your future career goals and personal achievements.
Interview questions about the job and your work experience
You should also prepare some answers to questions about the job you have applied for, your current role, and your work experience:
Why did you apply for this particular job?
This is the point that you need to convince the interviewer that this role complements your personal characteristics and career prospects. A thorough preparation before the interview should reveal which attributes of the role / company interest you the most.
Why are you the best person for the job?
The interviewer wants to know what makes you stand out from the other candidates. Prepare a response that focuses on your USP and justifies it with examples. Be sure to match this against the requirements listed in the job description.
What is the most difficult situation you faced and how did you tackle it?
The interviewer is trying to identify what you perceive as "difficult" and allow you to demonstrate your problem-solving capabilities. Describe a difficult situation and make sure your answer clearly states: problem definition, possible solutions, justification of your choice and of course, the outcome. A "what-I-learned-from-that-experience" speech would be ideal to conclude your answer.
What level of salary are you seeking?
The interviewer assumes that you are aware of the labour conditions as well as the salary for similar positions. Try not to specify your desired wage level even if there is a salary indication in the job description. In general, employers accept the fact that many candidates are not willing to discuss it during the initial stages.
Questions about the company
Most job interviews in the Netherlands will also include a section about the company. The hiring manager will want to know that you are genuinely interested in working for the company.
What do you know about the company?
With this question, you can demonstrate that you’ve done your homework. Don’t tell the interviewer basic stuff they already know, but instead prepare some key talking points, for instance major company milestones or impending developments. Conclude by outlining how the company’s mission or brand aligns with your own interests.
What can you offer this organisation?
Every employer is looking for an employee to add value, so pay extra attention and of course, time. Usually, job descriptions include the required characteristics, so isolate all keywords and practice your answer beforehand.
Interview questions about your previous job
You will almost certainly be asked questions about your current or previous job(s) during your interview:
Why do you want to leave your current role?
The answer is simple: you need to make a change in your career. Prepare a simple answer that’s factually correct but positive. Avoid making negative statements about your current employer, and instead focus on your future career steps.
What do you like about your present job?
Emphasise your role and describe the aspects of your present job that are most appealing - bonus points if these match onto responsibilities that you will have in the new job - but do not overdo it; you are about to leave.
What do you dislike about your present job?
Again, it’s best to be honest in this answer, but not brutally so. Talk about a general feeling that you have about your current company (location, industry or similar) to keep the discussion on a factual level.
Questions you should ask at a job interview in the Netherlands
Again, it should go without saying, but you should always prepare some questions to ask the interviewer at the end of your interview. Even if your questions have all already been answered, it’s worth coming up with just a couple, to make yourself seem interested and engaged.
You could touch on details like the employment contract and expected working hours, but don’t dwell too much on pay, bonuses and holiday leave. Instead you could ask:
- Why has the position become available?
- What are the main objectives and responsibilities of the position?
- What are your measurement criteria for employee performance?
- How does your company invest in the development of its employees?
- How many colleagues will I work with?
- How would you describe the company culture and management style?
- How do you (as a company) build good relationships within teams?
- Are there any plans for expansion?
Other common questions during interviews in the Netherlands
- Why did you choose this industry?
- What is more important to you: the salary level or the type of your job?
- Why would you characterise yourself as a leader?
- What kind of pressures have you encountered at work?
- Do you work effectively under pressure?
- What kind of people do you like working with?
- What kind of people do you find it difficult to work with?
- Has your work been criticised in the past? Give an example.
- Describe a situation where you felt cross at work. What was your reaction?
- Give me examples of dealing with conflicts at work.
- Tell me about the last time you disagreed with your manager.
- Describe your ideal manager.
- What kind of communication do you want to have with your manager?
- Do you prefer working alone or in a group?
- At the moment you are occupied in a very different organisation. How do you think you will fit in?
- What are you looking for in an international company?
- How do you measure your performance?
- Are you a self-starter?
- Tell me about changes in the workplace that caused you difficulty. Why?
- How do you feel about working extra hours and/or weekends?
- Tell me about targets that you failed to achieve.
- What have you learned from your mistakes?