How recruiters in the Netherlands scan your CV
For international students, recruiters prioritize clarity, relevance, and evidence. They want to see role fit quickly, not long personal storytelling.
Your first half page should already show target role, strongest achievements, and relevant skills.
If your CV is too generic, callback rates usually drop even when your experience is solid.
Recommended CV layout and section order
Use this order: contact details, summary, work experience, education, skills, and optional certifications/languages.
One page is ideal for early-career candidates; two pages are acceptable for strong, role-relevant experience.
- Keep section headings clear and dates consistent.
- Place highest-impact bullets in your most recent role.
- Use clean typography and spacing for ATS and recruiter readability.
Write stronger summary and achievement bullets
Student CVs should prioritize execution proof over long academic descriptions. Recruiters want to see responsibility and learning speed.
Map university projects and internships to real business outcomes where possible.
- Translate coursework into practical skills only when directly relevant to the job.
- Use part-time work to prove reliability, teamwork, and customer-facing discipline.
- Highlight tools and methods you can demonstrate in interview tasks.
Example bullet structure
- Action: what you changed or built.
- Scope: team, process, customers, or budget affected.
- Outcome: measurable result or visible quality improvement.
Keyword and ATS strategy
Mirror the vacancy language in your summary, experience, and skills. This improves ATS pass-through and human scan relevance.
Do not keyword-stuff. Use each keyword where it naturally describes your actual experience.
- Useful keyword examples: role fit, measurable outcomes, ATS-friendly format, clear summary, vacancy alignment.
- Use exact job-title wording when it matches your role.
- Export as PDF and avoid complex design elements in core text sections.
Final pre-apply quality check
Before submitting, verify that your CV is tailored to this specific vacancy, not a generic copy.
Small edits in title wording, top bullets, and keywords can materially improve interview conversion.
- Add graduation date and availability clearly in the header section.
- Keep one strong page; avoid overloading with unrelated academic detail.
- Use vacancy-specific terminology in top skills and recent project bullets.
Quick checklist
- ✓Summary is concise and role-specific.
- ✓Experience bullets show actions and outcomes.
- ✓Section order follows Dutch recruiter expectations.
- ✓Keywords match the vacancy language.
- ✓Formatting is ATS-safe and easy to scan.
- ✓PDF export is clean and readable.
- ✓CV is adapted for this exact application.
FAQ
What should international students prioritize on a CV?+
Role-relevant projects, internships, and part-time work with concrete outcomes and responsibility signals.
Do Dutch recruiters expect one page for student CVs?+
Usually yes. One focused page with clear fit often performs better than a longer, generic profile.
Should I include GPA?+
Include it only if it is strong and relevant for the role or industry; otherwise prioritize practical evidence.
How can I compensate for limited work experience?+
Use high-quality project bullets, internship impact, and clear skill-to-role mapping per vacancy.
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