How recruiters in the Netherlands scan your CV
For professionals updating quickly, 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.
- Use a compact summary instead of a long "About" paragraph.
- Keep skills section focused on vacancy-relevant terms only.
- Retain LinkedIn URL in contact block, but keep CV self-sufficient without external clicks.
Write stronger summary and achievement bullets
LinkedIn often contains broad career narrative. A strong Dutch CV needs tighter selection and clearer prioritization.
Start by extracting only role-relevant achievements, then rewrite each into action + impact bullets.
- Convert long LinkedIn role descriptions into 3-5 concise outcome bullets.
- Move endorsements and recommendations into proof points, not separate sections.
- Prioritize most relevant roles for the target vacancy, even if older roles were more senior.
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.
- Role fit is obvious in first two lines.
- Each recent role includes outcome-focused bullets.
- Language, terminology, and file naming are fully professional.
Quick checklist
- ✓LinkedIn narrative is condensed into recruiter-friendly CV structure.
- ✓Top achievements are rewritten into measurable bullets.
- ✓CV title and summary match target vacancy.
- ✓Skills list is trimmed to relevant ATS terms.
- ✓Irrelevant sections from LinkedIn are removed.
- ✓LinkedIn URL is included but not required to understand your fit.
- ✓Final CV is tailored for one concrete role.
FAQ
Can I just export LinkedIn as PDF and apply?+
You can, but conversion usually improves when you rewrite for Dutch CV structure and vacancy-specific priorities.
What should I remove from LinkedIn when converting?+
Remove low-relevance details, long narrative text, and non-essential sections that do not support the target role.
Should I keep all roles from LinkedIn?+
Not always. Keep roles that strengthen current fit and summarize older or less relevant roles compactly.
Does adding LinkedIn URL still help?+
Yes, as supporting context. But your CV should already prove fit without requiring profile clicks.
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