How recruiters in the Netherlands scan your CV
For candidates in ATS-heavy sectors, 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
Avoid generic claims like "hard-working team player." Replace them with action and outcome statements.
For experienced candidates, focus on business outcomes, process improvements, and ownership scope.
- Mapped vacancy terms into summary and recent experience bullets without keyword stuffing.
- Rewrote generic lines into outcome-driven statements using role-specific terminology.
- Aligned title, skills, and achievements to ATS filter language used in the job post.
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
ATS optimization is not about repeating the same words. It is about semantic match between vacancy requirements and your real experience.
Use exact terms for critical skills and role names, then support them with evidence in your bullets.
- Prioritize keywords from "must-have" requirements first, then "nice-to-have".
- Repeat high-priority terms naturally across summary, skills, and top two recent roles.
- Avoid tables, text-heavy graphics, and unusual symbols that can break ATS parsing.
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.
- Run a final vacancy-to-CV comparison and close wording gaps before each application.
- Keep one base CV, but always create a role-specific variant for high-value applications.
- If interview rate is low, audit title wording and top-five keywords first.
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
How many keywords should I include?+
Focus on the 10-15 highest-intent terms from the vacancy and place them where they naturally fit your actual experience.
Can ATS reject a well-designed CV?+
Yes. If layout or wording is hard to parse, ATS match can drop even when your experience is relevant.
Should I use exact job title wording?+
Usually yes, as long as it truthfully reflects your role or scope. It improves matching in both ATS and recruiter scans.
What is the fastest ATS fix?+
Rewrite summary and top experience bullets with vacancy language and measurable outcomes.
Related Resources
Dutch CV for expats
Core structure and positioning principles for international candidates.
Translate resume to Dutch format
Convert US/UK resume style into Dutch recruiter-friendly presentation.
CV format Netherlands (English)
Section order and writing style that matches Dutch recruiter scanning behavior.
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