It is important to first look at the job market in the Netherlands today. The demand for staff has increased by 18% in the second quarter as compared to the first quarter with Noord Holland containing the highest amount of increased provinces. Of the job vacancies listed online, most are offered by temporary employment offices or recruitment agencies. It is very common for Dutch companies to go through recruiting agencies when looking for employees; and as expats looking for employment, it makes our lives easier as well.
As of now, less than three quarters of recruiters are looking for young professionals or candidates with 0-3 years out of college. This is where we run into the continuous catch-22 of how to get hired if you have no experience and how to get experience if you cannot get hired. Another potential roadblock is that several job offerings require you to speak Dutch. This of course makes sense for sales reps or marketers. While almost all of the Netherlands speaks English as well as Dutch, it is still preferable to speak in the native language. Another interesting observation I have had is the importance of extracurricular entries listed on a C.V. I found this very strange coming from a country that prefers minimal detail on a C.V. from future candidates. The idea is to put extracurricular activities that show you can work within a team, as the Dutch value a team player, sometimes even over a valuable skill. I found myself in a complicated situation at seeing this, as my hobbies are pretty singular but I still consider myself a good team player and have had experience working with several teams through different jobs.
The question is: how realistic are recruiters demands for candidates in today's job market? I would call this one a draw. While expectations are somewhat unusual, I do not think they are unreasonable. I do believe that the age of employees being hired is a little inconvenient for those looking for full-time work. Living on an internship salary (if you are lucky enough to get a salary at all) for a year or two does not seem feasible. I also believe that requirements such asknowledge of the Dutch language are understandable. We are lucky as expats to live in a city with so many English speakers. In any other country, we might not think too much about being required to speak the language. In conclusion, I do consider it to be a pretty fair trade on what is demanded from recruiters,since candidates do hold some of the cards too.
Ashley Herbert