How to Attract Dutch Speakers: A Guide for Companies Using ELJ

Here at Europe Language Jobs, we know all too well how difficult it can be for companies to attract Dutch speakers to relocate abroad. In terms of willingness to relocate, the Dutch are some of the most reluctant – only 3% of those questioned by the ADP Workforce View (2023) were actively looking for a move abroad. With the extremely low unemployment rate and huge amount of opportunities available across the Netherlands, it is not hard to see why the Dutch are not so willing to take the plunge and find a job abroad - they have no need to when companies are actively searching for them in their own country.

Taking into account the number of opportunities in the Netherlands, it is important to consider what is important to Dutch speakers when they are looking to relocate.

What things are important to attract Dutch speakers?

Cost of Living

The cost of living in the Netherlands, especially in major cities is very high compared to the rest of Europe – this is a reason why salaries there tend to be higher. In comparison, the costs of living tend to be much cheaper across Europe, which is why sometimes salaries can be lower as a result. Including information surrounding this can help to better inform candidates about the country and the general costs of living, such as accommodation, food etc. Details like this are an important part of a person’s decision making when deciding on places to relocate to.

Location

Being able to work in a great location can be a deciding factor between Dutch speakers applying or just scrolling past a job offer. For example, including details about your location, such as sunny weather and great beaches can be very attractive for Dutch speakers – both things are not exactly common there. It is therefore essential to include them in the description and title of the offer.

Benefits

A good benefits package is very important when trying to attract those hard to find candidates. Including things like company discounts, holidays, team activities in your description are key in attracting more candidates.

Relocation support

Moving abroad to work can be extremely daunting for anyone, not only Dutch speakers. If you offer any kind of support in their relocation process, such as accommodation for example, it is vital to include this in your description as it will make your offer realty stand out. One of the biggest obstacles to attract Dutch speakers is that they are unwilling to relocate, but a good relocation package can help solve this problem.

Health Insurance

If your company offers health insurance as part of the offer then it is also essential to include this. In the Netherlands, paying for health insurance is compulsory, meaning that they have to pay this from their salary each month.

Dutch culture

Dutch habits

When attracting Dutch speakers it is important to take into account their job seeking habits. According to a study done on job seeking habits by Indeed, the Dutch are most active on weekdays at 1pm and in the evenings. Posting around these hours will make your offer appear higher in the jobs list at that time, giving you a much higher level of visibility.

Directness and company culture

For anyone who has been around Dutch speakers for any amount of time will know all about their directness. Their straightforwardness is one of the most common stereotypes about Dutch people - it is such an important part of their society that they even have a word for it: bespreekbaarheid. Dutch culture is egalitarian – so everyone is considered equal. The Dutch are generally very private, they prefer to keep their work and personal life separate. However a company’s atmosphere is an important factor - social activities like team building events and Friday afternoon drinks are very common, so including things like this in your offer can attract more applicants.

CV

Much like the people, a Dutch CV is clear and direct. It is written in chronological order with clear reference to their work experience and skills that fit the role. Details are usually included in this order:

1. Personal information.
2. Studies (subjects, but not grades).
3. Working experience (with exact dates).
4. Hobbies.

Dutch employers usually pay a lot of attention to an applicant’s hobbies, although these are normally related to the position in question.

Take advantage of our language settings

At Europe Language Jobs, language job offers are our main focus, making it essential to take advantage of our language settings.

For each offer you can set the level of language proficiency that you require, e.g. fluent German. If you choose to select them as mandatory, this means that only candidates with those language settings are able to apply. However, if you are looking for two different languages (for two of the same role) then it is advisable to not publish both as mandatory, and to publish two separate job offers instead – one for each language.

Consider visibility features

Sometimes even after taking into account the Dutch habits and culture it can still be hard to attract Dutch speakers.

One of the most effective ways to increase visibility within the ELJ site is via our highlighted features. We offer different levels of promotion depending on your requirements, with some options appearing within the top of the main jobs list, targeted jobs list, or both. Our Refresh option is another form of visibility – it automatically refreshes your offer back to the top of the list every seven days.

Options such as a Mailshot are also a great way of reaching specific candidates by language proficiency, specific skills, locations and more in our database.

Another feature is the Social Media Broadcast. This will mean that your offer is shared on ELJ’s social media platforms, which have a huge engagement with job seekers from across Europe. This is a great way of reaching more candidates, especially those outside of our site. In addition, we also offer a dedicated blog post – we can prepare an article on suggested themes with links to your website and offers.

Our CV search feature can also help to find those extra difficult candidates to search. This will enable you to search our database for CVs matching your preferences, such as languages and skills.

In Summary...

The multilingual recruitment process can be very challenging for many companies, especially when trying to attract Dutch speakers. Therefore it is essential to follow our advice and take into account the Dutch culture and habits when posting offers. Using visibility features on the ELJ website can give your offers huge visibility and help you boost your results.

Explore by tag

Companies

Recruitment world

For recruiters

Related offers

See all jobs