We are operating in a global jobs market, where aspiring international workers move from country to country, for a variety of reasons, such as: career development, better pay, to broaden their horizons or simply to find a job. The Netherlands has become a very attractive destination for overseas candidates for two main reasons; the first is that is ranked as one of the top 20 most liveable cities in the world, and the second reason is that it is currently enjoying some of the lowest levels of unemployment in the euro-zone.
So, what is the most effective channel for landing a job in the Netherlands? Well, a recent global survey by ICIMS of over 1,200 companies world-wide revealed that one of the main ways that people get jobs in today's market is via a recruitment agency. Yes, nearly 21% of roles are filled by recruitment agencies and they are second only to jobs boards in terms of their influence. This figure is likely to be higher for international roles as many companies recognize the difficulties of sourcing international applicants and choose to rely on headhunters to help them do this.
The message is clear, therefore; if you are an international candidate looking to get a job in the Netherlands the best way to do this is to enroll with a headhunter in the Netherlands. There are three main ways to do this.
Go to an international job board in the Netherlands
The first way is too simply search on any international jobs board relating to the Netherlands and you will find that many of the job postings are being handled by headhunters in the Netherlands on behalf of a Dutch Employer. Applying for these jobs is a great way of making first contact with a headhunter in the Netherlands in order to land a job.
Even if you don't find a suitable job in the jobs board, it is very likely that you will come across a number of headhunters that are Netherlands based and who recruit international candidates. This is your target market and you should make a list of these agencies and contact them and provide a copy of your CV and a letter of introduction explaining your international career aims within the Netherlands.
Google search
The third way to find a headhunter in the Netherlands is to do a simple google search using the search phrase, headhunters Netherlands', and you will find a list of pages providing details of Netherlands based agencies, for example: www.togetherabroad.nl provides a overview and list of headhunters in the Netherlands who specialize in sourcing international applicants.
Selecting your headhunter in the Netherlands
Having found your list o fheadhunters in the Netherlands how do you select the one which is right for you. We will write about how to choose a headhunter in the Netherlands in a later article as it is a broad subject which deserves discussion all of its own.
But, for now our recommendation for choosing a headhunter in the Netherlands (as an expat), is to choose one which has a clear focus/strategy for hiring international applicants. Usually, they will state quite clearly on their website that they are an international/multilingual recruiter. It is important that as an international applicant that you initially focus your efforts on headhunters in the Netherlands that are geared towards hiring international recruits, that is if you want to maximize your return on your investment.
Good luck with your job search in the Netherlands.
We have a overview from headhunters in the Netherlands on our Career Portalwww.togetherabroad.nl
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