In the Netherlands the document that goes with a CV is called a motivatiebrief, a motivation letter, and the name says what it is for. It is not a summary of the CV and not a formal cover note. It answers one question the CV cannot: why this person wants this job at this company, and what makes them think they would do it well. English-language employers in the Netherlands use “cover letter” and “motivation letter” interchangeably; the expectation is the same.
When it is needed
Many application forms mark the letter as optional, and some recruiters say they do not read them. Both are true, and the letter is still worth writing in three situations: when the form asks for one; when something about your application needs a sentence of explanation, such as a career change, a relocation, a gap or a permit; and when the role is one where motivation is part of the job, which covers most roles in education, care, non-profits, government and anything client-facing. For a highly technical vacancy at a company that screens on skills, a short letter does no harm and takes ten minutes with the right material.
Length and shape
One page, and well under it. Four short paragraphs, roughly 180 to 250 words in total, is the length CareerCraft uses for its own letters, and it is the length a recruiter will actually read on a phone between two meetings. Longer letters are not read more carefully; they are skimmed.
- Opening: the job and the fit, in two sentences. Name the role and say in concrete terms why you are a match for it. Not “I am writing to express my interest in the position of”; the recruiter knows what you are writing for.
- Evidence: two or three things you have done that answer what the job description asks for. Each one specific, with a setting, an action and a result. This is the body of the letter and the only part that is really about you.
- Why them. One paragraph on why this company or this team, based on something real: their product, a project they published, the market they work in, the way the job description describes the work. Not their “values” copied from the careers page.
- Close. Availability, location, permit status if it needs saying, and a plain sentence that you would like to talk.
Tone: direct, plain, specific
Dutch professional culture prizes directness and is suspicious of flattery. A letter that opens with how impressive the company is reads as empty; a letter that says in the first line what you would bring reads as confident. Write short sentences. Use the first person. Say “I coordinated eight projects”, not “I was responsible for the coordination of a portfolio of projects”. Avoid superlatives (“passionate”, “exceptional”, “dynamic”) and let the facts carry the claim. The tone to aim for is the tone of a competent colleague explaining why they are the right person to hand a piece of work to.
Modesty is read well, overselling is not. A Dutch reader will accept “I have not worked with Salesforce, but I moved from HubSpot to Pipedrive in a month at my current employer” and will distrust “fast learner with expert-level CRM skills”.
Greeting and sign-off
If the job description names a person, write to them: “Dear Sanne de Vries,” with first name and surname, since the Dutch rarely use Mr or Ms in English and you cannot always tell gender from a Dutch name. If no name is given, “Dear Hiring Team,” is the standard, and better than “To whom it may concern”, which sounds like a legal letter. Close with “Kind regards,” or “Best regards,” and your full name. No need for your address at the top; your contact details are on the CV.
Things that belong in the letter and nowhere else
- A relocation. “I am moving to Amsterdam in September, independently of this application” removes the recruiter’s biggest doubt about a foreign address.
- A permit. “I hold a highly skilled migrant permit and can change employer without a new application” or “I would need sponsorship; I understand you are a recognised sponsor”. One sentence, factual.
- A career change. The CV shows the change; the letter explains it in two sentences, in terms of what carries over.
- Dutch. If the job description says Dutch is preferred and you are learning it, say the level and that you are continuing. If the job description says nothing about languages, say nothing.
What to leave out
Repeating the CV paragraph by paragraph. Salary, unless the form asks. Anything you cannot back up in an interview. Compliments to the company that could be pasted into any letter. Quotes, jokes, and the word “passionate”. A line saying you will call to follow up: in the Netherlands the employer calls you.
A worked opening
For a project coordinator role in logistics, an opening that follows the rules above:
The Project Coordinator role at Northwind Logistics asks for someone who keeps five to eight improvement projects current and reports to the operations director every week. That is the work I do at Contoso Retail Benelux, where I have coordinated eight projects from scope to reporting since 2022.
Two sentences: the first restates what the job description asks for, the second says the applicant already does it, with a number and a date. The next two paragraphs give the evidence; the last one closes. Nothing in it could be sent to another company.
CareerCraft writes letters in this shape from your own documents, for the job you pick, and audits every sentence against your sources before you see it. The CV guide covers the document it travels with.