A Dutch job application often pairs a CV with a separate motivation letter, commonly called a motivatiebrief, because the two documents are generally expected to do different jobs: the CV lays out the factual record of education and work history, while the motivation letter explains why this specific role and this specific employer are the right fit, in the candidate's own words rather than as a list of facts. This pairing is a common convention rather than a fixed rule everywhere, and it varies by employer, industry and how international the company is, so it is worth treating as a strong default rather than an absolute requirement for every single application.
What a motivation letter commonly adds beyond the CV
A CV is built to be scanned quickly: dates, titles, bullet points, structured for a reader moving fast through a stack of applications. A motivation letter is built to be read as a short piece of writing, generally covering why the role caught the candidate's interest, what specifically draws them to the employer rather than to the role in general, and how their background connects to what the position actually needs. Dutch hiring practice commonly treats this explanatory piece as genuinely separate from the CV rather than optional decoration, on the reasoning that a CV alone rarely tells a reader whether a candidate has actually thought about why this particular job, among the many they could apply to, makes sense for them.
How Dutch employers often read the two documents together
Many Dutch employers report reading the motivation letter first, since it is shorter and gives an immediate sense of the candidate's interest and fit, before turning to the CV for the factual detail that backs up what the letter claims. This ordering is common rather than universal, and some employers or recruiters work the other way round, but it is worth writing the motivation letter as though it may well be the first thing read, rather than assuming the CV always gets first attention. A motivation letter that repeats the CV's own bullet points in paragraph form, without adding the reasoning behind them, tends to undercut its own purpose, since it gives a reader nothing beyond what the CV already states more efficiently on its own.
When the pairing matters most
The expectation for a paired motivation letter is generally strongest at Dutch employers advertising directly to the Dutch market, and somewhat looser at international or startup-style employers operating in the Netherlands, some of which follow a more CV-only or English-language international norm instead. A job posting that explicitly asks for a motivation letter settles the question outright; where a posting is silent on the point, including a short one is commonly the safer default for an application to a Dutch employer, since a motivation letter genuinely written for the role rarely counts against a candidate even where it turns out not to be strictly required.
Illustrative example: a short motivation letter outline alongside a CV
Illustrative example, not a real applicant. A candidate applying to a Dutch employer sends a CV listing five years of relevant experience, structured in the usual reverse-chronological order, alongside a short motivation letter that opens with what specifically drew them to this employer, connects one or two concrete pieces of their own background to what the role needs, and closes with a brief, direct statement of interest in moving forward. The CV carries the facts; the letter carries the reasoning connecting those facts to this particular opportunity, and neither document tries to do the other's job.
A brief note on length and tone
A Dutch motivation letter is commonly kept short, often around half a page to a full page rather than a longer essay, since a letter that runs long risks losing the reader before it reaches the actual point of connection between the candidate and the role. Directness is generally valued over a more elaborate or flowery style: stating plainly why the role fits and what the candidate brings to it tends to read better to a Dutch reader than a longer build-up before getting to the point. Where a candidate is unsure whether the employer expects Dutch or English, checking the job posting's own language is usually the most reliable signal, since it commonly matches what the employer expects the application itself to be written in.
What commonly stays the same as elsewhere
Several fundamentals hold regardless of whether a motivation letter is expected: the CV itself still reads best in reverse-chronological order, tailored to the specific posting rather than sent unchanged to every employer, and kept to a length that a reader can actually get through quickly. The presence of a paired motivation letter changes what the letter itself needs to do, not the underlying standards the CV is held to on its own.
Build yours
The cover letter guide covers how to structure a letter of this kind and how to open it without wasting the first line, which applies just as well to a Dutch-market motivation letter as to a cover letter written for any other market. Browse CVBuilderKit's templates for a CV layout that reads cleanly for a Dutch employer, and start building both documents from the same underlying content.