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Application

It is important to submit a resume in tabular form, stating your previous employments and previous employers. This also encloses your skilled worker certificate, training courses relevant to your profession and any other relevant certificates. A picture and school report cards are optional, but not a must.

Please send your documents with regular mail, fax or email, whatever is convenient for you.
If you're not sure, please talk to us and we will clarify.

Working as a skilled worker in Holland

Due to their education and specialized knowledge, skilled workers are highly valued in Holland. Collegian cooperation is a matter of course, with the implementation of mutual respect. For many years now, Europeans of other nations work in the Netherlands, which contributed to a growing familiarity to one another. Nonetheless, differences in mentality and culture still exist, and the knowledge of such simplifies a working assignment in Holland.

The pace of work in the Netherlands may be slower than you might have experienced in other countries. Simply adapt to the working speed of your dutch colleagues. It is counterproductive wanting to prove how fast one can work. Performance and quality of course, are a requirement. This is, where you will earn recognition and appreciation. 

At the construction sites, personal interaction takes place on a first name basis. This is, on one hand, due to the dutch relaxed attitude and on the other, because the dutch "Je" is comparable with the English "you" A hierarchy is hardly distinguishable, interns are treated equally and no one is playing boss.

At your work station

Safety regulations are at the highest standards in regards to the construction sites and the supplied equipment You will be thoroughly and in depth instructed, verbally and in writing, in English and German. All you bring in is your wholeheartedness and you may ask any question you need answered. 

Usually, a valid VCA-/SCC certificate is required, also for areas, that are considered self-evident in other countries. Be prepared to eventually pass an examination in your field of expertise. But have no fear, this exam is easy to pass and will be held in German or English. Any occurring expenses will be covered by your employer. And you can keep the certificate for your future professional activities.  

Requirements

Your profession specific schoolings and experiences are sufficient. Techniques and materials as you know them are always the same, even if they are sometimes named differently. A slight variation in approaches and procedures may occur. Surely nothing severe and you should be open for new experiences and apply these as well. 

Language

At your workplace and with your employer, you can always communicate in German or English, your dutch colleagues are used to that. It is easy to learn dutch, because it does not differ that much from the German language. As it is in every country, it is much appreciated to conduct greetings and for example "thank you" and "please" in the national language. It is not mandatory, but for courtesy reasons greatly appreciated.  

Interaction with your colleagues

In general, all colleagues are addressed informally. It is incomprehensible for a dutch person, that Germans for instance, who share the same office for 30 years still address each other with "Mr. Schmidt" or "Mrs Meier".  

Of course, addressing each other informally is always subject to the branch of work, the work environment and last but not least the age of a person. However, the dutch "je" or "jij" (phonetically "jäi") is not the same as the German "du" (informal you) It can be more so compared with the general English "you". This means also, if you address someone in the Netherlands informally, it does not automatically mean that you are friends or as an expression of particular sympathy. This is just the usual form of addressing a person.

In a daily interaction however, many dutch people do not understand that the formal German "Sie" is not meant to be reserved or even rejective but is more an expression of respect for the other person. Sometimes it is interpreted as being "stiff" or "stern" and as a sign of a distinct awareness of hierarchy.

Mentality

Dutch people are usually easy going and straightforward, which of course does not mean that everything is allowed. Please be mindful of so called "unwritten rules". With that in mind, an employee may address his employer informally, but should not storm the office for every triviality or make loose remarks about the employers private life. Also, the degree of workers participation is in the end the employer´s decision. Some people misinterpret the dutch "laid back nature" because boundaries are hard to distinguish. Always be mindful of mutual respect, and working together will be easy.  

Treating seniors and superiors

A German superior will expressively underline how important a job or an order is and that its fulfillment has to take place immediately. In the Netherlands you will often hear friendly request or plea. "It would be nice, it would be perfect if you/ if we could do this ...." is how an inquiry for an order/a job could be formulated. The decision however is not up to you, it has been relayed to you. If anything regarding the job is unclear, you directly pose any questions. This guarantees job satisfaction on both sides.    

You will immediately appreciate the personal contact and the handling approach. Everybody talks with everyone, regardless of existing hierarchies. If you are in a leading position, this general and overall collegiality is of course expected from you as well. A supervisor is a colleague, who is just responsible for other  areas. Showing off as the boss is frowned upon.

 

 

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