I moved to the Netherlands not knowing a single person, not knowing the rules, and not knowing if it would work. I figured it out the hard way — every rejection, every closed door, every awkward interview in a culture I was still learning to read.

Then something shifted. A decade ago I became the recruiter. Since then I've made hiring decisions across 3 continents at companies like Philips, BYD, NTS. Thousands of CVs reviewed. Hundreds of offers made. And yes, hundreds of rejections written too.

Here's what I know from both sides of that table: the most useful information never makes it into the rejection email. It stays in the room after you leave. The real reasons. The close calls. The market intel. The things that would have changed everything if you'd known them.

That's exactly what The Recruiter Brief puts in your inbox every Tuesday.

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The Netherlands Job Market in 2026: What's Hiring, What's Not.

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