What is a Dutch “sollicitatiegesprek” like?
Sollicitatiegesprek voor een baan in het pretpark
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
A Dutch sollicitatiegesprek (“job interview”) tends to be shorter, more direct, and less performative than the American or British equivalent. Dutch hiring panels favor plain questions (“waarom wil je hier werken?”, “wat zijn je sterke punten?”) and watch how candidates handle silence. Dutch bluntheid shows up here too: candidates are expected to give honest answers about salary, hours, and career plans without the usual interview spin. Sectoral norms vary, but the sollicitatiegesprek tradition skips most small talk.
In this clip, a Dutch comedy interview at a pretpark: “Waarom wil je bij werken? Nou, de Efteling had geen vacature.” Followed by “Ik heb een groen hart.”
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch career-advice writing (Intermediair, Carrièretijger, De Volkskrant)
- ▸In Dutch pretpark and theme-park employer marketing (Efteling, Toverland, Walibi Holland)
- ▸In Dutch labor-market journalism and FNV coverage (NOS, FNV, NRC)
- ▸In Dutch comedy about bluntheid and workplace culture (Toren C, De Avondshow, Hans Teeuwen)