“Who am I here?” How to redefine your career in The Netherlands 

You had a clear career path back home. You had seniority, a strong network, and a professional identity you had built for years. You knew who you were. Then you moved to the Netherlands.

Now, you feel stuck in a professional “identity crisis.” Your qualifications aren’t recognized in the same way. The seniority you earned doesn’t seem to translate. You find yourself applying for jobs you were doing five years ago, just to get a foot in the door.

This is the classic expat career challenge. The question is no longer just, “What is my passion?” The question is, “Who am I here?“

This isn’t about starting over; it’s about a strategic translation. Your skills are all still there, but they need to be reframed for the Dutch market.

• Your “management experience” needs to be translated to fit the Dutch flat hierarchy.
• Your “international mindset” isn’t just a soft skill; it’s a hard asset in this global hub.
• Your “ambition” needs to be repackaged so it aligns with the Dutch focus on work-life balance and consensus.

Your career path isn’t broken; it’s just being rerouted. Before you can find the right job, you must first re-establish your value—to yourself, and to Dutch employers.

The power of a coachable mind.

You understand why your career feels stalled. You know your value needs to be “translated.” But knowing that doesn’t stop the frustration of feeling overlooked.

• Are you struggling to get your seniority recognized in interviews?
• Do you feel your foreign experience is being undervalued or misunderstood?
• Are you tempted to just take any job, instead of the right job?

This is where a plan replaces panic. You are a highly-skilled professional. What you need is a sparring partner.

A Gort coach for internationals doesn’t just ask, “What do you want?” We ask, “How do we get you there?” We act as your strategic translator, helping you re-establish your value and build a career as ambitious as the one you had back home.

Stop settling. Start translating. This is a learnable skill. Plan your free, no-obligation orientation call today.