Industry / Construction
For construction, AIcruiters is recruitment software that searches on the type of work rather than the title: residential or non-residential, new build or renovation, civil works or installations, and the project size someone has run. It treats certificates as things to verify, keeps the region tight and ranks candidates with the reasoning shown, so recruiters can approach them about the projects.
Construction has the highest vacancy rate of any Dutch sector: 73 vacancies per 1,000 jobs in the second quarter of 2026, against 42 for the economy as a whole, according to CBS. The people you want are almost all employed, often for years with the same contractor, and they rarely look at job boards.
Visibility differs by role. Project leaders, estimators, BIM specialists and project managers usually keep a LinkedIn profile, especially at larger contractors. Site managers and work planners are more mixed: many have a thin profile with a title and an employer, and some have none. Another part of the market works through secondment and self-employment, which means some good people show up under an agency name rather than the projects they ran. Be realistic: online sourcing reaches a solid part of this market, not all of it.
Construction vacancies often list every certificate the company holds. Split them into what the job legally or practically needs and what is nice to have.
Talk about the projects. A site manager wants to know what gets built, where, how large the team is and who the client is. Regional ties are strong in construction: people choose projects they can reach in the morning, and many have built a reputation with local subcontractors they do not want to lose. A role 80 kilometres away needs a good reason, such as a company car and a clear project pipeline.
Be honest about workload and continuity. Experienced people know the difference between a contractor with a full order book and one with a single project. A short, direct message that names the project type and region, and asks for a phone call, fits this audience better than a polished pitch. See the role page for engineers for the technical profiles that overlap with construction.
VCA, diplomas and BHV are rarely listed on profiles. Filtering on them removes most of the market. Ask for them in the first conversation.
A site manager in residential new build and one in road construction are not interchangeable. Name the segment in the vacancy analysis.
Uitvoerder, site manager, construction manager and projectuitvoerder all appear. Werkvoorbereider rarely has a clean English equivalent. Include both.
Work planners from installation companies or infrastructure can move into building, and the other way round. Decide in advance which crossovers you accept.
Example scenario, fictional. A mid-sized contractor near Zwolle looks for a site manager for non-residential new build (schools and offices), projects of several million euros.
Step 01 · Vacancy analysis
Hard: site management in non-residential building, comparable project size, living within reach of Overijssel. Verify later: VCA VOL. Preference: experience with a specific building system, a degree in construction.
Step 02 · Market search
Routes cover uitvoerders, site and construction managers at contractors in the region, plus senior work planners who already run sites. Profiles from road construction are removed unless they show building work.
Step 03 · Fit ranking
A site manager from housing renovation scores lower with the reason given: other segment and smaller projects. A work planner who acted as site manager on a school ranks higher, with a risk noted on seniority.
Step 04 · Personal outreach
The draft names the kind of buildings the candidate ran and the projects on the order book, and asks for a short call. The team approves each message before sending.
Step 05 · Follow-up and handover
Site managers who want to talk go to the recruiter with profile, match reasoning and the thread. In the intake the recruiter checks VCA VOL and references from previous sites, and walks through the order book.
Many are, but profiles are often thin and some experienced site managers have none. Project leaders and estimators are usually easier to find online. For site roles, combine sourcing with your network and referrals.
No. It treats them as requirements to confirm and flags when a profile mentions them. Your team verifies certificates in the process.
Yes. Recurring vacancies for project leaders and work planners are where consistent sourcing can save time. See staffing and secondment agencies.
For technical profiles on site the same logic applies, with their own certificates. See the pages on electricians and skilled trades.
Bring a vacancy for a site manager, project leader or estimator. In 30 minutes you see which requirements are hard, where the search looks and who ranks on top, and why.
