Meet Undutchables
You have already met many of the people who make Undutchables tick. Now, for our 30th birthday, we’re serving up a special edition of our Meet the Team series - a fun, insider peek into the company as a whole. Expect the same friendly, no-nonsense tone you know from our Meet the Team posts, but on a company scale, getting the chance to show you a bit more how our team, values, and everyday work come together to build bridges between internationals and employers across the Netherlands. We hope you enjoy getting to know Undutchables a little better!
1. How did Undutchables get started?
Undutchables began on February 5th, 1996 when Judith and Ilse got together and launched the company from a little attic in Amsterdam. They began very small: a rented fax, one phone, some printed materials (famously swapped for a bottle of whiskey), and an old Nissan Micra, but they knew what they were doing would make a difference. They saw a simple gap in the market: internationals arriving in the Netherlands with valuable skills, and companies that were searching for that exact talent.... but the two were not finding each other. From that tiny attic the concept for a recruitment agency focused on building cross-cultural bridges was born. With Sun as their first customer they quickly grew and moved to a bigger office, and Undutchables has continued to grow since then into the recruitment agency that speaks languages, understands cultures, and connects people with opportunities.
2. Who is Undutchables?
Our team is a truly international one. We aree a tight-knit group of colleagues working from three strategic hubs across the Netherlands (North, Middle and South), and together we bring a wide range of language skills, backgrounds, and lived expat experience. As of our most recent updates, the team represents 15 different nationalities, which helps us relate to candidates and clients from across the globe and turn cultural diversity into practical recruitment strength. Our colleagues work across recruitment, marketing, administration, HR and development, and sales, and that breadth means we can support candidates and employers at every step of the hiring journey.
Quickfire questions
Q: Morning meetings or late-afternoon catch-ups?
A: Depends on the team, but we always jump right in bright and early with our Monday morning meetings to start the week off right.
Q: Amsterdam, Utrecht, or Eindhoven?
A: Don’t make us choose between our children, that’s just wrong
Q: Remote work or office hub?
A: We love a mix! Each team member has a different way of working that is most effective for them, so we like to create a healthy mix of support at the office with the team and independence at the home office, allowing everyone to get the best of both worlds.
Q: What word best sums up 30 years of Undutchables?
A: Committed and personal (we know, that's two words )
3. What has been the company’s most memorable moment in the last 30 years?
We have too many happy memories to pick just one, although you can read some of our team’s most memorable moments in our meet the team blogs. If we have to pick a memory to highlight, our company birthday trips are always a big standout and definitely worth mentioning. As part of our birthday celebration every few years the whole company travels together to a new city somewhere outside of the Netherlands. These team building trips are always a great time, filled with cultural learning, fun experiences, and a renewed commitment to our goal. It is always lovely to see our diverse team coming together and laughing with and learning from each other.
Of course, the connections we get to make is the reason we do what we do. Beyond parties and fun get togethers, there are countless quieter moments that we will never forget, like the countless stories from candidates who found the right role, long-term partnerships with clients, and little wins that stick with us because they changed someone’s life. Those human stories are what keep us going.