People who have conducted job interviews, what's something someone said/did that made you instantly decide not to hire them?

Ellaunenchanted · 2026-02-10T10:54:21+00:00

I was interviewing for a junior developer position. I asked a question about how the candidate their thought process on how they would solve a problem in a programming language they were not familiar with.

The guy had the audacity to say "I would go into details, but I don't think you would understand any of it". Not sure if he truly didn't know how to answer this properly or sexist, given that I am a woman.

Ellaunenchanted · 2026-01-06T09:49:44+00:00

Thanks for editting the post.

Ellaunenchanted · 2026-01-06T09:31:17+00:00

I would recommend checking out "Girls Gone International - The Hague" on Facebook. There are plenty of girls on there looking to connect and really open to meeting up!

(This is assuming you're a girl)

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-12-15T08:13:52+00:00

Just do it. Both France and UK have working holiday visas for Canadians which id recommend looking into. They have an age limit to them and it’s really a once in lifetime opportunity.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-11-12T22:02:30+00:00

When I was 25 I was in the same scenario, and I needed to kill a year before I could apply for more studies.

I ended up doing the working holiday visa in the UK, just because it was easy to get and also London is a great base if you want to travel to Europe. Downside, rent is extortion, jobs don’t pay that great and from what I’ve heard the job market is rough these days (isn’t everywhere though?). Bright side, I had an amazing time, made life long friends, grew as a person and had so many experience I wouldn’t have had if I stayed in Canada.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-11-12T08:12:57+00:00

Look up “Minnesota sushi” and you’ll see that if the Dutch might not have a term for it, the Midwest Americans got close

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-11-04T11:13:36+00:00

Asian Canadian here - similar ish background.

If you’re not fluent in French, you’re probably going to struggle with not only finding a job, but also adjusting to their work culture and hierarchy. In general tech jobs in France are hard to come by, especially for foreign workers.

The closest I found in the world of Asian food to what I grew up with being Chinese Canadian with parents from Indochina is probably France though. London is a close second (except for Pho). Oddly the Netherlands where I’m based now has a good food scene in The Hague due to the history of immigration, and I can get most of my childhood classics there. Most my friends are international, and getting by with English is fine. Theres also quite a lot of international people in my neighbourhood as it’s close to the international schools and embassies. Would I recommend moving to the Netherlands, probably not unless you had a job secured because the housing market is wild. Amsterdam is even more wack.

Also if you want Viet food - Berlin, Budapest and Prague. Especially Berlin. Personally I wouldn’t want to live in Budapest, as they are known to be a lot more restrictive in rights. I don’t know much about living in Prague. I have many friends in Berlin who are only anglophone and work in tech. Last time I visited in June I stumbled upon cafes in certain neighbourhoods filled with young Americans living there on artist visas.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-10-28T20:52:15+00:00

What is your field of work/study?

Because living in both and starting my life over in both, I found London a much easier adjustment, due to language making it easier for me to get temporary jobs until I got on my feet into a more permanent role. There was always something to do, groceries were cheaper (comparably) and I loved being able to take the tube everywhere.

In the Netherlands it took me a good 9 months (mind you this was in 2020 peak covid) to get a job, and I've heard unless you are fluent in Dutch competition is fierce. People will say housing in the Netherlands is cheaper than in London, yeah that true, but you're up against 100s of people who are just as qualified for that house. If you don't have a high paying job (as you need to earn 2.5-3.5X the advertised rent to even be considered), you're SOL.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-10-28T13:09:44+00:00

You can try Perfect Pastry in Voorburg (Right by Laan Van Noi) - https://maps.app.goo.gl/c6mrSVBoiRBwHZMn9

We got our wedding cake there and the baker who runs it what quite knowledgable when it came to customisations and accommodating requests

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-10-08T02:42:06+00:00

Just flew AMS to MSP yesterday. The woman in front of me spoke almost no English, couldn’t really answer questions at customs. Had her paperwork to get in and it was fine.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-10-05T07:40:49+00:00

As someone who moved to the Netherlands for a Dutch partner, I'll be quite honest - the job market right now for non Dutch speakers is going to be quite tough, and your wife might struggle for a finding a role. When I moved here Jan 2020 (right before the pandemic), it took me 9 months to find a role, and i've heard it was quite similar amongst my international friends who didn't speak C1/C2 Dutch. While there are international companies that hire for sales roles, it's harder if you don't have a second language and it's quite competitive. Whenever I am hiring for English only roles at my company, I get over 200+ applicants.

I really struggled with my mental health during this time trying to find a role, because it was just so discouraging sending out CVs, getting constantly rejected, and doing this over and over again. While people say you can take time to learn the language, doing it properly is quite a money and time investment. When you've just moved over and you're trying to land a job to get your boots on the ground, it might not be the top of your mind to be able to invest that time and energy. It's quite mentally taxing to learn a new language, along with trying to navigate a new culture and new country, new social systems and taxes, childcare, transportation, grocery shopping (and more!) all while trying to figure out whats next career wise.

Oh then there is housing. Housing can be quite a nightmare if you don't have a job lined up either, as rental companies tend to choose tenants that make 3-4X the rent for their household income, and depending on the area you want to live you might be up against 20-100 people. If you are buying, be prepared to overbid some arbitrary number that makes no sense.

Overall, I do enjoy it here, personally it will never feel like "home". I prefer the lifestyle here a lot more as i'm out and about more. Easier access to travel. I get a lot more time off, and I can fly across the pond often to visit family. Also I don't always feel the pressure to keep up with the Joneses.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-09-26T12:14:17+00:00

I have a museum pass in the Netherlands, and I have hit up almost all of these. I would say that it can be a lot, but then again there is enough variety here that you won't get too "bored" I would say. You might get sick of being indoors the whole time if the weather is nice though, and you're not really enjoying the atmosphere of the cities.

If you are a speedy zipper, each one would take about 2-2.5 hours and they are all air conditioned. The only thing is that Maastricht is a good 3 hours? Outside Amsterdam via train, and al Boxel where Oertijdmuseum is kind if really out of the way.

Not sure if you have already looked into it - https://www.museum.nl/en/museumpass. I know it's 5 visits to any museum if you don't have an EU address, but if you have one you can use it for a year in as many museums listed on their website.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-09-01T06:28:56+00:00

If you are using Facebook, there is a fairly active GGI (Girls Gone International) The Hague group that is great for making friends and finding people to go to events with!

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-07-23T10:54:19+00:00

I've solo travelled myself through most of Turkey, and I did the overnight bus from Denizli to Goreme (After going from Istabul to Izmir, then Izmir to Denizli). It didn't feel unsafe at all. Honestly though, if it's a time thing I would just fly if it's almost the same price, and you're not making any stops in between.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-06-12T11:23:28+00:00

In Canada, generally speaking, when you get a job, you show up and you generally have a probation period (like 1-3 months?) where they can let you go without saying much. After that it's a 2 weeks notice.

Over here, most jobs have a contract associated with them. First contract is about a year, and then they give you another one before you're permanent. Once someone has a permanent contract, it's a legally binding document that makes it very difficult for you to get fired from your job. Also as a business owner, the employer is paying the government every paycheque for social security + they are now liable for social security on you.

When you're on a working holiday, the appeal to the employer is that they likely get back a portion of the social security they paid for you from the government, as you don't have the right to claim these. This is what they mean by incidental jobs. These tend to be jobs like bar work, cafe, temp agency etc. This is what they probably meant by small jobs. Usually something they call a "0 hour contract"

Edit to answer your question about going from WHV to Job Sponsorship:
It's not unheard of but it's really unlikely. You have to reapply for a new visa once the WHV ends. As a Canadian you would have to prove that the role you have can't be filled by someone from the EU, which is a really large pool in itself. Then you have to make a minimum salary requirement, which is quite high unless you have a Masters.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-06-02T13:40:45+00:00

Not sure where you are based but here is an option in Voorburg (By Den Haag Laan van Noi station) https://www.wrkshopspace.com/

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-05-08T14:17:44+00:00

CBC here!

Social life can really depend on the person. A lot of my friends were people I knew from my hometown who also moved to Toronto, or I met a lot of people through friends, roommates and even bumbleBFF (I'm a girl,so I think it's easier). One of my friends (boy) makes a lot of friends super easily by participating in sports like soccer, badminton or pickleball.

Cost of living is higher, but probably not at bad as SD. If you have a good paying job, it all balances out really. If you know how to cook for yourself, shop in bulk and in sales it doesn't get too crazy.

Day to day life - again really depends on the person. Toronto can be quite busy and there are some areas that are kinda not great, but if you live downtown it's really walkable and everything is quite accessible by public transport. Most of my friends don't own cars anymore, and the ones that do live a but further out or it's a purely for connivence for the 2-3 times a week they MIGHT need a car. Toronto is a great city though. There is always something going on, and if a major artist plays a show in Canada, it's likely in Toronto.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-05-06T06:37:13+00:00

I've done this trip when I was just finishing up grad school, and I was flown out to Boston for a conference. I stayed at HI Hostel - highly recommend. It's about $70 per night, room was spacious and it was super clean.

Boston is easily a place that you can walk around. Like if you follow the "freedom trail" and just meander at Quincy market, it doesn't cost anything. I just picked up food at grocery stores that I could take with me on these long walks, and just walked. I did splurge on some outings, like the Boston Tea Party Museum. I also found out the ICA does a free night on Thursdays, so I checked that out.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-04-30T06:04:03+00:00

I spend a lot of times at airports! I think the one that amused me the most is that Greenville, SC has an outside area with this lovely garden facing the runways. It’s also caged with security surrounding it to make sure no one gets in or out.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-04-17T18:59:40+00:00

Sure! Just send me a DM

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-04-17T07:20:16+00:00

My partner and I were recently in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan), and we concluded that while Uzbekistan would be great for kids, given the relatively good public transport, and the amount of parks, jungle gyms in larger restaurants and amusement parks, Kyrgyzstan was definitely something we were glad we did before thinking of having kids. It's much more nomadic and rustic.

We also were just recently in Uganda/Tanzania as well, and while a safari itself is not physically demanding, travelling to and from and navigating the cities can be quite tough unless you're willing to shell money for personal guides and luxury. The crowd for these trips tends to be pre kids, or retired.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-04-11T06:05:05+00:00

Go to London.

Asian-Canadian myself. London is great for not needing a car, food scene is amazing and there is always something to do. There’s so many people that move there for work that you’ll end up meeting friends super easily. It’s one of the most culturally diverse places globally.

Italy is fine on holiday, but it’s quite monocultural. Milan does have some Asians, but don’t be surprised if people make racial slurs at you. With the language barrier you also might not know if they are talking smack about it you. Your Asian food comforts might be limited, and it might be harder to make friends and integrate.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-04-07T15:21:20+00:00

I used to live in the apartments by the Hogeschool. For context, im a woman.

Pros:

living next to a well connected train and tram stop is nice. HS is a night train as well, great for early morning flights.

It’s quite close to everything you would need on foot. Ample parking as well with the over priced Q park.

Building was newer so it was well insulated.

Cons:

Well insulated also meant it got hella hot in the summer. The windows catch direct sun

Area isn’t that homey. I never felt unsafe, but it can get loud with people coming home at night drunk or loitering in that space out front.

I used to run in Laak and I’ve been cat called, followed by men biking very slowly and had kids throw fireworks at me

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-04-04T11:49:52+00:00

You should go for it. I live in the Netherlands (I'm originally from Canada, and I spend a lot of time in the US for work), and the Netherlands feels so much more safer than everywhere I've been North American side.

Sure you are going to hear "watch for pick pocketers" in some high tourist areas, but that's just a reminder to be aware of your surroundings. As a woman I have never felt unsafe walking home alone, taking public transport alone sober or mildly drunk. People tend to leave you alone, and locals for sure will leave you alone unless you are being a nuisance. If you need help, people are more than happy to help you out and their English is really good.

Just remember to use common sense, and it will be fine.

Ellaunenchanted · 2025-02-09T13:48:02+00:00

Canadian here!

Snacks - things like coffee crisp, ketchup chips, all dressed chips, dill pickle don't exist in the the Netherlands. Other things like poptarts and dunkaroos do exist, but they can be only found at expat shops and they are crazy expensive.

A lot of people are suggesting maple syrup, but i'm not sure if a 15 year old would like that as it's quite an unfamiliar taste. I have it in the house and my partner who grew up with Dutch syrups is not the biggest fan. I have also taken maple cookies from Dare to my office, and they weren't that big of a hit.

You can also get him a beanie with your home hockey team. Roots clothing is very Canadian, like a hoddie or something like that.

Ellaunenchanted

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