Amsterdam Career Days

Your Playbook for ACD

The largest career event in the Netherlands. Five days, 90+ companies, 2,000+ students across UvA and VU. CV-selected and high-stakes. Here’s how to make the most of it.

5days · early March

90+companies

2,000+students

€7,95entry fee

ACD is jointly organised by Sefa (UvA) and Aureus (VU) at Hotel CASA Amsterdam. Most activities are CV-selected. The dress code is business formal across the board.

1What Makes ACD Different

CV-driven selection

Almost every activity requires CV selection. Companies pick students based on anonymised CVs — so your CV has to do the talking before you ever shake a hand.

Master-heavy audience

Around 70% of ACD applicants are master’s students or recent graduates. If you’re a bachelor student, you can still attend — but expect tougher competition for cases and speed dates.

UvA + VU mix

You’ll meet students from Sefa and Aureus. Network sideways, not just upwards — these are people applying to the same programmes.

No-show fines

If you signed up for an activity and don’t cancel before 17:00 two workdays beforehand, you’re fined €20. Take your schedule seriously.

2The Application Process

Mid-January — registration opensCreate your ACD account, pay the €7,95 fee, and start browsing activities.

Late January / Early FebruaryUpload two CVs: a full version and an anonymised version. Apply for the activities you want — register for many to increase your odds.

Application deadline — mid-FebruaryHard deadline at 23:59. After this, companies start selecting from the anonymised CVs.

Late FebruaryYou receive your preliminary schedule by email. Some students get into 6 activities, others 1 — the variation is normal.

Early March — the eventFive days at Hotel CASA. Activities run 09:00–17:00, often followed by main-partner drinks with an open bar.

⚠️

Critical: Submit your CVs well before the deadline. Companies start selecting as soon as they have enough applicants, so late submissions miss out on the most competitive activities. Aim to be done two weeks early.

3Nailing the Anonymised CV

You MUST remove

✕Name and profile photo
✕Gender, date of birth, place of birth
✕Nationality
✕Phone, email, address, LinkedIn

You can keep

✓Education dates and grades
✓Experience names, dates, and bullets
✓Skills, languages, certifications
✓Extra-curriculars, committees, awards

4Activities at ACD

Open to all (no CV selection)

Daily company fair (12:00–15:00 in the Erasmus Room)
Network lunches — included in your ticket
Company presentations and speaker events
Career development workshops — CV / LinkedIn feedback
Main partner drinks — daily open bar

CV-selected (most competitive)

Case studies — 2–3 hours of team problem-solving
Speed dates — short 1:1 sessions with recruiters
Individual meetings — focused 1:1 conversations
Networking dinners & high wines
Network cruises, barista, sushi, cooking workshops

5Avoid These Common ACD Mistakes

✕Submitting your full CV instead of the anonymised one — companies skip applications that don’t follow the rules
✕Applying only to 1–2 activities — selection isn’t guaranteed; you need a portfolio
✕Skipping the fair because you got into “better” activities — the fair is where you meet companies that didn’t select you
✕No-showing to a selected activity — €20 fine, and it affects your standing for future Sefa / Aureus events
✕Forgetting to follow up the weekend after — the people you met are about to disappear into 90 different inboxes

🎯

Bottom line: ACD rewards preparation in a way few events do. Strong CVs get into the best activities. Strong follow-up turns conversations into offers. The €7,95 ticket is the cheapest part of the week — the real investment is everything you do before and after.