Tips for getting your first job in the Netherlands

For non-EU nationals:

I advice you to start learning Dutch from your home country, because you're required to take the "inburgering exam" in order to have a residence permit.
You need also a work permit. In order to gain it you need to find an employer who sponsors you. And here we come to the tips for finding a job in the Netherlands (I'll explain them some lines later because they apply also to EU nationals)
Anyway, here is what I understood from some experiences which have been shared on this blog. If I made mistakes, let me know; because (as an EU national) I skipped these steps, since I need no permits. Once you got the permits, you are required to enrolle to IND office (Immigratie en Naturalisatie Dienst: Immigration and Naturalisation Service).

For EU nationals:

As I have already told, you don't require any permits to travel, live and work in the Netherlands and you don't have to take the above-mentioned language exam.

Anyway... Let's talk about the job hunt, now. The tips apply to everyone: I advice also EU nationals to start learning the language from home. Dutch is required also for dishwashing jobs, for example.
Unless you are an high skilled immigrant, finding a job here is very hard. So, it depends also on your background (education, work experience, skills etc...). There is too much competion and maybe there aren't enough jobs for everyone.

Internet is a good tool to look for office jobs in the international companies. There are also many recruitment agencies of any type and they are good too. Most agencies have a website, so they are easy to find.
The word-of-mouth tool is good if you want to work as a cleaner in private houses, as a baby-sitter or as a caregiver for elderlies. You could create a network also through the internet, if you've already chosen the city you want to live in. There are plenty of websites to look for au pair/cleaning/caregiver jobs, where you can create your profile with a picture, so that Dutch families can see who contacted them. Be careful because they are full of scams.
For hotel/restaurant/café jobs (in Dutch they are called HORECA banen) both internet and personal interaction are good.
As for the newspapers I think they aren't good. I couldn't find an adverts section on the Dutch newspapers. Maybe, I chose the wrong ones.

The top hiring sectors are IT and multilingual, I think. But, again, everything depends on your wishes, your background and... Luck! Luck plays an important role in our lives. It is true that you have to create your chances with diligence, but not all the chances end up to the job interview or, at the best, to the hiring process and you need just one job. 

In any case, I would advice you to be flexible and really motivated to work. It didn't work out for me, but my case is hopeless, so don't look at it as an example.
Everyone is unique, has his/her own backgound and luck. My luck got lost somewhere...

Hope it helps!

Good luck,
Licia