Five phases. From the final months of your Master's to a senior-level position at a top-tier Dutch or international company.
Phase overview
The five phases of your career
Phase 0 · Right now
During your Master's
Now → Graduation · 2025
This is the most underestimated phase. The choices you make during your Master's — which thesis topic, which electives, which extracurriculars — shape your first two years of career trajectory more than anything else.
Pick a direction now
Align your thesis with your target career track. A growth-focused thesis opens tech doors; a health comms thesis opens NGO and pharma paths.
Start LinkedIn seriously
Recruiters at Booking.com, Adyen, and Heineken actively search recent UvA grads. Your profile is your first impression — build it now.
Find an internship
A thesis internship at a company (instead of a university lab) gives you a foot in the door and often converts to a job offer.
Learn one tool deeply
GA4, SPSS, Hotjar, or Figma. One tool you know deeply beats five you know shallowly. Put it on your CV and in your thesis.
Internship salary€400–€700/mo
Phase 1 · Entry
Junior Role — First Job
Months 0–18 after graduation
Your first role is about proving you can deliver and learning the professional rhythm fast. Pick a company where you'll be mentored, not just used. Prioritise learning over title.
Junior Comms Specialist
In-house or agency. Campaign execution, copy, reporting. Learn how real projects run.
Junior Research Analyst
At Kantar, Ipsos, or Nielsen. Surveys, reports, client presentations. Your UvA methods training is an edge.
Marketing Coordinator
At a scale-up or tech company. Cross-functional exposure, fast feedback loops, and a team that moves quickly.
Junior UX Researcher
At a product company (Booking, Mollie, Picnic). Run usability tests and user interviews. Highly transferable.
Typical junior salary (NL)€34k – €48k
Phase 2 · Growth
Medior — Specialise & Build
Years 2–4 post graduation
This is when you go from "executes well" to "owns outcomes." You start making decisions, mentoring juniors, and your specialisation becomes your brand. This is also when transfers between paths happen most naturally.
Pick your niche
Behavioural segmentation, influencer ROI, health nudge design, product copy — whatever you're known for should be specific.
Get quantitative
Learn SQL basics, extend your GA4 into BigQuery, or run proper experiments. Data literacy at this stage 2x's your salary ceiling.
Build a portfolio
Document one real project end-to-end: problem, approach, result, impact. This is your leverage for the next move.
Network intentionally
Attend Amsterdam tech events, write on LinkedIn about your field, get visible. Senior roles at top companies come through warm connections.
Medior salary range (NL)€52k – €80k
Phase 3 · Senior
Senior Specialist or Lead
Years 4–7 post graduation
Senior roles at international companies like Booking.com or Adyen are achievable at this stage. You're driving strategy, not just executing. You set the agenda in your domain and manage stakeholders across the business.
Senior at a top company
Booking.com, Adyen, Mollie, bunq — all hire senior comms specialists. The jump from medior is often a 30–50% salary increase.
Team lead / manager
If management is your direction, you're now leading 2–5 people and translating business goals into team deliverables.
Principal / IC track
Prefer depth over breadth? Individual contributor path keeps you hands-on at high impact. Very common in UX research and insights.
Build your thought leadership
Speak at conferences, publish research, guest lecture at UvA. Visibility at this stage creates inbound opportunities.
Senior salary range (NL)€75k – €120k
Phase 4 · Leadership
Director / Head of / VP
Years 7–12 post graduation
The peak of the individual career arc in this field. You own a function, manage a team, report to C-suite. At companies like Booking.com this comes with exceptional compensation packages including bonuses and equity.
Director of Communications
Corporate, brand, or product comms at enterprise scale. Amsterdam-based multinationals pay very well at this level.
Head of Growth / CMO
Especially at Dutch scale-ups and fintech. Equity upside + salary package can be significant.
Head of Consumer Insights
At FMCG companies (Unilever, Heineken) or research firms. Strategic advisory to board level.
Founder / Consultant
With a decade of expertise, independent consulting or building your own agency is a real and lucrative option.
Director+ salary range (NL)€110k – €180k+
Core skills
What to build across all phases
Skill Map — Persuasive Communication Graduate
Foundation (Master's gives you this)
Persuasion & attitude change theory
Experimental research design
Survey methodology & SPSS/R
Campaign strategy & evaluation
Health behaviour communication
Media effects & digital platforms
Commercial (Build in first 2 years)
Google Analytics 4
A/B testing & experimentation
CRM basics (HubSpot, Salesforce)
Presentation to stakeholders
Campaign performance reporting
Budget management basics
Technical bonus (Multipliers)
SQL basics
Tableau / Looker dashboards
HTML/CSS for email
AI prompting & automation
SEO & content strategy tools
Python for data cleaning
Creative & soft
Storytelling & narrative
Canva / Figma basics
Copywriting (long + short form)
Social media content strategy
English writing at native level
Dutch (for NL-local roles)
■ Core — your Master's foundation
■ Bonus multiplier — adds 20–40% salary ceiling
■ Nice to have