u/Low-Nobody-1288

I was walking through the city centre today, outside Binnenhof, when a bunch of boys (hardly teenagers) started walking behind me. One of them shoved the other towards me. I was a bit confused, but I ignored it and kept walking.

They kept doing it over and over, and eventually the boy shoved the other one at me again intentionally. This time I turned around and looked at them, and this one kid just stared at me angrily. (For context, they were all way taller than me)

I didn’t want to escalate the situation, so I just walked away really quickly. I was alone and honestly pretty scared.

I’m not really sure what else I could have done differently or whether there was a better way to handle it.

I am currently looking for jobs in the NL. I’ve heard from several people that it’s quite normal here to contact the hiring manager or the person listed as the contact for a vacancy before/after applying, either to introduce yourself, ask a question, or simply show your interest.

I’m wondering how common this actually is and whether it’s considered helpful or annoying. Does contacting the hiring manager make you more likely to stand out, or is it better to just submit your application? And if a phone number is listed, is it normal to call?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who hire or have experience recruiting in the Netherlands.

Someone might be selling the glasses at the beach?

Or is it pointless to look for glasses this last minute?