Cyufjy

I am an Indian citizen, currently residing in India. I have been invited for an interview in the Netherlands, fully sponsored by the company. I have all the necessary documents except one, the documents proving that I will
return to my own country after my trip. Unfortunately I am not employed right now and do not have any immovable assets under my name (living with my parents in their house).

How do I prove that I will be returning after the interview? Will a travel itinerary with the return dates be enough? I would be staying there for 3 days.

EDIT: I got the visa. I attached my short professional profile with all the evidence (I have a Master's degree from the US and worked there in a research lab for about 3 years; I think this helped) and also mentioned in the cover letter that I would not be jeopardizing my chance of legally immigrating by illegally overstaying in the Schengen area.

Thanks for the help people!

You can't really "prove that you will return to your country", and generally consulates don't set the bar quite that high (or nobody would ever get a visa). It's sufficient to show that it will be in your own best interests to return home after your trip.

When applying for a visa for tourism (which is the situation most of the visa advice you'll find on the net will be contemplating), consulates like to see documentation that you're so well rooted in your local community that you wouldn't want to go abroad for work. This is clearly impossible when you're going for a job interview -- the fact that you're going at all is proof positive that you're willing to consider moving away for work. So don't even try to give your situation that spin; it won't be credible.

In the case of a job interview where the host company pays for your trip, that fact will itself be what saves the day. This is evidence that you have a pretty good shot at getting legal work and residence in the Netherlands (after all, they wouldn't pay for also-rans to fly halfway around the word). If you overstayed, you would be throwing that prospect away, which is generally reason enough for a consular officer to think you probably won't overstay. Even if you don't get this particular job, just the fact that you have the knowledge and skills to land the interview means that you can probably find something legal elsewhere, which is much preferable to life as an undocumented (and thus probably ill-paid) immigrant in Europe. That's what counts for the visa officer.

Like any visa applicant, you do need to explain your circumstances at home, and document them to the extent those particular circumstances can reasonably be documented. But don't sweat that, and don't try to pretty up reality.

And of course you need to document your itinerary, but you know that.

(This is all assuming that the company that invited you is reputable and law-abiding, and the position you're interviewing for is one where they have a good chance of sponsoring you for a work and residence permit later. But if they aren't, something is fishy anyway, and in that case you don't want to waste your time by going).

If the company sponsoring you is reputed, that should help, as they would not not like to be responsible for you not returning home. I assume the company is sending you tickets, so that can be included in your application along with your bank statement and any previous tax returns.

I believe you will be asked for a bank guarantee for a large sum of money or a certified bank statement showing that you have a large sum in deposit at a local bank. That's how it works for visa applicants in Pakistan. The idea is that you have a large sum of money that you will lose if you don't return to your country of origin.