I came to the Netherlands as a highly skilled migrant from outside of EU, so I will talk about this type of applying for Dutch resident card experience in this post.
Provisional residence permit(MVV)
After the interview in the Netherlands I've signed the contract online in my home country. In the mean time I received a list of documents to bring to the embassy of the Netherlands in my home country to be able to get the provisional residence card(also called MVV). The company in the Netherlands arranged the appointment for me with the embassy in my country. Two weeks after visiting the embassy I've received a three months provisional residence permit(MVV).
One years residence permit(MVV)
With the provisional residence card I could enter the Netherlands and after that again my company arranged appointment with town hall for applying for the Dutch resident card. As soon as I arrived in the Netherlands I've applied for a one years residence permit(MVV). After the contract got extended to a permanent contract, I could apply for a new residence permit which is valid for five years. After five years it's possible to get a Dutch passport.
Term of residence card
It's common when a Dutch company hires you, at first they give you a one year contract. The term of residence card is based on the length of the contract period. If you work well in first year, usually your company will give you a permanent contract and you can extend your resident card for another 5 years.
if you want to read more about other type of immigration to the Netherlands, I refer you to the IND website.