New year, new job: How to further your career in Belgium

Brussels is full of job opportunities, but with a regular influx of enthusiastic new faces all looking to get on the ladder and further their careers, it can be hard to ensure you get the job you want. We speak to four recruitment experts about what’s needed to get ahead in Belgium.

Alison Peever is general manager at Rainbow Admin Careers, a specialised recruitment agency with more than 30 years of experience in the Belgian market. She and her team place multilingual administrative support staff in companies, small European trade associations, multinationals, consulting agencies and law firms. Alison, married to a Belgian, is herself the daughter of an expat who landed in Brussels in the 1970s. For her, the Belgian recruitment market is slowly starting to pull its head above the water. "People are still feeling that they need to be very budget-conscious," she says.

There have also been some changes in Belgian employment law that have had a big impact on the recruitment sector. Since January 2014, for example, it is no longer possible to include a trial period in employment contracts. "Before, you had a six-month trial period and you could offer permanent positions to temps that you were happy with," she explains. Another important change relates to the legislation concerning notice periods. The new notice periods are longer for blue-collar employees but shorter for white-collar employees, especially those with low seniority or more than 20 years’ seniority. The new rules are making employers choose their candidates very carefully and think twice before making them a formal offer.

According to Alison, the most sought-after profile is that of an administrative assistant with three to eight years of work experience, a management assistant qualification (or equivalent) and the ability to speak English, Dutch and French. If you’re based in the UK or Central and Eastern Europe, it can be a real challenge to secure a position in Belgium as there is already a large pool of international candidates based in Brussels.

'Very complex labour market'

French national Edouard Housez heads Michael Page’s recruitment office in Luxembourg, after having worked in Brussels for the same firm. "The Belgian labour market is very complex in terms of languages and the difference in cultures between the north and the south of the country," he says. "There are more job opportunities for Dutch speakers. Belgian companies operating nationwide look to Dutch speakers to fill front office positions that require customer or client contact. International companies also favour Dutch-speaking candidates for their global offices or European headquarters because they think they’ll be a better cultural fit with their organisation in terms of values and approach to work." For tax reasons, not many people from the Netherlands come to work in Belgium, so people who can speak Dutch are in high demand here.

"Historically Belgium has a very analytical education system. Business studies and an entrepreneurial mindset are increasingly required by companies seeking to overcome the economic downturn," says Housez. "However, the education system doesn’t see these skills as important and the current tax regime doesn’t encourage performance-related schemes, as compensation bonuses are highly taxed in Belgium." He believes this leads to people staying in their jobs and not striving for excellence or change. "This results in companies at the cutting edge finding it difficult to step up to the next level. In recent years we have seen a trend emerging where pharmaceutical companies and other businesses are moving their offices to Switzerland, where there is an interesting tax regime and a large supply of well-qualified individuals."

Another change in the Belgian marketplace in recent years is the growing number of French people coming to live in Belgium. "French expats find it easier to start a business in Belgium than in their home country," says Housez. "The tax regime here is far more interesting for freelancers than it is in France. In addition, the high standard of living in Belgium really attracts the French, who are lured by the cheap real estate in Brussels compared to Paris and other European capital cities."

Housez has the following advice for expats looking for a job in Belgium: "Firstly, show that you are motivated by signing up for Dutch language lessons. Try to be operational in Dutch as much as you possibly can and aim to fit into the culture. Secondly, remember that Belgians are not the French and they are very different to the Dutch. Listen carefully, watch and tune in to the Belgian take on life and on work. Finally, the Belgian recruitment market is not as certificate-driven as it is in France. French recruiters will look very carefully at your university or business school ranking. Here in Belgium your work experience and your own identity are far more important than your academic background. Keep that in mind when you’re job hunting."

Proven track record

Zak Attar works for Alchemy Search, a specialist recruitment agency focusing on recruitment for the legal profession in London, Brussels, Paris and Berlin. When asked where his office is, Attar jokingly says that he is "based on the Eurostar" and describes himself as a Continental Brit. A lawyer by training, he recruits employees at all levels for the Brussels offices of law firms that have their headquarters in the US and UK. “In the 1990s there was a liberalisation of the market in Belgium and lots of US firms opened offices in Brussels,” he explains.

Most firms are looking for people that want to specialise or already have a proven track record in competition, regulatory affairs and international trade. A background in intellectual property or corporate governance is also in high demand.

"We recruit at different levels in the career progression ladder: lawyers freshly out of university with up to two years of experience and aged up to 26; candidates with three to six years of experience in their early thirties; and more seasoned professionals," Attar explains. Most of the time his work involves lawyers moving from one firm to another in Brussels.

However, he says: "It can be difficult to convince lawyers to move unless they are offered a partnership position or the opportunity to create a new practice area by the potential employer."

International law firms tend to have a Belgian law practice, and here Dutch language skills are a must. "English is undoubtedly the lingua franca, but international firms are increasingly looking for German speakers," explains Attar. The latter are very sought after in Brussels, but there’s more demand than actual German-speaking lawyers. As a result, law firms are increasingly reaching out to agencies such as Alchemy Search to attract candidates based in Germany who are willing to relocate. "Brussels is such a melting-pot and a unique marketplace, much more than London or New York. It is a very interesting and accessible city at the heart of Europe which offers exciting job opportunities for people working in the legal profession.”

Training is an important consideration for prospective candidates. "Most law firms in Brussels tend to have a reactive approach to training because of the volatility of the market," says Attar. "However, the bigger international firms do have a more structured approach to training. They offer their recruits real learning opportunities and the possibility to move across countries in which the law firm has a presence."

Lobbying in Brussels

Mark Dober heads the Brussels office of Ellwood Atfield, a recruitment agency that specialises in the placement of public affairs and communications professionals. A seasoned EU public affairs and strategic communications professional himself, Dober acknowledges that “EU-focused associations are big business”.

“In terms of lobbyists, Brussels is second only to Washington,” says Dober. “The total was around 15,000 about ten years ago, so it has doubled very quickly.” For him, the greatest increase has been in the number of corporate lobbyists often representing a single company, and in the proliferation of European trade associations promoting the interests of a specific industry or grouping. According to Dober, 40% of jobs currently open in Brussels are in trade associations. “Another 40% of the posts are for corporate lobbying positions and the final 20% are in EU public affairs and communications consultancies.”

“When it comes to pay,” says Dober, “there is a huge variation in salary. There seems to be little correlation between the wealth of an industry and the pay in business associations. Most of the time, consultants have very good packages and get a lot of freedom to organise their work. Corporate lobbyists, on the other hand, get lower salaries but get the status associated with representing their companies in the EU bubble.”

Dober agrees with Attar that speaking English is a given if you want to work in EU public affairs, and that speaking German is a huge asset. “This is a very competitive sector,” he says, “and if you don’t have a public affairs or communications background it is very hard to get in. Lobbying has been professionalised and there are a lot of capable people out there from the College of Europe or with an internship in one of the EU institutions under their belt.”

This article was first published in The Bulletin Newcomer guide, Autumn 2014