LSE AAB Careers Panel Discussion 2019

February 22, 2019

On 22nd February, the LSE Alumni Association Belgium organised its annual careers panel discussion with the participation of distinguished alumni who are based in Brussels. The alumni shared their stories and advice with a large group of LSE students visiting the city for the European Internships Fair in the friendly and relaxed environment of the Committee of the Regions.

The discussion began with the introduction of the speakers by the moderator, Despina Manousos, who is a Policy Advisor at the European Parliament and the LSE AAB Careers officer. Other members of the panel included Federico Bruni, Economic consultant at Frontier Economics; Arnolds Eizensmits, Consultant at Bureau Brussels; Alessandra Pozzi Rocco, Advisor at the Office of the Belgian Prime Minister; Misachi Ogawa, Parliamentary Assistant at the European Parliament; Dominique Orsini, Founder and Managing Director of Political Edge; and Elettra Di Massa, Junior Professional at the European Commission.

The discussion centred around key career advice for graduates who are eager to start their career in Brussels:

  • Patience and perseverance: doing an internship is almost a right of passage in the Brussels ecosystem and is one of surest ways to land an entry level job thereafter. Although it may seem like a step down from a Master’s degree which is usually quite academic and intense in terms of the knowledge and skills learned, it is a crucial step to really break into the 'Bubble'. Recent graduates should therefore be patient and seize the opportunities to learn as much as possible during the course of the traineeship. This will certainly pay off in the long-term and provide a raft of different opportunities further down the line.

 

  • Don’t be shy to try different jobs: your first traineeship or job may end up not being the perfect fit, and that’s totally ok. The internship is also a way of finding out whether working in Brussels is right for you, and therefore there is no pressure to think that your first internship will necessarily be the place you will stay in for the next years. By changing jobs you can explore different work places and ways of working, and eventually finding a place that feels right for you.

 

  • Be open to different opportunities that present themselves: Brussels is full of policy events, training courses, after-work events and associations that are open for you to join or take part of. Don’t be shy to use those opportunities as a way to meet new people, form new connections and eventually leverage those connections to seek out a job if that’s what you are looking for. While some graduates go to Brussels with a specific plan to work in the institutions, for a lot of us, where we are 5 – 10 years after graduation can be very different to what we originally planned, and that can be a truly great thing.

 

  • Get out of your comfort zone: everyone sometimes feels shy whether they are presenting to their boss or to a client, or going to your first networking event. However, it’s sometimes in those more ‘challenging times’ that you will learn new skills or meet the ‘right’ people that can certainly be beneficial in your time in Brussels and help you in your career progression. Take those challenges as learning opportunities.

 

  • Networking is key: one of the most effective way to get a job after your traineeship is to be referred by someone. While you might not get the first dream job, there will be a vacancy somewhere soon and having shown your face and talked about your background is the best way to get ahead. Going out for coffees and talking to a bunch of people is valuable, and will at least get you to the interview.

 

Their interventions were followed by a lively Q&A and the promise by the organisers to host the event again next year!

The LSE AAB was also present at the European Internships Fair. Members of our board were happy to share information on our activities with the students and offer general career advice during the fair.