„Lobbyists – not my favourite group of people, and I’m certainly not alone with that opinion! Unbelievable to what extent lobbying has captured our society! I wonder how many legislative proposals are still created by elected politicians, if every policymaker has a lobbyist on their lap!! Do you really think we need consulting and career advice for our politicians? Or even for lobbyists?“

That’s the first reaction I got when introducing IMConsult outside the „Brussels Bubble“.

The lady nailed it. That’s what Brussels outsiders think about Brussels. And about politics in general. And that’s the major motivation for IMConsult. I really think we need consulting and career advice for our politicians, and for lobbyists. And I also believe that we need better communication between people like this lady from outside the „Brussels Bubble“, and Brussels insiders.

• Brussels insiders, how much do you actually know about the worries, interests and needs of the Brussels outsiders you work for or with?
• Brussels outsiders, how much effort have you actually made to understand what is really happening in EU politics, and how you can have an impact, even if you do not have the means of a huge business?

My goal with IMConsult is to offer services to Brussels insiders and outsiders that will ultimately improve the quality of political communication. I want to empower everyone who engages or wants to engage in political debate. With concrete services that solve concrete problems.

IMConsult offers concrete solutions to concrete problems for Brussels insiders and outsiders

So what are the problems we solve for you?

Let me stick a bit longer to Brussels outsider comments. Another person commented as follows:

„Who are lobbyists for you? For me, these are the big bosses, companies or business alliances with a lot of influence – due to capital, networks and business size – and that use this influence to steer politics to the benefit of their predominantly financial interests. So for instance the reason that milk is sold as a super healthy product, cigarettes remain legal and cannabis illegal…“

Services to Brussels Outsiders

If you are from outside the Brussels bubble, you are likely to have a similar view of what is happening, and you may have given up finding ways to influence yourself. So what do we do about it?

One service is information – with this blog, with trainings we offer, with the content we provide. Tailored to what you need to know and what you want to know.

Lobbying, in my view, is not much different from finance. You can rely on your banks or you acquire at least a basic knowledge that allows you to understand what is happening to your money. And you may not want to know everything about hedge fonds, but how to invest your money in a smart way to achieve a moderate return.

That’s the type of knowledge we help you acquire on politics.

To empower you to be your own lobbyist, or to know when, how and at what price to engage one. To understand what your association, your Member of the European Parliament, your regional representation is doing for you, or should be doing.

Laws affect all of us, as citizens. Political engagement means to accept that it doesn’t help to moan about them when they are in place – it’s much better to talk about our problems with them beforehand. And lobbying is the way to sell your political opinion in a way that your voice gets heard by the right people at the right time.

Services to Brussels Insiders

We don’t stop there. We also work with those who do the lobbying. Or the decision-making.

Brussels insiders are employees or self-employed consultants just like many others in different company or association functions. They work as assistant to Members of the European Parliament or have leadership positions in EU institutions, associations or corporate functions.

You are embedded in corporate hierarchies, you may jump from one internship to another, or you are one of many soldiers in an association, where only one person can be at the very top.

You may have taken many steps on your career ladder – just to find out that it ends by the time you are 35 or 40.

You may have lost your job because the Brussels office was closed, the department was restructured, or the boss changed. Or perhaps you do not even want to rise to the top – but to a decent position, fairly paid, with scope for personal development.

Do you also sometimes wish for a sparring partner? Someone who mirrors your values, goals, capabilities? Who supports you in finding the right place in your professional life?

That’s the second big endeavour of IMConsult. We are at your side to support your Public Affairs career.

You may wonder how this fits together with our focus on Brussels outsiders. Easy: we think you outsiders and insiders should connect. In the long run, we will help you do so. In the short-term, my previous experience as a headhunter has taught me that Brussels insiders face huge obstacles in making a satisfying career.

The first problem is getting in. You have just obtained your BA or more probably, your Master in European politics, political science, history or any other degree, EU politics interests you immensely, you speak 3-4 languages and have probably breathed first Brussels air in a student internship at the European Parliament or a trade association – and you find out that thousands of others want the same, and have exactly the same, highly-educated profile.

How do you stand out, how do you get the work experience so desperately needed, and what is it that makes an employer pick out your CV?

Once you managed your first years in the political arena, the next hurdle is moving up: advertised jobs are predominantly for juniors, finding out about your worth in terms of salary is difficult, you must be careful when informing your network of wanting to change, and most importantly, you need to make up your mind what that next step is that you want to take.

If that next step should take you outside the „Bubble“ – what are the transferrable skills you have, and how can you sell them to Brussels outsiders?

Let us work together for better politics, better business and better careers

Which takes us back to connecting Brussels insiders and outsiders. Our core belief is that the widening gap between people inside and outside politics is harmful to insiders and outsiders. Only when you know more about each other and the benefits you can bring to each other, can we improve political communication, and ultimately achieve better political decisions.

I cannot guarantee you absolute success in your lobbying endeavours when working with us. That would be just as credible as one of those manifold dietary promises built on magic pills.

I can guarantee you that when working with us, your interests are heard by the politicians in charge, and that you learn how to bring every political worry or interest you have into the EU-political debate.

I do not guarantee new and better lobbying jobs either.

But I guarantee that when working with us, you will know which job you want, where to find it, how to sell yourself to get it, and how to market yourself in the long run.

Leave us your comment:

• Are you a Brussels insider or outsider?
• What are your interests when it comes to our work?
• In terms of spotting your problems, are we on the right track?