Eurobrussels once dominated the EU job market but now struggles to keep up. Despite making an estimated 2.2 million euros a year, the job board is slowly dying and losing market share not only with EU affairs but also with law firms. How is this happening?
The main culprit is failure to innovate; the Eurobrussels job board hasn't changed since 2001 when it was created.
There is a critical role of user experience, technology, and specialization in the EU affairs job market. Most recruitment in the public affairs and policy space is of tech-conscious young people who are aware of what a website should look like - unfortunately, the job boards that cover European Union and Public Affairs roles have failed on this front.
Eurobrussels lags behind modern platforms in user experience. The website, as already mentioned, exists since 2001 and has never been updated, likely because there was no competition there was no economics pushing the development of a better technical solution.
Generalized listings that fail to meet the needs of professionals in EU institutions, law firms, or European affairs.
One of the main problems Eurobrussels is currently facing is exactly that. They tried to cover research, advocacy, finance, and even IT.
This brought them away from their European Union-centric advocacy platform - which at most could have catered to communication and other industries related to EU policy, but veered away from their core business - recruitment in communication, research - the eurosphere.
Inability to compete for traffic on critical keywords like EU jobs, Finance, European Union, and European affairs jobs. In fact, Eurobrussels is so bad with keywords that a competitor https://www.eujobs.co will probably rank higher when someone googles "Eurobrussels" - this is almost ludicrous - how could no development on future-proofing not have been done?
Insufficient focus on growing sectors like law firms, international relations, and EU institutions is another major issue. Eurobrussels should have protected its brand name and core business and developed a more generalized separate website for all the other non-core jobs. In fact, law firms and a job board that caters to EU law is a good idea - but was poorly executed.
Why employers are migrating to newer, more effective platforms is easily visible. Eurobrussels isn't based in the European Union - it's incorporated in the UK outside of EU law. Moreover, one cannot pay with a credit card or with Stripe - one has to do a bank transfer.
Job seekers demand intuitive, user-friendly job boards that Eurobrussels doesn’t provide. On the contrary, the job board environment is so hostile that some younger people in search of internships might even shy away from the website.
Missed opportunities to provide insights, reports, and guidance on careers in European affairs or international relations. Though this is not a crucial error like the strategic blunder in going after law firms without protecting the core business, it's still a problem because the economics just don't work.
New platforms offering tailored services for EU institutions, law firms, and international relations professionals. Also, many niche competitors are competing on the law firms front, and Eurobrussels can't fight on 4 fronts (law firms, IT, EU policy, and European Union jobs and internships).
Why Eurobrussels fails to engage both employers and candidates effectively. The inability to market its services beyond basic listings has resulted in stagnation, making it harder to compete in a rapidly evolving environment.
The inability to capitalize on Brussels as the hub of EU affairs and European jobs. Most likely due to the focus on other non-European Union related jobs.
How niche platforms are addressing the gaps left by Eurobrussels. Platforms that cater specifically to European Union-related fields like advocacy, international relations, and law are filling the void, offering focused services that better meet market needs.
The growing preference for modern, innovative job boards in EU institutions, law firms, and beyond is unmistakable. Employers are seeking platforms that offer streamlined, user-friendly solutions and cater to their industry-specific requirements. Job seekers, especially younger candidates, prefer tools that reflect the digital standards they are accustomed to. As these platforms continue to innovate, traditional job boards like Eurobrussels are at risk of becoming obsolete in a highly competitive market.