Speculative applications in Belgium: the complete guide

A speculative application means offering your services to a company that has not (yet) advertised a role for your profile. The idea is to get in ahead of the competition and position yourself on the hidden job market — all the roles filled without a public advert, which make up a major share of hiring in Belgium.

Why does it work? Many employers, especially SMEs, hire without posting an advert: for lack of time, to avoid hundreds of applications, or because the need is not yet official. By contacting them directly you reduce the competition (or remove it entirely), you show your motivation and your knowledge of the company, and you create an opportunity that did not exist yet.

The recipient makes all the difference. Avoid generic addresses (info@, jobs@): aim for the person who decides on your future role — team lead, department head, or the owner in a small company.

• LinkedIn: identify the manager of the department you are interested in, then find their professional email.
• The company website: the 'team', 'about' or 'contact' page.
• The Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) and sector directories for official contact details.

Target companies you are genuinely interested in rather than sending in bulk: a dozen highly targeted applications beat a hundred generic messages.

Your message should be short, personalised and focused on what you bring. Always send your CV with a short text (the equivalent of a targeted cover letter), structured like this:

• You: an opening line about what draws you to this specific company.
• Me: two or three skills or achievements tied to their needs.
• Us: a proposal to talk (a call, a coffee, a trial).

Email template (subject + body)

Subject: Speculative application — [your role] motivated by [company project/value]

Hello [First name Last name],
I am a [your role] and I have been following your company since [something concrete: a product, a piece of news, a value]. [One sentence linking your experience to a concrete company need.] I would love to put my skills in [skill 1, skill 2] to work for you.
Would you be available for a short conversation in the coming days? My CV is attached.
Kind regards, [Signature]

• The one-size-fits-all message sent to everyone: it is spotted immediately. Personalise the company name and show you understand its challenges.
• Writing to a generic address rather than a decision-maker.
• Talking about your needs ('I'm looking for a job') instead of your value ('here is what I can bring you').
• Not following up: a polite follow-up a week later shows your motivation and puts your application back on top of the pile. Don't push more than twice.
• Neglecting spelling: a single typo is often enough to rule out an application.

The regional employment services can strengthen your approach: vacancies not shared elsewhere, coaching and CV/application workshops. Depending on your region: the Forem in Wallonia, Actiris in Brussels and the VDAB in Flanders. Combine their offers with your speculative applications and a well-maintained network to cover both the visible and the hidden job market.

The speculative application is powerful but time-consuming: identifying the right companies, finding the right contact, personalising each message, tracking follow-ups. That is exactly what BarnAI automates: the platform uses AI to suggest companies that match your profile (sector, location, languages), helps you personalise your applications and track every step through to the reply. You keep control of the message; you save the time of searching and organising. To go further, compare the tools in our guide to the best job sites in Belgium, discover how to find a job fast and our guide to job searching with AI.