Image from Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality/Barak Brinker

Land in Israel as a Software Engineer

How to prepare yourself to get a job in the start-up nation

In 2018 I moved from Uruguay to Israel. Being aware of the challenges that were ahead, a few months before my flight I started to research about the Israel high-tech industry and how to get a job there. This article describes most of my findings, tips and advice. The focus will be on Software Engineers but it may be useful for any other job.

Everything you read here is based on my experience and expresses my opinion, you may agree or not with some of the content. If you are planning to move to Israel, I hope it will help you.

Looking for a job in Israel is different to looking for a job elsewhere and it will take you some time to understand how things work here. People are really straightforward and things move really fast but getting hired may be really slow (or not). I wrote this article to help you to better understand the Israeli high-tech industry and to make your onboarding as easy as possible.

Networking

Connections

There are many ways to apply for a job before just sending your CV to the company. On LinkedIn, every time you find a position you want to apply go to the company’s LinkedIn page and check for potential people that may refer you.

• Check if you have some 1st degree connections that work there and reach out to them. If you don’t have any, reach out to 2nd degree connections.
• Send a message to people that work for the company you want to work and add them to your network. For instance if you are a Backend Dev, search for the Backend Team Lead and send him a message.
• Send target cold emails: write each of them specifically for the company and the role.
• Ask your friends and family if they know people in that company. They probably know or know somebody that knows somebody.
• When you meet new people tell them you are looking for a job, because this person probably knows a company that is looking for a person with your skills.
• Search for HRs/Recruiters of the companies you want to work for and add them to your network. You can send them a message too. Maybe they aren't looking for candidates right now but they may consider you in the future.
• As a last option, apply through LinkedIn or the company’s website. Recruiters (and sometimes algorithms) check the CVs and if you are a fit you will get an interview. You probably heard that “connections is what you need to get a job in Israel”. Even though this is true it is not the only way.

You don’t need to do all the things listed before, it depends on you and your network which are the best options.
Most of the companies give referral bonuses to their employees, so aside from helping you, if you are hired they get a benefit too.

As a personal story, once I got an interview after talking to an Israeli man in a hotel pool in Russia during the 2018 Soccer World Cup. I also interviewed at companies after sending my CV through their website, but consider that many times speaking and connecting with people will help you a lot.

As a conclusion, it is always better to apply through a referral and it is normal to ask a person you don’t really know to send your CV. Don’t be afraid to ask and try not to be shy. People will help you, for sure.

Facebook groups

Olim in Tech

• Feel free to post in the group that you are looking for a job and probably a lot of people will answer you. You can also ask if somebody has a connection or works in the company you want to apply.
• Join the group, follow the fan page to be updated with the community and check the jobs board.

Developers in Israel is a good one too and if you search for "משרות הייטק" you will find a lot of groups. Maybe you stopped using Facebook in your home country but in Israel is a really important tool.

Advice

About the Process

• Start your preparation process before moving to Israel, it will save you time and you will be able to interview from day 1. Check the last section of this article to find advices about how to write your CV and LinkedIn profile.
• Every company has its own process but usually you will first have a screening interview (generally a phone call) and then some technical interviews. Those are challenging and you need to be ready for it. Some companies will tell you how to prepare and what is the interview about. If they don't tell you, ask about it.
• Most of the companies have long processes. Expect to have between 3 to 7 steps before getting an offer.
• There are cases that a process may be fast too. Personally, once I was in a 2 months and 7 interviews process before getting an offer and in another company I got an offer after 1 week and 3 interviews. It really varies and depends on each company but usually a process may take a few weeks or months.
• Some companies may ask you during the first interview/phone call how much do you expect to make. If you have no idea how much to ask, check the salaries on this table. Double check with colleagues and friends.
• Always negotiate. At the end of your process you will need to negotiate your salary and your vacation days. Ask about Stocks/Stock Options plan, 10bis/Cibus, Keren Hishtalmut (Study Fund) and other benefits that each company may have. They will probably tell you during the process but feel free to ask.
• If they reject you ask for feedback and keep a good relation with the recruiter you talked to, you may want to apply again in the future.

About the Interview

• Prepare for the interview, check the company's website and get a clear idea of what they do. Search for your interviewers, who they are and what is their area of expertise. This may give you an idea of potential questions they may ask.
• After every interview write down the questions they asked you and think about your answers. Practice them before your next interview because there is a big chance that questions will repeat between companies.
• Before you start sending your CV refresh your Computer Science knowledge and practice some algorithms exercises, Big O notation and data structures. You may be asked about it, so be ready. Some good websites to practice are HackerRank and LeetCode.

Organize

• When a company calls you, save the phone number of the recruiter, his name and the company. Then when they call you again you will know it before answering. It may help you too, if you need to contact them for any reason.
• Create a spreadsheet to track all your job applications. It will give you a complete picture of where do you stand in the process with each company and to keep your job search under control. Create a copy of this file and use it as a reference.

Other

• It is ok to send your CV in English.
• Speaking Hebrew is important and it will help you a lot but is not a must. If your English is good enough you are ok to get a job in the Israeli high-tech industry. For sure you will have co-workers from all over the world that their Hebrew isn’t perfect. You may tell your interviewers that you prefer to do the interview in English and it should be ok. Anyway learn Hebrew, your life will be easier and your chances to be hired will increase.
• Be ready to answer questions like why did you move to Israel.

Tools

• LinkedIn: this is your most important tool and is the first step of your job search funnel. Build your profile and your connections properly.
• Glassdoor: check salaries and reviews for every company you interview. Create your profile in this website too, just copy your LinkedIn content.
• Gloat: it matches your job requirements with different companies. Like a jobs Tinder. Download the app for iOS or Android.
• Woo.io: it allows to add your expectations and it offers different positions based on that.
• Secret Tel Aviv Jobs: the most famous Tel Aviv Facebook group has its own jobs board too.
• SQLink, Gotfriends, Ethosia and Nisha: HR Companies that will contact you with potential employers.
• Hummus and Tech podcast: check this amazing podcast and inspire yourself with other Aliyah stories.
• Tel Aviv Tech resource list: amazing list of websites, podcasts, twitter accounts and facebook groups.
• Gvahim has a variety of programs to support, prepare and help you during your job search.

The process isn’t easy but after reading this article you are better prepared than before ;). You will find the job that you want, just be patient and keep trying.

In the next section you can find some advices about how to write your CV and your LinkedIn profile.

Feel free to contact me through Twitter or LinkedIn if you have any questions or if you need help to find a job in the Israeli high-tech industry. 👨‍💻🇮🇱👩‍💻

Matias Jurfest - Mobile Developer - Wix.com | LinkedIn

Linkedin

Headline

• What you are + What you do + Where.
  For instance: Software Engineer | Mobile Developer at CompanyName
• If you are actively looking for a job you can add something like: “Looking for my next challenge” or “Looking for [position name/tech skills]”.
  Software Engineer | Full Stack Dev | Looking for React/Angular positions.
• Align with the market positions names. This will help you to be easily find.
• How to do it?

About/Summary

• Don’t use that boilerplate descriptions that may fit on every person profile. Write something unique that describes you and tells your story in 3–4 lines.
• You can use the same one in your CV.

Keywords

• Try to use keywords around the content of your profile. It will help you to stand out when recruiters search.

Photo

• Simple one, you don’t need to wear a suit, just a t-shirt and smile (if you want). Don’t cut you friend from that party picture you have. Just take a normal picture with proper lighting.

Skills

• Add your skills, rank your colleagues skills and then they will do it for you. If not, ask them. It’s a good idea to do the LinkedIn skills quizzes too.

Other

• Change your location in LinkedIn to Israel, so recruiters can find you. You can even do that before you move to Israel. How to do it?
• Make sure your profile is in English.
• Ask your ex colleagues/managers for recommendations. How to do it?.
• Add your classmates, teachers and work colleagues to your network. LinkedIn works with circles and as much people you add, you will “get near” more people too.
• Edit your profile URL: is a small detail but it looks more professional. How to do it?.
• Add your contact information. How to do it?.
• Let recruiters know you are open to work. How to do it?.
• Subscribe for a Premium Account during your job search. It will help you to use LinkedIn in a better way. The first month is for free.

CV

One page

• Most of the people try to put as much as possible in one page. My opinion is the opposite: put as less information as possible that will help you to stand out.
• Cut all the irrelevant information that doesn’t add you value and get right to the point.
• Remember that your CV is just your presentation, don’t go too deep but sell yourself.

Clean Format

• Separated in sections, with a clear spacing between them. It must be easy to read/scan from the first impression.

Personal information

• Just your full name, e-mail, phone number and city.
• It’s important to add the city/country to show the recruiter that you are in Israel, because most of your experience may be abroad.
• Don’t add a picture.

Summary

• Don’t use that boilerplate descriptions that may fit on every person profile. Write something unique that describes you and tells your story in 3–4 lines.
• You can use the same one from your LinkedIn but it may be a good idea to customize it for every position you apply.
• Add your title below your name, for instance “iOS Developer” or “Data Scientist”.

Sections order

• Sort the sections based on your experience. If you are a student put Education first, but if you are an experienced Engineer put Work Experience first. In any case, remember to add your technical skills, preferably at the beginning.

Technical Skills — Tech Stack

• In my opinion adding the skills with bars or with percentages isn’t accurate (what is to know 80% of JavaScript?). I would go for a simple list. If you want to be more specific, you can add years of experience on each skill or a list of skills you master and those you just know a bit.

Work Experience

• For each position you had, write a short description. A good way to write them is using Action Verbs (“Developed”, “Improved”, “Managed”, etc.).
• Avoid using “In charge of” or “Responsible for”. Highlight accomplishments instead of responsibilities.
• Show your achievements and if it is possible quantify them adding numbers/data that supports it.

Education

• Just add in which University did you study. You may add your GPA if you want and any other relevant data. If you are a self taught developer you can add information about it too.

Other relevant sections

• Personal/Side projects.
• Languages that you speak (if it is relevant for the job you are applying for).
• Add links to your Github, StackOverflow, Portfolio or blog if you have one.

Keywords

• Every job description has a lot of keywords that you may want to add to catch the recruiter attention and to pass the recruiting algorithm (some companies use stuff like this). Check the job description and add them properly.

Other advices

• If you are not a native english speaker (as me) make sure that an english speaker will take a look at your CV. It will help you to avoid grammar mistakes.
• Send your CV to your colleagues, they will give you their opinion and how to improve it.
• Customize your CV for the position you are applying for and create different versions of it.
• Name the file as YourNameCV or Your_Name_CV.
• Send your CV as a pdf file, not as a Word document.
• If you struggle to format your CV, check out Resume.io and CakeResume.
• For more, read this Resume Writing Tips.