Computer Jobs in Israel - Frequently Asked Questions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - How To Find a Computer Job in Israel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Document Name: CJIFAQ.TXT Revision: September 2000 Original Creation: June 1993 By: Jacob Richman CJI Editor/Publisher Ma'Aleh Adumim, Israel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This document is located on the CJI web site at: http://www.cji.co.il Please include this web address if forwarding or publishing part or all of this document. copyright 2000 by Jacob Richman - jrichman@jr.co.il - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Introduction ------------ The computer job market in Israel is very good. If you open the weekend job sections of the large Israeli newspapers, you will find hundreds of jobs in the computer field. In fact computer jobs make up the majority of all job advertisements today. When this document was first published in 1993, the Internet was not available in Israel to the general public. Today Internet is widespread and there are many resources, in Hebrew and English, for the job seeker. This FAQ document and the weekly CJI job report will give you a good overview of what is happening in the computer job market in Israel. This is not a comprehensive list but it will help the reader get a head start in his/her job hunt. Do not get mislead by all the information available. It is hard work to find your first job in Israel. However if you are persistent and flexible you will find it. Remember that finding a job in Israel is like everything else connected with your Aliyah (move to Israel). If you had trouble describing your work in interviews overseas you will probably have the same trouble here unless you work at it. Israel is the land of miracles but do not rely on them exclusively to find your job. For the old timers and native Israelis this document may assist you in your own job hunt or it may help you, assist others in finding their first job. The information is geared to the new oleh/olah, however, there is a lot of useful information for everyone. Do not take everything written here as the law of the land. I may be wrong in some cases or I may be looking at the situation subjectively. Talk to as many people in the field and draw your own conclusions. This FAQ is composed of 37 questions and answers that cover most of the questions people may ask about job searching in Israel. Feedback is welcome! Q1. Do you need to know Hebrew to work in computers in Israel? A1. The good news is that over the last few years many American companys have setup research subsidiaries in Israel and usually they require knowledge of English and not Hebrew. Development for the worldwide Internet audience is in English. Most technical manuals are in English. However, (you knew this was coming) most Israeli users are Hebrew speaking and your fellow workers and manager may want to use Hebrew. Any job that requires interaction with local users will require some basic Hebrew. Most olim spend the first 4-5 months in Israel in an Ulpan program where they learn Hebrew. When people ask me what is the most useful thing to do before aliyah, I answer very simply: learn and practice your Hebrew. If you would like to learn a few of the computer terms in Hebrew, there is an online English-Hebrew dictionary that contains 400 computer terms. The address: http://www.dictional.co.il Q2. I am still living outside of Israel. Should I send out my resume to companies in Israel? A2. In my opinion, 95% of the job offers will only be made when you are living in Israel. Do not expect a return phone call or email if your current address is outside of Israel. When you get to Israel make sure that your resume includes a phone number where you can get messages (by person or answering machine). "I wanted to interview him/her but I could not get them the message". Q3. Should my resume be in Hebrew? A3. In my opinion, your resume for the computer field can be in English. If you are sending your resume to the human resources department, I would strongly recommend attaching a short cover letter in Hebrew, 8-10 lines, saying who you are, what you are looking for and how you can help the company. If the human resource department (which may be overworked) can not figure out what position you are applying for, they may forward your resume to the wrong person or department. If you decide to translate your resume to Hebrew, you may want to attach the English one just in case your translator was drinking during the act of translation (note: bad joke because Israel does not really have a drinking problem). Make sure an Israeli that knows about computers looks it over. I have seen very funny / sad works of technical translations. If you do not believe me, go to a local movie theater, see a funny English or American movie and read the translations on the bottom of the screen. I assume that most people reading this document know how to write and re-write a resume. If you do not, then go get help. Length of resume and what should or should not be included, and the format, is debatable all over the world. Americans tend to start from the current job backwards and then list education and courses. Israelis tend to do the exact opposite and also list places of work from oldest to the current. Sixteen years in Israel and I tend to cling to the American way. Do not flame me, I know that this may be a North Eastern USA resume. Q4. Should I post my resume on the web? A4. No! The human resource department does not have time to stop what they are doing and go to the web. Also, many companies may not give HR access to the web and your site may not be available just when they may be looking. They also may have trouble printing out your colorful website for their files. If you are a web designer or graphic artist you should definitely mention the URL's of your work in your resume. However, the resume itself should be mailed, faxed or emailed. Q5. How should I email my resume? A5. All English resumes can be sent as a plain text message. If you would like, you can send a fancier version attached as an RTF (rich text format) or Word file (version 6 or 7). The human resource department may not have other word processors or the newest versions of Word. Always check your file for virus before sending. I have seen people send out a virus infected resume and then they may wonder why they were not called for any interviews. If you are sending a Hebrew resume, always send it as a Word or RTF attachment. Note in the regular email message, in English, what type of file you are attaching. Many companies do not have Hebrew support in their email packages and the Hebrew text message you type will come out on their screens as junk. Due to the number of resumes they get, they probably will not take the time to send you a message to resend it. I also strongly recommend not to send your resume to 100 companies at a time (at least not with an open distribution list). It will get the same amount of attention as the amount of time it took you to mass mail it out. Q6. I sent a resume to company "X", now what ? A6. Wait 10 days then call up the personnel department and ask one simple question in HEBREW. You may translate and practice this by dialling and talking to the Bezek phone clock (155): "I sent you my resume last week, did you get it ?" Simple question should give you a simple answer, right? When you call back tomorrow they will hopefully have found it and will tell you who and when to call back. Do not get discouraged. Call back until you get the Yes or No for an interview. Keep track who you spoke to and when you called each company. Remember it takes work to find work. It is sometimes very hard to get a hold of the human resources personnel. Do not give up. If you sent out over 50 resumes and you only have 10 answers, you may not know if the other resumes ever made it to the right person. The follow-up phone call is very important. If you do not have the phone number, look it up in the phone book or on the company website. Q7. How are the job agencies in Israel ? A7. Just like other places they get paid by the employer. However, do not rely on them to find your first job (especially if you have no experience). If you decide to use an agent, ask if you can see the list of clients they are sending your resume to. Try to make sure they do not re-write your resume and send it out to a hundred clients blind. Israel is not that big and you, your agent, your other agent might be sending one potential employer three different versions of your resume. Will the real resume please step forward! I believe that you should first try contacting companies yourself and if that does not work, use an agency. Some agencies may have positions that are not advertised in the papers. Senior management positions fall into this category. Also, positions where a manager still does not know he/she is being replaced, are not advertised in the newspapers. If you decide to use an agency, get recommendations from other people in the computer field. There is a list of agencies in Israel that have websites at: http://www.jr.co.il/aliyah/jobs-ag.htm Q8. Someone said if I pay him a certain amount of money he will find me a job. Should I pay him? A8. Absolutely NO! Like all countries, there are a few bozos out there. I have never encountered any, but take the advice anyway. Q9. Where do I begin to look for a job in Israel? A9. The two largest newspapers in Israel (Yediot and Ma'ariv) have several job sections in the Friday papers. Ha'aretz and the local city newspapers (like Kol Hair in Jerusalem) also have special hi-tech job sections. On any given Friday there are hundreds of ads for computer positions. Many companies do not advertise in all the papers at once. You also do not have to buy all the papers. Ask your neighbor or friends to save you the job sections. Getting these ads 1-2 days later will not make any difference and it will save you money if you do not read the papers themselves. Many public libraries in Israel also get the weekend newspapers. If you have trouble reading the ads ask your ulpan teacher to sit with you 15 minutes a week reviewing the ads. I am sure he/she would not mind and it will also benefit the other students. Q10. Are there any Israeli job resources on the Internet? A10. There are many resources for job hunting on the Internet. Most of the resources are in Hebrew but there are many in English. Also, most hi-tech companies in Israel have websites and some even have a "careers" or "join us" section which lists open positions in Israel. Always check the date of the positions or when they have been posted. Q11. Are there Israeli job databases on the Internet? A11. There are about 15-20 Israeli job databases online. 3-4 are actually worth reviewing on a weekly basis. Many are Hebrew only but some are Hebrew and English. When using the online databases follow these rules: A. Always check the date of the posted position. If the date is over 60 days old then the position may / may not be open. If all positions show today's date, do not rely on the date. B. Always send your resume to the company posting the position. If their contact information is not there, look it up on their website. If you do not know the website of company X, try X.com or X.co.il Do not send your resume to a single jobsite address that will forward it to the companies. Why? First of all, you will never know if it actually got there or not. Some of the online systems will try and sell the resume to the company for a large fee. Others may have problems that "lose" your resume in a technical black hole. If you want someone to "sell your resume" use an agency that will give your resume and you personnel attention. C. You have a better chance of following through by directly emailing your resume then relying on a system. There is a list of Israeli on-line databases located at: http://www.jr.co.il/aliyah/jobs-db.htm Q12. Besides online job databases, are there other ways to find companies online? A12. There are several government and private company listings related to start-ups, development and export related firms. Here are a few: Israel Export Institute (Hebrew and English) http://www.export.gov.il Dun and Bradstreet Israel Guide http://www.dandb.co.il Israel Electronics Association http://www.iaei.org.il/ Israel Start-Ups Guide http://www.start-ups.co.il/ Israel Science and Technology http://www.science.co.il/ An alphabetical/geographical list of over 500 companies: http://www.cji.co.il/alpha.htm Various Company listings by industry: http://www.jr.co.il/aliyah/jobs-co.htm Other useful business addresses / resources: http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/i-busin.htm Q13. How do I follow the Israeli "computer industry"? A13. There are several online newspapers devoted to economic developments in Israel. Many are updated on a daily basis. Product announcements, new financial developments, takeovers, new companies, IPO's, are just several types of news items that may lead to more job hiring. It is interesting to note that many of the full page wanted ads in Friday's papers usually precede or follow closely a major company announcement. There is a large list (English section and Hebrew section) of the daily and weekly newspapers at: http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/i-news.htm I also post interesting industry news on the CJI news page: http://www.cji.co.il/news.htm Q14. Are there computer specific magazines / newspapers in Israel? A14. "Anashim Vemechashvim" (People and Computers) publishes the weekly Israeli version of Information week. It is a valuable source to find out which companies are working on what projects and what new products are being developed and by whom. Phone Number: 03-638-5858 Their website is: http://www.enet.co.il "Reshet Tiekshoret" is also a very popular bi-weekly newspaper published by "Merav-Koren". Phone number: 03-900-7920 Their website is: http://www.merav.co.il Q15. Are any of the big international computer companies stationed in Israel? A15. Almost all the popular hardware and software vendors have offices in Israel. In fact, many foreign companies have design centers or manufacturing facilities in Israel. This includes: Intel, Microsoft, IBM, Motorola, Sun, National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Cisco, 3Com, to name just a few. Q16. Wow! Does this mean I should get a job at one of these companies in my country and then ask to be transferred to Israel when I make aliyah? A16. This would be a great way to make aliyah. You probably could convince the company to pay for your re-location expenses. I have seen this happen. A great idea but do not count on it. It is the exception to the rule. If you are basing your aliyah on this dream situation then you probably will not be making aliyah for a long, long time. Most people make aliyah first, get settled in, then find a job. That's the way it is. Q17. Many jobs advertised are for professionals who know C, C++, Windows, Unix, Oracle, SQL, Lans, Wans, TCP/IP, etc.... For the past 6 weeks I have not seen any ads dealing with my skills. Does this mean I will never find a job ? A17. Perish the thought. Companies have many ways to look for employees. Do not rely on ads as your sole avenue to find jobs. Q18. Where else do I look for jobs ? A18. There are many directions you can pursue to find your job. A big one is networking. Speak to as many people as possible who are in the field. Remember that most jobs are publicized internally by the company before the ads are placed. Find a contact in a company in which you are interested and ask them to find out information for you. The word "protekzia" is an Israeli buzzword. This is not the same as the mafia protection but the notion of extended family exists. Back in the old days, knowing the sister of the cousin of the friend of the brother-in-law who is a programmer in company X would advance you toward getting the job. Today things are different and this approach will not get you the job. However, it may get you an interview. Here is a totally different angle to look for a job in your niche. If you do not see ads for your software package or hardware, try finding out who imports or supports the package in Israel. Call them. Speak to support or marketing and find out when the next conference or seminar is. You are trying to find out who the users (companies) are. Sales and marketing may not give you the customer list, but support may tell you the big company names and who may have openings. Always make sure to thank the support people. They get yelled at all day and being nice to them goes a long way! If a company is at a show or exhibition try to speak to the personnel when things are quiet (early morning is your best bet). When it is busy or they are tired after a long day, your chances of making a good connection are not too good. Q19. Where do I find out about job fairs and computer shows / conferences in Israel? A19. Job fairs are a very good place to meet companies. They are there to meet you. You can meet dozens at one time and they can not tell you to call back till they find your resume. If a job fair is from 10:00am to 8:00pm do not show up at 7:55pm. Give yourself four to five hours for waiting on lines and being interviewed. Remember that toward the evening most interviewers may be tired. There are 2-3 large job fairs during the year at the Israel fair grounds in Tel-Aviv. Around May-June there are job fairs at the universities which are usually open to everyone. Depending on the number of companies at the fair, bring at least 40-50 copies of your resume and dress appropriately. Ties are not needed in Israel for job interviews. Torn jeans are not suitable either. Some of the popular Israeli computer exhibits / shows in are: Infotech, Comdex, Internet World, FIS, ILA Conferences, Internet Annual Conference, Decus (Compaq), Telecomm, etc.. I try to keep an updated list of job fairs and computer shows/conferences in Israel at: http://www.cji.co.il/events.htm Q20. I have been reading about the Russian aliyah and that unemployment is around 8%. Is this true? How does this affect my job search? A20. Unemployment may be at 8% but in my opinion the statistics (which I do not know exactly) would probably show that the computer field is nowhere near that. Yes, there are Russian programmers looking for work but their experience may not be what a given employer is looking for. From my experience it is much easier for a "Westerner" that knows how to write a resume, interview and explain the projects he/she worked on, to find work. The "Western" oleh/olah usually does not have to learn how to "sell themselves". Also many Israeli firms know the companies that you worked at and can easily check your references. The equipment and operating systems you worked on are the same in Israel. This is not always the case with "Eastern" countries. Even though your Hebrew may be rusty, your English is very good. I am not trying to put down the programmers or computer professionals from the "East". I have met many that know their work very well and can explain themselves very well and are very good programmers. In fact, the Russians that I have met that were job hunting are now working and are doing very well. I am just saying that in general it is harder for them to find their first job in Israel. Q21. Is there discrimination in the computer job field in Israel? Does age and sex make a difference? (that is not what I meant....we are talking jobs here) A21. Officially, by law, there should not be; in practice there is. In my opinion, if you are over 35 years old, in the computer field in Israel, it becomes a little harder to find a new job. I do not think Israeli companies value people with over 10+ years of experience like they do in the USA. The exception is when you have a technical skill that is hard to find. Also, people in sales or marketing who have collected sales connections/ clients may bring unique information that may be valued. In technical positions, many companies will hire someone with 2-3 years experience then hire someone with 10 years experience. Go figure! It could be the money but that is not always the case. Even management tends to be under 35. Senior management may be older. As more American companies setup shop here, I hope the situation will change. Again, I am not saying if you are over 35 you will not find work. I am just saying it gets harder if your skills are not in demand. The second problem in Israel is pay discrimination against women. Many Israeli companies do not give women equal pay for the same work that men do. This is not fair. The trend is changing but it will take time. There are three articles about women and the work force on my CJI news page: http://www.cji.co.il/cji-n117.txt "Reaching for the Silicon Ceiling" http://www.cji.co.il/cji-n099.txt "Average Salaries" http://www.cji.co.il/cji-n087.txt "Career Women Confront the Silicon Ceiling" Q22. Can you get a computer related job without a degree in computers science or computer engineering? A22. Many computer related jobs require the full degree. Some even require a second degree. However, there are many jobs that will take someone with 1 year experience if their skills are very good and in demand. There are also companies that have started to hire students who are in their 3rd or 4th year of the degree. There are other positions in the computer field that value experience as much as (even instead of) the degree. Web designer, graphic artist, computer support, computer technician, communications specialist, technical writer, system administrator are just a few of the positions that may not require a degree and the work is very professional. Q23. I just finished my studies and I do not have experience. The companies with whom I had interviews want experience. What can I do? A23. There are many companies that have in their advertisements: "Outstanding graduates without experience are welcome to apply". This is great if you are an outstanding student. For the rest of us, there are several paths to try if the front door is locked. First try the back door. The back door in many companies may be "software tester" or "support personnel". These are professional jobs (the last thing I want is flame emails from the profession). The good thing is that many companies may relax the requirements for these positions if they need more people. Once you get into the company, you may be able to work your way into the programming group. Many large companies encourage you to study and take courses on the company's expense. I strongly recommend that beginners, straight out of the university or re-training courses, spend 1-2 years in a large company. I worked in the USA for 4 years after I graduated with a degree in computer science. My first job in Israel was for 7 years at Intel Electronics. I gave my resume to the security officer at the gate and asked him to pass it to HR. A system manager position, which was not advertised yet, happened to open up. Did I mention that a little praying and timing never hurts a job search :-) I worked hard at Intel but I learned a lot. The experience was definitely worthwhile. If you are new to the country, working for a USA subsidiary will be a good experience. The language barrier is usually lower. If the position is for a web designer, technical writer or graphic artist, it is important that you show some sort of portfolio even if you do not have experience. Use your final project from the school. Working for a non-profit for peanuts or less may be worthwhile for your soul and for several experience lines on your resume. Q24. Regarding re-training courses, do I recommend any for those who want to switch into the computer profession? A24. Today there are many private schools that offer re-training classes in computers. Many are 6-9 months long and are very intensive and expensive. Every so often the Technion and companies offer intensive 9-12 month re-training courses where the companies will pay the entire fee if you do well and they hire you. Some companies have their own training programs but you need to commit to work for them for two or three years. These type of offers show up every few months in the Hebrew newspapers. Regarding private schools, the local academic unemployment office or the government labor office may pay for your re-training. Check to see if you are eligible. In all cases, I would make sure to follow this simple advice before registering for a course: A. Ask the school for a list of companies that have hired graduates in the course you are thinking about. Talk to at least three of them about the chances of getting hired. B. Ask the school for three students who graduated and are working in the field you want to study. You may also want to hang around the school after hours and speak to a few random students about the course and teachers. C. Ask what specific help the school will give in assisting you in your job search. D. Ask people in the profession what they think of the school and its instructors. There is a partial list of schools on the bottom of the following web page. This is not a recommendation list: http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/i-edu.htm Q25. I finally got my first interview. It is scheduled for 10:00 am. What do I do? A25. Show up at 09:40 am. There is an excellent chance that you will be given a form to fill out about your life and work history. The form will probably be in Hebrew and English but you should try and fill it out in Hebrew. Make a note to show up 9:15 next time :-) No sweat. Most of these forms ask the same questions. At the next job fair, make sure to take home with you 3-4 different job application forms. At home, take out a piece of paper and answer all the questions in Hebrew. On your next interview, when you are filling out the form, pull out your Hebrew answer sheet and you will breeze through. Why climb the wall when you can go around it! (this is what happens when you grow up in Brooklyn) Meanwhile, at this interview do the best you can. Q26. Can I speak in English during the interview? A26. If you are lucky, the interviewer may ask you in which language you prefer to be interviewed. If your Hebrew is good then go for it. If you have to stop on every other word then apologize and stick with English. Remember what you wrote down on the application form: Converse in Hebrew: Excellent Good Fair Poor N/A Reading Hebrew: Excellent Good Fair Poor N/A Writing Hebrew: Excellent Good Fair Poor N/A Now is a good time to remind you that it does not pay to lie on the forms or your resume. It will catch up with you. Some companies will call your previous bosses even if they are 5000 miles away. If you are having trouble explaining what you did in English, you will have a really great time trying to do this in Hebrew. Practice your interview with a friend. Write down on an index card the words you always forget. The interviewer will probably not mind if you pull it out in an emergency. Practice, practice, practice. Do not worry. Almost every one blows their first or second interview. Do not get depressed. Learn from your mistakes. Q27. Are job interviews different in Israel then other countries? A27. On your first or second interview in Israel you may be very surprised about the personal questions the interviewer may ask. Many people may find this rude but one should go to the interview prepared to answer some strange or semi-personal questions. Try to avoid politics and religion. Unless you know for sure that the viewpoints may be the same, avoid these in a friendly manner. Making the interviewer mad may not help your chances (you may feel better but it is sometimes better to roll with the punches). How old are you? Why aren't you married? Why did you make aliyah? Where did you go to eat lunch? What did your parents do for a living? As I said, do not be surprised. Q28. Besides the interview what other Israeli secret weapons are used to see if you fit the job? A28. Some companies use handwriting analysis firms to study your writing. I sent in my resume and cover letter from a Laserjet III (16 years ago). They must have thought that I was a Yekeh (German connotation for perfectionist). I guess they studied the form I filled out. I personally think this is hogwash. Many companies that have determined from the first interview that you may qualify, send you to take a psychometric test (if you took the test before and by the same testing firm, the company can get the results). This test costs the prospective employer money so it shows you impressed someone at your interview. I was told (way back then) to show up in the morning to take the test in Tel-Aviv. I thought it would be a half hour or an hour tops. Ha, Ha, Ha! Five hours. Everything from drawing pictures, to a classroom discussion, to match the numbers questions. Do not panic because it is not the kind of test you can study for and there is nothing you can do but show up. I think you can get the written parts in English. I also think, for a fee, you can get an interview with the testing company to determine what the test showed you are good for. Do not rush out to get a return ticket back to the old country. They could be totally wrong. Just like everywhere else, some companies may give you a written problem or questions if you are interviewing for a technical or programming job. If you wrote in your resume that you "know" 32 computer languages, I hope you checked what language this job requires before you show up to the interview. Some companies may interview you 3-4 times by different people or groups of people. I went through this at my first job (Intel) and the job I had after that (Kivun). Keep cool and remember why you made aliyah. Q29. What else should I bring to the interview ? A29. Bring copies of all your degrees, certificates, courses you took, baby pictures (on second thought skip the baby pictures). They may want you to give them a copy for their files. Many companies determine part of your salary based on degrees and related computer courses. Make sure you keep at least 10 copies of each at home. Put all your originals in a safe place. If you lose an original and you have no copies, it is a real pain to replace them while you are thousands of miles (kilometers) away from the source. Q30. What kind of salary can I expect to get working in Israel ? A30. I know what everyone is thinking: Why did he put this all the way down at question 30 ??? It should have been number 1.....right?? Money is not everything. Ok...money is important. This is the loaded question everyone asks but no one has the right answer. It depends what your job is, who you are working for and how good you are in negotiations. The general rule of thumb is that government pays the lowest salaries but there may be some fringe benefits that make up for this. Universities and hospitals are next in line, then semi-government companies, then private industry. If you work for the government through a project house or a consulting firm you will be paid more then regular government workers but you will not get the government "fringes". Do not take an Israeli computer position salary and convert them to dollars. You will get depressed. You must compare them to other Israeli salaries and the cost of living here. Still depressed? Go visit some homes of the average Israeli computer professional. There is a very good chance that you will find the color tv, video tape machine, washing machine, dryer - spoiled ones like me :-) and other standard comforts of home. In general (and yes there are always exceptions where you hear the worst things), you can live a very nice life in Israel working in our profession. Take note that none of the computer ads have salaries listed. Do not mention salary first during an interview. When it comes up, state that you are flexible and are not familiar with Israeli salaries. If offered a job, take a day or two to check out the salary with friends in the field. Be aware that base salary is not the only part of the compensation package. Over the past few years, there have been many hi-tech startups launched in Israel. In my salary survey last year, 36% of the people that answered wrote that they had stock options. Yes, everyone has the dream of working for a company that will bring in the gold (ie: IPO). Just remember that for every success you hear about there are also failures. If you want to work hard and take a chance then go for it. Just remember to put some money in the bank for the possible rough times (eg: money runs out for salaries). If you make it big, remember the little people who helped you find that job (cash please, no stocks). There are different ways that your salary may be linked: Dollar, Inflation, Part inflation, general wage linkage. Try to negotiate dollar or full inflation link. This is very important to establish when you first start. Getting it later is very hard. Most large companies have a set policy for the whole company. Small companies do not. 16 years ago when inflation was very high, the linkage was very important. Today the dollar or inflation rate linkage is common. For the past five years I have been conducting a yearly salary survey among the CJI subscribers. Last year 594 people answered the survey. The CJI February 2000 salary survey is located at: http://www.cji.co.il under resources. Remember that the survey was in February and I would say that the salaries today are higher. After 3-4 interviews, you will get an idea of what you can get in the market. Q31. What other compensation benefits are there besides base salary ? A31. "Bituach Menahalim" - Managers Insurance (5% employee, 5% employer, 8.3% severance pay / Life insurance Pension) Severance pay (pitzuiim) is mandatory for employees who work a minimum of 12 months and who are fired including due to a business going bankrupt, get drafted to the military, joining the police or other security services, get married to someone who lives more than 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) away and moves away as a result or within one year of having a baby. The advantages of having severance pay in bituach minahalim is that it is protected against creditors of the employer. It is in the name of the employee and may not be attached by creditors of the employer if the employer goes bankrupt. It is also common practice for employers to release bituach minahalim with all its parts including severance pay to employees if the employee should leave of his/her own volition (except in extreme cases such as embezzlement). "Keren Hishtalmut" - Tax free (after 6 years) savings plan (2.5% employee, 7.5% employer). 13th Salary (a few government offices still give this) Subsidized Lunches - Most large companies Free transportation from home to work and back - many companies have this especially if you work in a different city. The larger companies hire their own van service with specific hours to pick you up and take you home - door to door. Histadrut Companies and government have extras like: clothing allowance, car allowance, etc..... I hope you all took Israeli Paycheck 1.0 in college. Hours at government offices are usually better then private companies. You should be thrilled to know that most companies in Israel work a five day week. No work on Fridays. Isn't that great :-). Now for the bad news: Getting up Sunday morning :-( No more xmas parties, Purim parties instead. No more wasted vacation time to take off for Jewish holidays. Vacation time is among the things to negotiate although large companies have a set policy based on tenure. By law companies are required to give you 14 days for each of your first 4 years, 16 days for the 5th year, 18 days for the 6th year, 21 for 7th, then one additional day for 8th year and up to a total of 28 days per year. Employers may grant more than the minimum days. Q32. Besides vacation time, what else is there? A32. Employees are entitled to one and a half days of sick leave per month which accumulates from the beginning to the end of each work year (18 days) without loss of salary. Also, if you are sick for more then 3 days you must bring a note from your doctor. All companies give off the Jewish holidays and the day before (erev hag) is usually half a day (work until 13:00). Some companies (and government) give off Hol Hamoed (Succot and Passover). The law also requires days off for the following: Marriage: 5 days Birth of child: 2 days boy, 1 day girl Death of close relative: 5 days Death of distant relative: 1 day Personal days: 3 days (5 in some companies) Q33. What happens when you go off to reserve duty for 30 days? Do you get paid? A33. Bituach Leumi (national insurance) pays your company for the time you are in the army. You collect your full salary. Depending where you are stationed and your family situation, this can be a nice vacation or pure national duty. It all depends on your situation. Based on the age and marital status when you moved to Israel, you may not have to do a lot of miluim. Some olim may be exempt if they are over a certain age. Check with your local aliyah office or Israeli consulate. Q34. Why not work for the army in computers? I heard that many of the hi-tech startups in Israel are run by former officers in the IDF. A34. If you are a teenager who turned 18 you will be drafted. If you are in your late 20's or 30's the army may not want you unless they really need you for a specific job. Normally you need to sign up for 5 years to get into the computer branches of the army. There are exceptions. Security clearance is sometimes also an issue. Q35. I live in Jerusalem but I go to work every day in Tel-Aviv. Is this normal? A35. Yes, but lately Jerusalem is attracting more private industry. Two hi-tech parks in Jerusalem (Malcha and Har Hotzvim) have dozens of the leading hi-tech startup companies in Israel. Q36. What other hi-tech parks are located in Israel? Should I visit them and go door to door with my resumes? A36. Yes on the door to door if you know how to approach the companies. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you may even get an interview on the spot. However, take into account that people are busy and many will just ask you to leave your resume. I did this 16 years ago with Intel and it worked. Some of the hi-tech parks or areas with a large number of hi-tech companies in Israel are: North part of Israel - Tefen, Haifa - Matam, Herzlia Industrial Zone, Tel-Aviv - Atidim, Or Yehuda, Lod. You can find other parks listed at: http://www.incubators.org.il/ Q37. I have been job hunting for 6 months and I feel like leaving the country. This place is not for me. I will never learn Hebrew. Israelis talk too fast. The taxi cab driver almost killed me on the way to my last interview. The weather person on the news said it was going to be a nice day and I am very hot. The bag of milk from the grocery store had a leak and I smell like spoiled milk. Did I make a mistake leaving my great job in California? I miss my parents, my brothers/ sisters, cousins and friends. I miss Late Night with David Letterman. I want to go home!!!! A37. Hey, slow down. Let's put some things in perspective. You say that you have been here for six months and you have not found a job yet. How long have you been REALLY looking. It took you 3-4 weeks to find a place to live, get all your aliyah paperwork done including running around to dozens of places and offices. You probably took a Hebrew ulpan during the first four months. How many hours a day were you really job hunting between classes and homework. What about that 2-3 weeks you toured the country? You were a financial programmer for a bank in California; did you send your resume to all the banks and insurance companies in Israel? What about all the service companies that do payroll and accounting for firms? Did you visit the professional job placement center? Your unemployment rights ran out so you stopped going? You think they would really object or turn away someone who wanted to review the job lists they post on their bulletin boards? Did you open the yellow pages to see how many firms do financial consulting? Do you know that almost all large firms in Israel have some sort of financial department and many of them have computers? Are you getting the picture??? A little dramatic but you get the point. It is very easy to suddenly wake up one morning and have regrets for moving to Israel. It could be trouble finding a job or finding a place to rent; buying your first new appliances or trying to understand the nightly news announcer. It could be that homesick feeling that EVERY oleh/olah feels every once in a while whether things are going great or slow. It is natural. Remember that most Israelis were olim but they forget what it was like very quickly. Sit back, relax and examine what is going on. You have been adjusting to a new life in a different culture and with a foreign language. If you were job hunting back in the "old" country you may have run into the same problems finding your first job. Even with experience, finding your first job IN ISRAEL can be tough. The problem is that you are also adjusting to a new life style. Give it a chance. When you call or write overseas, the people on the other side have no idea what you are going through. Many Israelis will help you. Some Israelis (including the clerk who drove you crazy) do not remember what it was like to be an oleh/olah. If they do, some will say how easy life is for you. "Back Then" making aliyah was hard and dangerous. Easy for THEM to say when THEY did not have to deal with the fact that every office you tried to get to today had different hours than the normal 9-5 you are used to. Sounds crazy? When you are looking for a job and things are not going exactly the way you planned, every little thing can be blown out of proportion. You will find that job. You will get that first Israeli paycheck and go out and celebrate. You will figure out how to say "C++" in Hebrew ("C++" - see that was easy). Just wait. A year or two from now you will be able to sit down with a newly arrived oleh/olah and tell some great stories. You, yourself, will be amazed what you went through and that you made it. You will be able to help them find a good job and help them make a successful aliyah. May your job hunt be a smooth and successful one! Jacob Richman Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York Aliyah: August 30, 1984 Home: Israel - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This document is located on the CJI web site at: http://www.cji.co.il Please include this web address if forwarding or publishing part or all of this document. copyright 2000 by Jacob Richman - jrichman@jr.co.il - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -