Nefesh BNefesh

Wednesday, May 23rd

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NBN Online
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The NBN Employment Department gave us realistic expectations and helped us prepare a game plan - who to meet, which sectors are looking, how to make and approach potential contacts. Throughout the process, it was evident how the NBN staff care and do their utmost to help new Olim transition successfully. I found a wonderful job (that matches 100% what I desired in a position) because the NBN Employment Counselor saw a position and cared enough to send my resume in to the company. I received a phone call not too long after, and a few interviews later I am happily employed!

-Amy, NBN 2010

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I started looking for a job on my own as soon as I arrived in Israel and after three months without a decent break, I reached out to NBN for help. NBN told me that they would start sending out my resume which I thought would be a nice, extra outlet. I was feeling hopeless, but now I am now very happily employed thanks to NBN who connected me with my current employer! Thank you NBN

-Tamar, NBN 2011

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I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for all of your assistance yesterday. I walked into your office not quite knowing what to expect and was amazed by the type of assistance that you were able to provide.

-Nir

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I would like to say that the employment department for Nefesh b'Nefesh has been unflagging in its dedication to finding jobs for new olim - following through and helping at every stage, responsive to all inquiries, and always on the lookout for what is best for the oleh.

-Kim, NBN 2005

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Thank you for your smile! I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate the talk we had after the linked-in session. Thank you for listening. I will be in touch. From my heart, thank you for everything!

-Polly, NBN 2008

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I made an appointment at the NBN office to review my new resume tailored for the Israeli market.  The advice they give one is advice anyone who is job hunting knows - network, network, network.  What NBN gave me was a built-in network that I could immediately start to connect with.  However the most important thing I received was the belief that I had a great team behind me and that I am not alone!

-Ayala, NBN 2010

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I wanted to thank the NBN team for setting me up with my first job in Israel! I couldn't have found this position without you! I am so glad I turned to NBN for help.

--Taire, NBN 2011

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The NBN Employment Department sent me the links from their job board. I sent my resume to positions that I thought were relevant and gave my specific information to the NBN Employment Department. A month later I get a reply from someone who got my resume from the NBN Employment Department. I was thrilled!

-Amy, NBN 2010

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To start me off, NBN gave me all the necessary tools and resources to begin the search. And the best part about this all was that they themselves were looking out for me, and sending my resume to any fitting positions they found. With their help, I landed my first job in Israel in a very reasonable about of time. A big thank you to the NBN Employment Department!

-Donna, NBN 2010

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Web Programming

A special thank you to Charlie Kalech, owner of J-Town Productions, Ltd. (http://j-town.co.il), for participating in this interview. If you have further questions, please be in touch with Charlie at Charlie@j-town.co.il.

Please describe your work.
I own a senior web design company in Jerusalem called J-Town Productions Ltd. We design and promote websites. Promotion includes Internet advertising, optimizing web sites for search engines, managing ad campaigns, and promoting websites through social media. We view websites as a tool to generate sales. We mainly work with organizations and small businesses that are trying to reach English-speaking Jews.

How did you find your job?
I have a background in journalism and writing. I also have experience working on newsletters in college, and I learned more when I worked in the army spokesperson’s unit. I took courses at Bezalel (Israel’s national art school) in graphic design. I got a job working for a publisher. I then worked in several different places before becoming a freelancer and starting my own company, J-Town Productions Ltd.

What experience do you need to break into your field?
It depends on what aspect of the field you want to work in. There are opportunities for those with experience in graphics, programming, marketing, writing, and library and information science.

What degree should someone making Aliyah come with, in order to work in your field?
There is no specific degree that is required. Depending on what you want to focus on, you can go to art school, college, or take specific courses.

Different companies work in different ways, so they will require different types of training. Companies use a range of programs and tools.

Experience is more important than training. It is important to build a portfolio; a portfolio from school is not enough. If you are starting out, you can volunteer to build a website for an organization for free, in order to gain experience and add to your portfolio.

Do you need to know Hebrew?
In general, you can get along without Hebrew; being a fluent English speaker is an advantage.

The level of Hebrew that you need really depends on what type of work you do. If the you work for a company with Hebrew-language computer programs, you need to know Hebrew. It also depends on the type of clients you have, and the nature of the work itself. If you interface with English-speaking clients who are trying to reach an English-speaking audience, then you won’t need very much Hebrew. However, if your clients need Hebrew language sites, you will need good Hebrew skills.

What are the benefits of working in this field?
There are three reasons that I love my job.
  1. It is creative. Working with art, programming, marketing, and business in a young industry allows for a lot of creativity.
  2. I have the opportunity to help people all the time – individuals who need extra guidance.
  3. I learn something new every day. I am constantly presented with problems to solve and new technology to learn about.
What is the salary range?
It depends on your level and position. For information about salaries, see Jacob Richman’s salary survey for computer jobs in Israel at http://www.cji.co.il/docs.htm.

Who are the major employers in your field?
There are a lot of small to medium sized businesses.

What are the upcoming areas of specialization that you would recommend?
Mobile web and search engine optimization is a growing area. Different companies use different technologies, but many use LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP).

A future trend will be building cross-platform applications (Mobile, Web and Desktop).

Is there a professional organization in your field?
I know of several organizations:
  • Graphic Designers Association of Israel - www.gdai.org.il.   
  • The Internet Society (ISOC) - An international organization that sets standards and policies. The Israeli chapter of the ISOC is the Israel Internet Association (www.isoc.org.il), which runs workshops and meetings about different issues such as Internet access for the underprivileged, moral use of the Internet, Hebrew development on the Internet and making the Internet more accessible to handicapped users.
  • I am also a member of an informal, English-speaking group called Jerusalem Web Professionals. You can find our group on Facebook.
  • There is a similar group of Web professionals in Holon, called Garage Geeks (www.garagegeeks.org).

Web programming is a very active industry with numerous informal networking events. A nice aspect of the field is that people tend to help each other. Everyone shares what they learn both with co-workers and with competitors.

What recommendations can you offer people who are starting out, and are interested in working in this field?
Initially, I recommend interning and volunteering, to gain experience.

When you look for your first paid position, I wouldn’t begin by doing freelance work. Start out working for a company, and learn how business is done here.

Any advice for students?
Gain as much experience as you can, even if you’re working on your own projects. That’s how Facebook got started!

How do you feel about working and living here in Israel?
I don’t have experience living and working in America as an adult, so it is hard for me to make the comparison. However, I can definitely say that life here is challenging, and if you are not passionate about living in Israel, it won’t be easy to make the adjustment. Also, if professional success is your primary goal, the Aliyah process will be more difficult; chances are high that there are better professional opportunities outside of Israel.

From  my personal experiences, I can tell you about my life as an English speaker in Israel, living in southeast Jerusalem. I have found a nice and unique community that shares my values. It has been a great environment for my children. In those terms, living here is incomparable to anywhere else.

Other advice?
Find someone who you feel close to -- who is ahead of where you are in life -- and ask questions. Talk to people! In general, I find that people really want to help others. Take advantage of that!