The past year has been particularly difficult for Israel's high-tech industry. Economic crises, political turmoil, and wars have led to reduced funding and mass layoffs, reducing the size of the workforce to 2022 levels. The situation worsened in January, when a wave of global layoffs, including in Israel, saw thousands of Israeli employees laid off. So it's no surprise that technical recruiters say they've seen a significant increase in applications in recent months.
Despite ongoing wars, political crises, and economic uncertainty, some businesses are still hiring, albeit not at the same pace as in previous years. Competition for every open position in the industry remains fierce, with more candidates competing for fewer openings.
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Technology company Appsflyer.
(Credit: Netanel Tobias)
“We've definitely received a lot more resumes in recent months,” says Roni Pollack of the talent acquisition team at fintech company Remitly, which is recruiting for 20 tech roles. “We work with companies that have had to make redundancies and help them integrate departing employees, taking into account, of course, their suitability to the different roles they are hiring for and to the organization. There are also IDF reserve candidates, and we are considering that the process will take more time.”
Calcalist spoke to leading tech companies currently hiring to find out what kind of candidates they're looking for and what can increase your chances of getting hired, especially in the current climate.
Requires resilience and flexibility
Since the outbreak of war, many high-tech companies have focused on the importance of business continuity, which is critical and especially difficult for early-stage companies. Reu Heldstein, Managing Partner, CFO and COO of Team8, said: “This year, we are focused on exploring the qualities and skills that demonstrate resilience, because foundational infrastructure and initial teams impact business continuity and maximize a company's chances of success. We build and invest in cybersecurity, data, fintech, and digital health companies. “This is based on experience gained this year from observing the success of portfolio companies that have maintained business continuity since the outbreak of war.” As part of the expansion of its early and growth-stage start-up businesses, the group The company has set a goal of hiring 350 people.
Because the market is full of candidates, requirements are high and employers can afford to be more selective. “Fundamental skills are becoming less important, in contrast, unique skills and knowledge are a huge advantage. Personal resilience, networking and flexibility are key in these markets. I think it’s the ability to learn and think, to stand out in a toolbox of skills and competencies that match changing requirements,” said Revital Elad, Global Talent Acquisition Director at AppsFlyer. AppsFlyer is currently hiring for 40 positions in Israel in software development, DevOps, marketing, data, and customer management. , more.
In a competitive market, specialized knowledge and experience alone is not enough, even though there are many candidates with the same level of knowledge and experience. You need to stand out to be accepted, and it's often personality traits, not skills, that help candidates stand out. “Beyond technical skills and expertise, we look for candidates who are ambitious, inspired and curious, who explore and develop knowledge, and who set and achieve ambitious goals for themselves. ” says director Doganit Ferrer. In Israel, she is in charge of talent acquisition at cybersecurity company Pentera, which is hiring for 20 positions. Additionally, the war increased the importance of teamwork and cooperation. “At Penterra, more than 10% of our employees are reservists, and our colleagues and teammates support us in our work. People who work well in an environment,'' she says.
During the war, the need for flexibility and dynamism on the part of the workforce increased. They were forced to replace their drafted colleagues, perform tasks beyond their stated roles, and do essentially anything to achieve results. For Tech Unicorn Island, which has raised $100 million in Series C and is recruiting for his 30 roles in R&D, product design, and DevOps, the challenge is to find developers with a broad, systematic, and interdisciplinary vision. That's what Adi Reis explains. The company's human resources manager. “We're looking for developers who are dynamic, want to grow and learn on the job, and can move between teams and projects.”
“The wartime situation poses significant challenges for us recruiters. On the one hand, the search for talent is relentless and competition in the market remains fierce. On the other hand, many Understanding and patience are required because the employee is still in the reserves.'' “This is because the recruitment process takes quite a while. “This is very important and naturally increases your chances,” she says.
Another factor that gives candidates an edge in today's market is their ability to connect with a company's values. “We look for curious employees who are willing to learn and grow. Additionally, we hire employees who understand the importance of contributing to the community and participating in social activities. is also important,” said Sagit Tidar Akerman, Israel Talent at Microsoft. An acquisitions manager is recruiting for dozens of roles across his 30 research and development teams at the company, including software development, product management and security research.
In addition to the skills in demand today, such as resilience, flexibility, and teamwork, there are skills and values that are always needed in the job market and that still help candidates stand out today. “In our talent acquisition process, we have developed guidelines that focus not only on the technical abilities of our candidates, but also on their personal qualities. We aim to identify candidates who can. The candidate's experience is not the only focus; values such as excellence, interpersonal skills and teamwork are equally important. We look at the big picture. “We're looking for people who fit into a flat infrastructure, where each engineer has significant autonomy and unique tasks end-to-end, from planning to production.” said Yaniv Oliver, senior software engineer and head of recruitment at Wiz, a cyber company that plans to hire employees.
Similarly, monday.com, which has more than 400 job openings in research and development, product management, design, sales and marketing, says: “These are people who are passionate about their work, know how to collaborate, understand the strength of working as a team, and enjoy connecting with the big picture of what the company is doing,” says Chief Human Resources Officer. Legal director Siran Nawi said on Monday.
Job seekers seeking stability and economic power
On the job seeker side, in a reality defined by uncertainty, many are seeking stability and have little interest in relocation or change. Uncertainty causes passive candidates, those who don't actively submit their resumes but are approached by companies, to be uncooperative. “It is clear that the national mood and overall uncertainty is having an impact on candidates’ willingness to cooperate with active investigations. Candidates and employees are significantly less willing to change their jobs this period. “That's why the supply of candidates is so difficult and not necessarily increasing,” said the chief human resources officer at HoneyBook, a company that develops technology for financial and business management for freelancers and small businesses. says Liat Nachmani. She says technical and product management roles are in demand in the market and talent is always in demand, even during difficult times. The company plans to hire several dozen employees in 2024, mainly for product development and management positions.
In fact, even in tougher competition days, there is still a demand for talent. What has changed are the expectations and demands of the workplace. “It is clear that employees looking for work value financially strong companies, making this one of the core values for technology employees. I want to work in a place of strength and growth,” says Adi. Mr. Fine is the chief human resources officer at Elementor, where he develops his open source website building platform and he has 15 hiring roles in the areas of research and development, data, marketing and product.
“The market is mature and today's employees are not impressed by perks, but are smart enough to focus on the 'holy trinity' of people, technology and financial resilience. Previously, candidates asked mainly about terms and values, but now they ask about terms and values as well.''Candidates are asking about the company's performance, its dependence on investors, or whether the company is already established in the market. They are interested in whether they are growing and delivering profitable products, delving deep into a company's financials, and are increasingly interested in business areas such as: “It used to be seen as less important,” she says.
However, the current reality requires job seekers to also demonstrate flexibility. “These days, what employees are looking for when choosing a job is stability, business foresight, and organizational resilience,” says Merav Levin-Gadot, vice president of human resources at Novidea. The company employs dozens of people in Netanya in the areas of research and development, customer management, and products. , more. Because we are in extraordinary times, she advises candidates to identify her three key priorities for their next job, not compromise on them, and be flexible on everything else. I am. “Her benefits are two-fold, both for job seekers who can find a good fit for themselves, and for interviewers who are highly impressed by such qualities,” she says.
Companies currently hiring in Israel include Ness, Nayax, Applied Materials, Travelier, Nova, Optimove, Next Insurance, and Akamai.
