4 Important Lessons to Keep in Mind if You Want to Find a Job as a New Immigrant

As you probably read on my LinkedIn feed, I recently gave a talk to Gvahim Career Program students. Since I received lots of positive feedback, I decided to write about what I explored with the lucky 15 people that joined that session in a new blog post series! I hope to reach as many people as possible by writing it here, on my personal blog!

The main topics we explored during the talk and that I’ll write about it in the next 5 blog posts are:

✔️ Research should be your first step while looking for a job in a new country: I’ll share ideas on where to look for information and how to create a list of companies you would like to work for

✔️ You’ve probably heard that networking is very important, but most people don’t know either how or with whom to network, and this is what I’ll write about

✔️ There’s a global trend to write your CV on one page. Even though I see many talented people succeeding in writing their CV like that, they still don’t pass the CV screening stage. I’ll highlight the main mistakes I see and what is, in fact, important to write down to make your resumé pass this first stage

✔️ I’ll share how the typical hiring process in Israel looks like and some important tips on how to act during these stages

✔️ Lastly, I’ll share a few tips on how to keep your mind busy during this difficult time of looking for a job in a new country

But before we dive into these 5 subjects, I would like to share 4 main important messages I had to learn in order to get where I am now:

1. Finding a job is a full-time job
2. You may be jobless, but you’re not worthless
3. “When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen” – Harley-Davidson
4. Accept the things you can’t change, have the courage to change the things you can, and have the wisdom to know the difference

Finding a job is a full-time job

You’ll see that this will be a blog post series containing many tips. It’ll take time for you to read it, do your “homework”, apply for jobs, follow-up, and be prepared for every step of the hiring process. It’s not easy, I know. Remember, I’ve been in your shoes. But I can guarantee you that this will be worth your while. The Israeli job market is highly competitive! So, in order to find a good job, I recommend for you to treat your job search as your current full-time job.

You may be jobless, but you’re not worthless

As this can take some time and you’ll probably receive many negative answers, your self-esteem can suffer a bit. Yes, it is frustrating to feel rejected – you know you’re very good at something, you’ve worked for great companies in the past, you’ve had great feedback from managers, peers and customers. At some point, you’ll start to get tired and will begin questioning yourself and your abilities. When this happens, you won’t be able to convince the hiring team that you’re the perfect fit for that position. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?

I have good news for you: this is perfectly normal! If this is already happening to you, just give yourself a break, a week or so. Go to places you like, be with people that you love, and do things that make you smile. Stop thinking about the job search for a while. Then, come back full power. This may sound cheesy and repetitive, but it happened to me and, when it did, I took several breaks, that definitely helped!

“When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen”

I truly love this quote for everything concerning both my professional and personal life. What do I mean by not letting anyone else hold the pen? Be accountable with whatever you want to achieve. If you’re looking for a job and asking for unknown people to help you somehow, follow-up! After all, you the interested party, right? You already have the “no” answer – go for the YES!

As I became more known in Israel, I’ve began receiving many messages from people asking me for support. I have my own work to deliver, my own career to develop, and lots of things going on in my personal life. If you won’t remind me that you want me to help you, I’ll forget. So, help me help you! I’m putting this in first person, but in the current era we’re living in, everyone is too busy with their own stuff. So, follow-up, nudge! Always in a polite way, of course, because no one has the obligation to help you. If the person really wants to help, they’ll see you’re interested and will find time to help you eventually. Oh, and don’t forget to show appreciation for all the people who helped you along the way!

Accept the things you can’t change, have the courage to change the things you can, and have the wisdom to know the difference

I think this phrase is important because, when moving to a new country, there are many things that are different from your home country. There will be things that you don’t agree with, that you’re sure could be done differently. As a business consultant (my profession in Brazil), I’m always thinking on how things could be done more efficiently. But countries have different cultures, and some things are so intrinsic to its people that they can’t be changed. And you, as a foreigner, should accept and change yourself to fit in the new country. This way, you’ll avoid many deceptions along the way.

From 2018 to 2021 (yes, 3 years of my life!), I worked for different companies that I didn’t agree with concerning their way of managing people and business (they’re not listed on my LinkedIn profile, because I chose to do so). I got really upset along the way, I tried to change them, and it was a waste of my time and energy. Many people tried to convince me of that and, thanks to their support, I was able to overcome those difficulties. I continued believing in my own journey (resilience!) and I continued to look for a workplace that has similar values to mine. I finally found it, and I hope you’ll find yours as well!

For those interested in learning more about the Israeli culture in the workplace, I wrote a series of 3 blog posts about it.

The painful beauty of impermanence

Last, but not least, my final advice before we kick-off this new blog post series is: even if you think you found the “perfect” company for you and for your skills, don’t stop attending networking events and meeting new people.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, for personal reasons, I began to meditate and learnt that impermanence is the only guarantee in life! Everything changes and nothing lasts forever.

So don’t wait until you need to look for a job to review your LinkedIn profile or to connect with that person that helped you somehow in the past. Maybe he/she is even in need of help, and may now need your help. Pay it forward!

For those who still haven’t seen/downloaded the presentation, you’re invited to do so here: https://bit.ly/3zEvvps.

Now that you learnt these 4 important messages about looking for a new job in a new country, stay tuned for the next 5 blog posts. They’ll be full of practical tips and tools to help you on your job search, mainly in Israel.