Success Story - Nurit Raviv, Manager of the Holon Branch, E.S. Welfare Office / By Hadas Shimoni

"the tremendous gratification i get from working with the elderly makes me feel happy and fulfilled," says nurit raviv, who is married and has three children. two months ago she began working as manager of the holon branch of e.s. welfare office. nurit, 43, is a social worker by training. she gained familiarity with many different fields before she started working with people in their golden years. "during my lifetime i've met different segments of the population in need of care. when i finished my degree i started working at the holon municipality in rehabilitation and handicaps. afterwards i worked in the far north, in kiryat shmoneh, where i was involved in setting up a project for drug users. later i worked with children at the ben shemen youth village, arranging family assistance programs. i came to the area of elderly care a few years ago after gaining experience with children, drug users, families, etc."

nurit always knew that her calling was to take care of and represent the weaker elements in society, so after finishing her military service she began studying for a degree in social work. "i didn't have many uncertainties when it came to choosing a profession. i started studying at a young age based on clear resolve. but over the years my yearnings and aspirations evolved. i handled different segments of the population until i eventually decided to enter the world of nursing care and assistance."
nurit found her job at e.s. welfare through the jobnet site.

nurit raviv (left) and tova shachar (right) at the e.s. welfare offices

why did you decide to focus on caring for the elderly?
"i had a strong feeling inside that pushed me toward this field. i felt i had fully exhausted the other fields and began wondering about my career path in life. over the years i went through a maturing process, in the positive sense of the word, of course. i was looking for some kind of stability and a direction in which i could specialize and move forward. so after 15 years of working as a social worker, i found myself considering a career change, and eventually i decided to study another care profession, the elbaum method, which is a child therapy technique that differs from social work.
after trying it out i reached the final conclusion that my calling is social work, and i began working at the elderly daycare center in ramle. this is where my love for working with this distinguished population segment began. i decided to study for a master's degree in geriatrics at ben-gurion university, where i learned about both the physical and mental processes of aging."

why, in your opinion, are a lot of people reluctant to work with this segment of the population?
"coping with old age is really the most universal fear there is because old age leads to death, the end. but i feel that i have a lot to give to these people, who give a whole lot back. i get a lot of gratification and a feeling of fulfillment from working with them. these people are very intelligent and you can learn a lot from their life experience and get the proper sense of proportion in life."

how did you conduct your job search?
"my job search was very intensive. every evening i would get on the internet and send out my resume to many companies. the companies' responsiveness exceeded my expectations and after a week i was asked to come in for several interviews. i went to at least ten interviews. i felt a need to explore the job market from scratch before reaching a decision. i carefully weighed every position because after years of moving from job to job i wanted to enter a stable company that would allow me to develop professionally and grow over the long term."

how did you eventually make your decision?
"while i was still in the job search process i got a favorable impression of the professionalism of the employees at e.s.
in the interviewers and the company corridors there was an easy-going atmosphere of openness. i also quickly came to realize it was a company that invests in its employees, making me feel that here i would be able to realize my potential, advancing and varying my job in the next ten years. i liked all of these things and after a few weeks was hired by e.s. as manager of the holon branch."

how was your integration there? were you given the tools you needed to do the job?
"my integration here was amazing and it was clear a lot of thought had gone into taking in the new employees. the company built for me and for the four other social workers who had been recruited a concentrated weeklong orientation course at the central branch in tel aviv.  
we were introduced to key figures at the company, such as the deputy ceo, irit sagi and branch managers. we attended lectures on the programs we would be working with and on the company's content world – the medical, physical, legal and personal aspects of aging. i had a very soft entry to my new job."

what kind of a company is e.s. in terms of the staff and the overall atmosphere?
"the company is characterized by unity, which is apparent in the numerous, broad training programs, and by the employee portal, which turns us into one big family. the work is very intensive and varied, and includes a lot of collaboration among the various branches and staff members, and people help one another out. workers are also given a lot of room for initiative, self-expression and creativity. to sum up i would say the atmosphere here is pleasant and positive. from this perspective it's a place that allows a whole lot of satisfaction."

all in all are you happy here?
"i'm sure i made the right decision, since this job met and continues to meet my expectations. the more time goes by the more i'm pleasantly surprised. i'm just getting started and i'm still learning the fundamentals, but i feel that there's a lot of challenge. this is a company that allows many opportunities for learning. there are lots of thought forums and the productiveness is cooperative.
also, the field of nursing care is developing as longevity increases. the percentage of elderly people is rising, which requires the development of many services to care for this segment of the population."

tova, as the company's organizational advisor, tell us about your cooperation with jobnet.
"we've been working with the site for more than six months. in fact we recently renewed our subscription. i'm very impressed with the professional way the site is run and with the high level of service. the representatives' sense of caring is palpable, and the control over the service is very intensive. as far as results are concerned, through the site we've hired high-caliber employees like nurit, and we're very satisfied."

the company's motto is "assisting the elderly to cope with dignity and not alone."
e.s. welfare office ltd. was founded in 1984 and has a reputation built on 22 years of experience. the company makes special efforts to provide professional training for all of it's employees and places emphasis on focused customer service. tova shachar, the company's organizational advisor, works to assure customer satisfaction by planning and carrying out training activities for all company employees and caretakers. in addition to nursing care, the company provides complementary community assistance, such as a range of volunteer activities. the company currently operates 20 branches that employ social workers, nurses and caretakers who arrange comprehensive nursing care solutions for 6,000 sick, elderly and handicapped people around the country.

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