Success Story Through Hot Jobs Service, Ilient Ltd. / Hadas Shimoni

vitali vlasenko of ashkelon, tzvi merrill, a new immigrant from new york, and a third employee were hired by ilient following a hot job ad posted on jobnet.

founded in 2002, ilient is a software house that manufactures a full helpdesk system designed for it departments at various organizations. the company's flagship product, sysaid, is a system that provides easy and efficient technical support, allowing knowledge, control and command of all operations in it departments.
sysaid is an international success story: over 35,000 organizations around the world have assimilated it and the rate of demand for the product is growing. the company currently has 30 employees working at the offices in ohr yehuda and is constantly growing.

vitali vlasenko's success story
"just three and a half hours after sending them my resume i got a call from sarit yahav, manager of the support department at ilient. i couldn’t believe i'd received a response in such a short amount of time. the very next day i was on my way to the interview," vitali vlasenko, 24, told jobnet excitedly. vitali found his job three months ago as a technical support engineer at ilient.

"last year i finished my regular service as an electronics engineer in the air force, but at the end of my period of service i decided to change directions professionally and go into computers. after my discharge i worked at a technical support department in rechovot and at the same time i registered for evening courses in network operation and computer communications. unfortunately, the place i was working for didn't meet my expectations and after a few weeks i started looking for a job."

vitali vlasenko at the ilient offices

what led you to make a career change?
"after my discharge from the military i arrived at a crossroads and started to seriously consider the field i wanted to specialize in over the long run. i looked for a professional challenge as well as an opportunity for creativity and variety. as an electronics engineer
i felt a lack of gratification. the field began to seem dull to me and
i felt i had nothing more to look for, so i decided to open up to new fields. computer communications seemed to me to be an innovative field that demands deep thinking and that would allow me to realize myself."

after your discharge you were involved in support services. why did you start looking for a new job after just one month?
"the field interested me and i felt i was headed in the right direction professionally, but i had been unable to connect with the staff. most of the employees were in their 30s while
i was only 23. i had finished my military service just a short time before getting hired.
i was in a difference space. i'm not a closed and introspective person, in fact i really love being with people, but i felt unable to fit in to that social environment. within my first few weeks on the job i started thinking about leaving and looking for a new job."

how did you conduct your search?
"during one of the nightshifts, when there's a light workload and time to think, i began checking out jobs in networks and communications. using google i found job-search sites and within a short time started focusing on jobnet. at 4:30 am, if i recall correctly,
i sent my resume to ilient. it was the first place i applied to."

how did you notice the hot job on the site?
"it was listed in bold letters so it was hard to miss…i entered the jobnet site and at the bottom of the page i came across a job opening for a technical support engineer. the job description met my expectations and i had experience in support services, so i sent in my resume without hesitation."

when did you receive a response?
"at 8:00 am, as i was waiting for the train back to my home in ashkelon, suddenly my
cell-phone rang and on the other end of the line was sarit yahav, the manager of the support department at the company. i spent a few moments trying to remember which company she was calling from and when i realized it was ilient i was really surprised.
i hadn't expected to receive such a quick response – just three and a half hours!
i thought it would be a long time, perhaps two months, until i found a suitable job. the next day i came in for an interview and about a week later i started working at ilient."

how did your first day at the company go? did you get a good impression?
"i had already sensed the special dynamic among the staff members on the day of my interview. likewise, my first day at ilient was fabulous since on that same day an annual professional conference called sysaid day was held at the sheraton city tower, so before my integration at the company itself i went with the other employees for an information-packed seminar with lectures on various technologies, the product's abilities and the company's areas of activity."

did you feel insecure that day since you didn't know anybody?
"no. as a new employee i considered the invitation to the conference a privilege, allowing me to hear all about ilient from the company directors and to hear details about the product as well. i sat with the other employees and felt free to ask questions and participate. i really enjoyed myself. the next day each of the employees came up to me to introduce himself and within a short time i felt like one of the guys."  

do you see yourself at ilient years down the road?
"certainly. i like coming in to work and i get up in the morning with a smile on my face.
i feel like i've become part of a family and i hope to continue developing here for many years to come. there's a young dynamic here, the atmosphere is fun and the staff is made up of really high-caliber people. i'm very happy to be here.
i got married two weeks after getting hired at ilient and i felt a need to invite all of the staff members. i sent out e-mail messages notifying them about the wedding and it turned out to be a very happy wedding. from a professional standpoint i get professional support all along the way from everybody. all of the workers are very open, friendly and willing to answer every question that comes up. i learned and continue to learn every day about the complexity of the product, and am developing together with it."

do you have any recommendations for job-hunters?
"i think my story illustrates why it's worthwhile to follow your heart. after just one month
i decided to leave my job even though i was set to get married. i got hired at ilient, which is located far away from my home, but i made the concession and eventually found a career i like. in my opinion the issue of the social environment and atmosphere at the company is very significant. people say work is one-third of your life, so it's important to find a good place from every standpoint."

tzvi merrill's success story
"i grew up as a zionist jew in new york and decided to make aliyah in september of this year. my goal was to make a dream come true and try to make it in israel. after three months at an ulpan in jerusalem i started looking for work. i'm a programmer by profession and used to work as a freelancer in new york. this was the start of my career in israel." tzvi merrill, 29, couldn't believe his luck when he found his job as a technical supporter and networks manager at ilient through the jobnet site after just one week.

what kinds of jobs were you looking for?
"in the past i had worked as a computer technician, but i was looking for a varied position that would allow me to combine technical abilities with interpersonal skills. i love to program, but i wanted to specialize and gain experience in israel in managing advanced networks."

tzvi merrill at the ilient offices

how did you come across jobnet?
"i came to jobnet through a recommendation from an organization that assists new immigrants. the search process was easy and in english, bringing me to a list of positions in computers. the first job i sent a resume for was at ilient. it appeared on the list of hot jobs and really drew my attention."

how did you eventually wind up at ilient?
"the day after i sent in my resume i was called in for an interview and a week later i got hired. the timing was great because i had just finished ulpan. in light of the vast experience i've acquired in operating networks over the years, they tailored a special position that includes both technical support and network management."

you moved to israel just six months ago. isn't the language difficult for you?
"working with customers is done mostly in english, so the job is really suited to me as a new immigrant."

you were living in jerusalem and ilient is located in ohr yehuda. did you move to the central region once you got hired?
"i spent a month commuting back and forth from jerusalem. it's not an easy drive and there's a lot of congestion. i decided to get a change of air and move to the central region. a friend from work, sales manager shay ophir, helped me find an apartment and today i live in petach tivka, three buildings away from him. i was pleasantly surprised by the other employees' openness and their eagerness to help."

how was your integration at the company?
"it was hard at first, but i got help from everyone and acclimated quite quickly. i had the advantage of working with two departments at the same time: with the support and customer service department and with the development department, allowing me to get to know people in different fields. from a professional standpoint i feel i'm learning and trying out new technologies all the time."

is this how you imagined finding your place here in israel?
"i feel lucky. moving to israel wasn't easy since i came here without any family, but with only pure zionist motivations. getting hired at ilient definitely eased the difficulties of absorption. i've had the chance to make friends who are like my family. it looks to me like an excellent start in israel."

do you see yours as a success story?
"a big success. i got an opportunity to work at a company with a lot of potential and that encourages its employees to take initiative. i enjoy coming in every morning and feel i'm developing myself professionally."

sarit yahav, support department manager, says:
"the hot jobs article revealed information about the position and the work environment and organizational culture at ilient, and it lessened the uncertainty felt by web surfers and gave them an opportunity to get a brief look deep into the organization.
beyond the job of technical support, which sounds commonplace and familiar, the job offers contents, depth and a broader range not typical of support jobs at other organizations. through hot jobs we've managed to relate the attributes and shown it's not routine. the article gives color and depth to the position compared to a simple advertising slot with three and a half sentences.
the article also conveys the special organizational culture and the positive atmosphere we have, as tzvi can attest. for him israeli culture is foreign and not easy for him, but at ilient he found not just a place to work, but new friends and even old ones – among the people who work with him is a young man he studied with in new york."

what responses did you get a few days after the hot job article was posted?
"the service helped us receive a range of quality resumes from candidates suitable for the position and the company. this allowed us to be selective and to choose from among the top candidates those who are right for ilient and would help the company go forward. many candidates asked relevant questions about the position and expressed strong interest. we carried out an excellent recruitment drive, expanding the department and bringing it to a higher level of professionalism."

how many candidates have you hired through the service so far?
"eight employees were hired for the support department through jobnet, and three of them through the hot jobs service. i'm still interviewing for the department and am getting a lot of applications. we also hired a young woman following the posting of the article for a qa job, so in addition to expanding recruitment the service has contributed to ilient's attractiveness as a company in the eyes of web surfers."

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for the hebrew article