Why Immigrant Lawyers in Israel Must Watch TV

Why Immigrant Lawyers in Israel Must Watch TV 4 One year after his 3 Job Myths for Immigrant Lawyers in Israel, Yehuda gives more insight to life in the Israeli lawyer's workplace. This is a guest blog post by Yehuda. Last year I submitted an entry for JobMob's 2007 Guest Blogging Contest on myths encountered by lawyers who want to find work in Israel. I was a mitmacheh (articling student) at the time and, since then have joined the not-so-exclusive ranks of Israel's 49,000 lawyers. Over the course of the year, I have learned a great deal more about the legal culture in Israel, and thought I could discuss a few more law-work tips in 2008. Disclaimer: this post is not about the Olympics. Don't have a beautiful resume that works I have a thing for Israelis. I find them fun, hip, well-rounded, smart, and straightforward. I also know many lawyers, Israeli and non-Israeli, who are are fun, creative individuals with varied interests and a sense of humor. One would therefore think that Israeli law firms are bastions of hipness. In reality though, whatever qualities are held by the individual lawyers who make up a firm seem to disappear when you take the firm as a whole. In general, law firms are inherently conservative-minded.eval JobMob recently posted about beautiful resume ideas that work. With all due respect to the JobMobber-in-Chief, I do not think that some of these designs are appropriate for applications to law firms. The aforementioned conversative mindset of law firms is such that funky, colorful designs are likely to turn off, rather than impress, the recruiting lawyer. That is not to say that the CV should be bland. I agree that some originality in presentation is good. Go ahead, take a risk. Heck, you can even change the font from “Times New Roman” to “Arial”. But remember who your target audience is; while Israeli law firms have a distinctly Israeli “edge” to them â€" they are more blasé and less formalistic than North American law firms â€" but they are still, after all, law firms.eval “The Hours”, featuring You Every firm is different, but if you work for a firm doing large corporate transactions, the chances are that you will be working long hours. Firms in Tel Aviv tend to expect longer hours than Jerusalem firms. I recall a mitmacheh in one firm saying that nobody leaves before 9pm unless they have a very good reason. Even if their workload is lighter, they stretch it out in order to stay in the office until 9pm by taking a very extended lunch and a few extra coffee breaks. That does not sound to me like a lot of fun and based on conversations I've had with other mitmachim from other firms, I think it's an extreme example. That being said, the work does require a certain level of time-commitment as with any North American law firm. One thing I found interesting was that most firms allow mothers to work on a different work schedule. For example, they work until 3pm three days per week and 7-7:30pm, two days per week. This arrangement is widely accepted and respected by Israeli employers, including law firms, but the employee must also show flexibility and be prepared to make alternative plans if a particular file requires extra work. Will You Be My Friend? In a pre-aliya stint in an Israeli work environment, I found that as a non-Israeli it was hard to integrate socially with the locals. I have heard similar comments from other olim (immigrants). After more than a full year in Israel, I can say that the there is some truth to this. Like most people, I am neither overly shy nor a networking pro â€" I fit somehere in the middle, and I found the employee social circle hard to enter. Ultimately: I met some great people and have forged bonds with the Israelis in my firm, but it was not a smooth process from the beginning. For starters, the Israelis spoke in slang that I was not familiar with, despite good knowledge of Hebrew. I was never taught sachten, sachek ota and amama in Hebrew school. They have inside jokes and make pop-culture references that I do not get. I learned, for instance, that there are many, many Banai's in the cultural scene (the Banai's are like the Israeli Wayan brothers, except with talent). Israelis share a common history and stories about the army to which I do not relate. Based on my personal experience, I also found that Israelis do not make overt attempts to make the “new guy” feel at home â€" it was up to me to make my place and to force myself into the social circle, so to speak. All this naturally made my social integration more challenging. Thankfully, things have changed in the last few months (thank you, Keshet TV, for supplying me with the pulp I need to make my integration a success). I feel much more connected with the Israelis in the firm and they sense it too. A key to integration is connecting with what's going on socially. Newspapers, radio, television and the Internet help a lot. It may sound like a cliche, but it's true. Conclusion Practicing corporate law in Israel is like eating a shawarma in a laffa. No, wait, it's like watching Michael Phelps at the Olympics. Ok, maybe not exactly. Despite everything, if you like corporate/commercial law, Israel is a fantastic place to work in those fields because of the constant activity in a number of industries, hi-tech and bio-tech in particular. The blend of Israelis and foreigners at work makes things interesting and nothing beats getting a shawarma laffa for lunch. On a more personal note, there was a special feeling when I took the oath in Hebrew and sang Hatikva, along with all the other new lawyers. All this to say, beyond the challenges, I feel proud to be an Israeli lawyer. I hope that lawyers and law students contemplating aliya will one day feel the same. This article is part of the 2008 JobMob Guest Blogging Contest. Want a peek into the Israeli workplace?

How long should you sit on your Kingdom - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How long should you sit on your Kingdom - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career After all your hard work. Isn’t it time to sit back and relax? Its so compelling to think about it. Its so alluring, but dont go there … It’s a Trap! Today I was listening to Marc Benioff. Founder and CEO of Salesforce. The pioneer in the “No Software” movement. He was asked about some of the competitors to his business. He mentioned that they “Sat on their kingdoms for too long” which I thought was very interesting. It got me thinking and it inspired this post. The gist of his idea is that we always need to keep learning, pushing ourselves and reaching for the next big thing. Always Be Learning After working so hard for so many years in school it seems like its time to take a break and enjoy the fruits of your labors. While there is certainly a lot to be said for taking a break. I’ve written a few times about taking breaks â€" notably about Just Taking 10  as being a good thing. And, it is a good thing to take breaks. However, during those down times or as a bumper to some of those down times it’s wise to keep learning and continuing to hone your skills and to master your business. Start Early or Start Late … science and history has shown that it doesn’t matter when you start. Just THAT you start. “I started tinkering … and never stopped” ~Nolan Bushnell, Founder of Atari A few more examples from Nick Woodman, the founder and CEO of GoPro are worth thinking about: Wake up every morning a little bit scared. Competition is a really good thing. It drives you and motivates you to keep running hard. Never stop being a startup. Never stop trying to re-invent yourself. Never get complacent Give Back Philanthropy  â€" Giving Back is Good Both Marc Benioff and Nick Woodman are much more than fans of the idea. They are active contributors. In Nick’s case, he and his wife are active with BUILD, a Non-Profit to engage and encourage students. Build promotes entrepreneurship in public schools. Stick With It … while Iterating Persistence doesn’t always get rewarded. But there is something to be said for sticking with it.There is a point when you try something and fail and know that you just need to keep trying. This is what I mean by sticking with it yet continuing to iterate. Keep trying one new twist, one new thing, one new approach. Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. Tony Robbins There are times where you need to pivot (to use the Eric Ries “Lean Model” of thinking). There are people that will tell you it cannot be done. You might even begin to tell yourself this. However, don;t give up. Keep at it. Another line from the interview where I saw Marc Benioff stuck with me and struck a chord. It’s related to people and the tendency to value what’s close in time. The stock market certainly rewards the short timeline thinking, but generally there is a need to think long term. Try it. See what happens. “In business, we say that people overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in a decade.” ~Marc Benioff Don’t Rest on your Laurels If you really want to Stand Out in Your Career never stop learning. Never stop pushing the envelope. Don’t sit on your kingdom for too long. Always assume that someone is willing to put in those extra hours, to try that experiment one more time, to make one more call. Never get complacent. Try things. Experiment. Explore. Lean in!

Google Yourself to Manage Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Google Yourself to Manage Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Have you ever Googled yourself? According to a new study from the Pew Research Center, 56 percent of Internet users have searched for their own name online. This is up from 22 percent when they first asked Internet users in 2001, but today’s percentage has remained relatively the same in the last few years. It may seem like a self-involved thing to do, but Googling yourself is an important step in managing your personal brand. Googling yourself is extremely important because, according to a survey by ExecuNet, 90 percent of recruiters research job candidates through Google. They do this to learn more than what you give them on your resume. They want to gain insight into your personal brand. In fact, 50 percent of those recruiters have eliminated job candidates after learning certain information through their search. According to CareerBuilder, recruiters are finding many red flags when they search for candidates on Google and social media. These include: inappropriate photos (50 percent), references to drugs or alcohol (48 percent), bad mouthing previous employers (33 percent), poor communication skills (30 percent), and more. On the plus side, 82 percent of recruiters in the ExecuNet survey said they also view a candidate more favorably when they find positive information online. Some of the more favorable information according to CareerBuilder include: a professional image (57 percent), a good personality (50 percent), well-rounded interests (50 percent), a professional history (49 percent), creativity (46 percent), strong communication skills (43 percent), and more. It’s important to Google yourself so you can understand what recruiters (or anyone else) find when they do it themselves. You want to fall into the category of people whose online images build their brand credibility, not the category who get eliminated from job opportunities. Here are some steps you can take to start your personal Google search: Start with the basics. Search for your name the way it’s spelled on your resume. Then try a few other variations of your name. Use your full name, nick name, middle name, etc. If there’s a common misspelling of your name, search for that too. Add some details. If you have a pretty common name, like John Smith, add some details about your location, college, or current company to narrow the search. Determine what it takes to find you, rather than the thousands of other John Smiths. Hide private results. Google search has a feature that provides you with search results from the public web as well as other sites and information linked to your Google+ account. Select the option to hide private results if you want to see what others will find when they search for you. Set up Google alerts. Google allows you to set up alerts so you can monitor any changes in your saved search. Save the searches for your name and receive email updates when any new results are added to Google. Then you can know instantly when you’re mentioned online. Search on other sites too. While it’s safe to assume the majority of people use Google for their web searches, it’s not always the case. It’s a good idea to look yourself up on other search engines and social media sites as well, just in case you see different results. It’s really important to find out exactly what your brand looks like to other people. You cannot manage a good personal brand if you don’t understand the results of your efforts. If you find content you don’t like, you have time to address the concerns. Make changes on your social media profiles and try to eliminate the negative results in your next search. If you want your brand to be the best it can be, you need to be part of the 56 percent of people Googling themselves. What tips do you have for Googling yourself? Author: Heather R. Huhman  is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder president of  Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of  Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of  Lies, Damned Lies Internships  (2011) and  #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle  (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for  numerous outlets. Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com

Women Entrepreneurs Who Made Their Own Rules

Women Entrepreneurs Who Made Their Own Rules For centuries, women were considered homemakers. Now, they are taking over the business world. While there are still many challenges to face, women all over the world are proving that not only can they jump over hurdles, they can demolish them and rewrite the game. According to Forbes, some of the main challenges that women face include not getting taken seriously, not giving themselves enough credit, overextending themselves, and fearing failure. Women even face bias when trying to get the funds to start their businesses and sometimes need to seek loans specifically designed for female entrepreneurs. Of course, that is not stopping them from getting out there and dominating. Here are a few ways women are breaking industry molds and starting businesses their own way: Women for Taking a Stand Inequality in business is certainly not the only difficulty women face in our society. Sexual assault is, unfortunately, also widespread. In combination with other factors, such as racial discrimination, female safety is hardly a guarantee .   Thats especially true after the presidential election of 2016, when many citizens across the United States felt a direct impact on their safety. In reaction to that, many Americans wore safety pins to show support and solidarity to anyone who felt unsafe in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency. However, Leslie Mac and Marissa Jenae Johnson were not satisfied with a mere exhibition of support. In their pursuit of action, they came up with Safety Pin Box, a company that commits its clients to create change and donates part of the profit to Black Women Being. Turning a passion into a business is an example of how women are taking a stand. They are no longer accepting second-rate status nor are they waiting for change to happen around them. Mac and Johnson represent females everywhere who are willing and committed to making a change for themselves. Women for Taking Charge While education is the best tool available for anyone to get ahead, it can come at a crushing cost. Student loans are plaguing the country, rendering young graduates overburdened with debt. Mainstream options for repaying student loans, such as income-driven plans, refinancing, and consolidation, are not enough for many borrowers who trying to pay off their debts. This is causing many students to take creative measures to help them succeed â€" especially women, who typically graduate with more student loans than men. Kristen Seaton graduated with $67,000 in debt, in another article by Forbes. To pay off the debt, Seaton worked three jobs: teaching swimming classes, coaching for 12 more hours a week, and babysitting on the weekends. By keeping her expenses low, Seaton was able to pay off her debt in less than two years and save $20,000. With the money, she started her own aquatic sports and fitness business. Seaton is one example of many women finding ways to get rid of their debt and take control of their lives. Women for Changing Industries More and more women are breaking through into STEM careers. What are for now male-dominated industries are being slowly converted into gender-neutralized fields with the help of women like Phebe Novakovic. She runs the company General Dynamics, which specializes in aerospace and defense industry products as the CEO. Novakovic was even recognized by Villanova University as a prime example of a successful CEO. Women Entrepreneurs: Are You The Next Success Story? For progress to take place, it’s crucial for women to change the way industries work. Currently, they favor men. Soon, that will be a thing of the past. For the ripple effect of change to reach further and further everyday, women must disrupt industries. In order to do so, Ms. Career Girl urges women to practice being upfront, ask for what they want, and live without limits. The battle for equality in business is far from over.   But with the help of hardworking, driven women, the business world will be forever changed. With each woman and each business making strides for positive change, gender bias will eventually exist only in history books This guest post was authored by  Brooke Faulkner

How To Balance Your Work And Personal Life

How To Balance Your Work And Personal Life Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comWith the advent of technology this past couple of years, the line between work and personal life has become blurred. Whether it’s putting in extra hours, using the smartphone to always be on call or constantly responding to company emails, people seem to have either transferred some of their work activities home or simply started doing freelance jobs from the comfort of their living rooms.Although the balance between work and free time is different for every individual, here are some tips you can use to help you find the right kind of balance for yourself.1. Make a daily routineevalThis is one the most important and misused advice by far, as people tend to stick to their plans only for a while, before falling back to their old ways.evalSetting the alarm at the exact same time or putting aside the same window of time to check the emails leads to forming good habits. Once you make something into a routine, putting yourself into work mode becomes a lot easie r and the distractions become scarcer.Whether you’ll write it down on a piece of paper or use the calendar app on your phone, make a daily plan of activities and stick to it.2. Find time for yourselfYou probably heard that old saying, “all work and no play makes jack a dull boy”. Being good and proficient at your job is fairly important, however, working all the time without setting some time aside for your hobbies and activities can actually be counter-productive in the long run.Whether it sports activities, browsing the internet, watching your favorite TV show or simply hanging out with your friends, make sure to set aside some time to do something for yourself.3. Disconnect from your phoneWe live in a world where we’re constantly being bombarded with notifications, messages, emails and work related calls. This leads to creating expectations of constantly being available and the work day seems to stretch far beyond your normal work hours. All those phone notifications inte rrupt and interfere with your off time and leave you with an added level of work-related stress.By not giving in to the temptation of reading that work email and instead focusing on some quality time for yourself and your family can actually make you more resilient and focused.4. Try to get some exerciseExercise is the single most effective stress reducer. That said, it’s often the first thing that gets neglected once the calendar starts filling up. This is especially true for stay-at-home and freelance jobs, such as writing, designing or editing.evalMany web designers and developers are the groups that suffer the most, as they have fairly long work hours often spent sitting on a chair. Exercising at least a couple of times a week raises the endorphin levels in the body, which in turn, elevates the mood and makes us more relaxed afterward.The key is to find something that works best for you, whether it’s walking, running, swimming, riding a bike or even doing yoga.eval5. RelaxBr inging balance to your life doesn’t mean that you have to make drastic changes. It’s all about the small steps and things that bring you joy and make you happy. Try to add fun activities into your everyday life and schedule some alone time here and there. Take a break and do some breathing exercises, listen to your favorite music, go for a walk with a friend or take a hot bath.Meditation is also one of the best ways to relax and wind down after a stressful day at work and it doesn’t take more than 15 to 20 minutes to do it. It’s all about finding what makes you the most relaxed and happy and setting some time aside to commit to those activities.Bottom LineevalIn this fast-paced world of today, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to maintain a good work-life balance. Excelling at your career is commendable, but overworking yourself can only have adverse effects on your physical and mental health.It important to set boundaries between work-related commitments and person al life, not to mention relaxing from time to time. Give yourself a well-deserved break and find the things that make you calm, happy, and stress-free and try to incorporate them into your daily lifestyle.