The American dream - how to make it work

Posted on Jan 25, 2018 by Ifi Reporter

Before you take the first step, it is important to know that some Israeli enterprises find it difficult to penetrate the United States because of errors related to their most precious resource - manpower. Unsuccessful hiring in the US can hurt the entire company and waste years of work, wasting time and millions of dollars, while recruiting the company will become stronger, progress and succeed. Learn and avoid them.

Recruitment of senior employees too

A common mistake of start-ups is recruiting more senior employees than necessary. The manager is dazzled by the high-quality candidate who has come to his doorstep and the possibility of recruiting a senior talent known from competing companies or considered in the industry. But to do so will have to pay a high salary or give a high Teitel is not always the time and the right step for the start-up. The candidate is enthusiastic about the start-up, dreams of the exit and is tempted to join without fully understanding what he is getting into. In a short time, reality is patting the faces of both sides, and they discover that being one of the first employees on the American scene requires rolling up their sleeves, being hands-on, and investing many hours of work. In such cases, the lack of conformity can lead not only to serious friction but to direct damage to the company's functioning.

A great example was with Eyal and Ofer Feldman of Stampli, who learned from the mistakes of others and decided to hire a director who is a little less experienced on the management side, but energetic and hungry for success, which will grow with the company. So in a sane budget while adjusting expectations they were able to get great results.

Failure to identify the appropriate candidate

Often, especially when it comes to sales and business development positions, Israeli managers find it hard to choose the one. American candidates can tell, present and sell themselves in a phenomenal and very positive manner, which makes it difficult for the Israeli manager to identify which of the candidates is indeed the right candidate for him. Our solution is to ignore American magic, ignore visibility, and ask candidates very specific, empirical, empirical, performance-based questions. In addition, we must not ignore the fact that the American worker must integrate into Israeli society at its core, which entails a cultural gap and many challenges. Sometimes there is a tendency to put the personal consideration aside and be blinded by the professional abilities of the candidate, but we must not ignore that the success of the employee in the company depends equally on his personality, his interpersonal communication ability and social integration.

An example of a company that is doing well is the Unbound company of Avner Mor and Prof. Yehuda Lindell, who have a regular and effective matrix of questions that help them identify the right candidate. Avner is personally concerned that the recruiting team will not be blinded by American charisma but will take a decision based on achievements, goals and performance.

Recruitment process is too slow

Israeli companies that recruit in the United States sometimes suffer from a very long recruitment process, and it is not easy to make a decision on who to recruit and the Israeli company wants to take the time and be confident in the decision. Contribute to the fact that it will take several days or even weeks between interview interviews and sometimes the recruitment process is so long that before the decision falls, the candidate signs elsewhere. The American market is very competitive, and every good candidate turns an average of over 10 recruiters a day (!) And can choose where to go. Anyone who wants to enlist without losing candidates on the road must not lose precious time and must conduct a short and effective recruitment process.

Next Insurance by Guy Goldstein, Alon Khoury and Nissim Tapiro is an example of a company that ran fast. Once a candidate is found, they determine one interview with two managers or alternatively a focused interview day. Next is a recruitment process that will be completed within a week of receipt of the resumes and until the candidate receives a contract.

Non-compliance with market conditions

In general, Israeli companies come to fundraising with a very specific budget, both of wages and of options, and sometimes this budget is not competitive enough in the US market. In addition, there is not always an understanding of what additional social conditions are acceptable, such as vacation days, health insurance and pension provisions. In the United States, unlike Israel, it is not obligatory under the law to provide social benefits, but this does not mean that there is no industry standard, and the company's starting point is that the candidate will compromise, but good candidates examine several companies simultaneously and the chances of compromise on social conditions. If the budget is limited, more options should be given. If there is a limit on options, perhaps a higher titel or more extensive responsibilities should be given, and most importantly, since competition in the market is very high, it is worthwhile to give all the social supplements that are acceptable.

A good example is the construction company of Oren Cohen and Yael Sherman, who consult with us on a regular basis in order to understand what companies (not only Israeli) of similar size give employees, such as the budget amount for lunch, vacation days and of course. The management invests a lot of time and energy to be competitive in the market and bring to the high satisfaction of the employees.

Israeli society in American culture

One of the biggest challenges for Israeli companies in recruiting workers in the US is the cultural gap: America is different from Israel in many aspects and there are endless examples and stories of the differences between the worlds Sometimes the starting point of the hiring manager is that the employee should adapt himself to the Israeli organizational culture, But it also leads to the wrong recruitment of preference for an Israeli because of his or her origin, even if he or she is not suitable for the job. In order to avoid mistakes and overcome the cultural gap, it is important to remember that this approach leads to a more rapid abandonment of workers due to cultural gaps, Even if the company is As soon as the Israeli parent company starts opening branches in other places, it must act as a global company with a global culture and a local culture in the various offices themselves according to the country in which the firm is located.

An example of a global company is Oren Kaniel's AppsFlyer, which operates 12 offices around the world. Each office has a slightly different atmosphere depending on the country in which it is located, but everyone has a uniform global culture rooted in the headquarters in Tel Aviv. The employees do not feel that they work for an Israeli company, but rather that they are the local representatives of a leading international company.

In conclusion, if you want to recruit in the United States, it is important to set up a recruitment strategy that includes schedules, familiarity with the local market and details of all your advantages and disadvantages, and if necessary, leave a budget and time to build the employer's brand. Direct and continuous communication between the recruitment managers in Israel and abroad will ensure a quality and fast process, at the end of which you will find the right person for you.