The Meta Engineer Helping Raw Talent Find Opportunities in Tech

Avi Lewis is one of the most outspoken influencers helping Israelis find jobs in tech. In this special interview, he breaks down his story, describes how he started posting on LinkedIn, and top strategies for finding a great job in Israel.

I've always been passionate about creating content.

Before I began working in tech, I worked at the Times of Israel. I started posting on LinkedIn as a creative outlet outside of my day job.

I understood from Nas Daily’s videos that the way that you build a large social media presence is not by the quality of your content. It's about posting frequently. 

So I thought to myself: Wow, Nas Daily, found the formula. He posts one piece of really good content each day so people keep discovering it.

I don’t have the time to make a one minute video a day. So instead, I would write answers to questions that kept coming up amongst friends and colleagues of mine about various topics, starting with tech.

All these questions kept coming up:

• Should I learn to code?
• Should I get into tech?
• What does it take?

So, I put my thoughts into writing on Facebook. I wasn't into LinkedIn; I opened a profile in university because everyone did. I thought it was just an electronic resume.

I posted on my personal profile to a small group of friends, and someone suggested cross-posting on LinkedIn. When I did, it didn't go viral but got traction from people outside my network. That intrigued me.

I tried again with a post in Hebrew, "10 Things I Learned in My IDF Service" on Facebook and LinkedIn. It went viral, getting 100,000 impressions, even though I had fewer than 500 connections on LinkedIn. 

I kept posting and my follower count grew quickly. The likes and comments were motivating. Through my writing, I realized my target audience: people looking to enter tech, study technical degrees, get tech jobs, transition within tech, or pivot roles.

It's been a wild and rewarding ride.

A lot of people started messaging me for help getting into jobs. Initially, I helped a few personally, but when 50 to 100 people a week began asking for resume reviews and chats, it became impossible to manage. At the same time, HR recruiters were reaching out to me for resumes because they saw the engagement on my posts.

I realized I needed to scale this. 

I started with a simple Google sheet for sign-ups. Within no time, 1,000 people had signed up, and it was clear there was a demand. This led to the creation of Goozali.

It’s a free platform where job seekers can leave their details, and recruiters can access the information without needing me as a middleman. Currently, we have 5,500 job seekers and 3,500 open positions being tracked and updated. The platform also links to various tech ecosystem resources like WhatsApp and Facebook groups.

At this point, we’ve directly helped dozens of professionals find jobs.

There are only so many entry-level jobs available in the private tech sector.

You can have thousands of entry-level candidates, but only a handful of entry-level jobs. There's always a balance of supply and demand.

Startups usually need experienced people who can start immediately and don't have the capacity to train entry-level candidates.

From my data, out of over 3,500 positions, less than 1% require no experience. Most of these are for students in technical degrees, like third-year computer science or fourth-year electrical engineering students. There are very few true entry-level roles for those with zero experience, making it hard for them to get in.

A hiring manager from a well-known post-IPO Israeli startup told me they received 900 resumes for two entry-level positions. They chose candidates from top computer science programs with high GPAs and internship experience—so not truly entry-level. 

So should young professionals choose a different career path - something other than tech?

At the end of the day, people have to do what they're passionate about.

If you examine the motivation of why people go into tech, there are a few different groups:

• Some go for the hype, thinking it's cool and brings glory.
• Then there's the money; tech is one of the few industries that can provide a middle-class lifestyle on a large scale.
• Some people go in because they're passionate about technology and innovation and love the thrill of entrepreneurship.

About 10% of the Israeli workforce is in tech, the largest industry offering a middle-class lifestyle to the most people.

Tech has democratized the middle-class lifestyle in Israel, which has shrunk in the last 20 years due to the cost of living. But now, there’s an imbalance of entry-level opportunities.

AI is also having a huge impact. Senior software engineers can do more with fewer people using AI tools. Instead of hiring 10 junior developers, companies can have one senior developer using AI, which is more efficient and cost-effective.

So really - how do you get people into tech?

It’s presumptuous to say the door is shut. If someone is really motivated and persistent, they might eventually get in.

Why are you trying to get into tech?

Some want a comfortable lifestyle and decent earnings, which tech can provide. But if that’s your motivation, it will only take so long for you to move on.

How long do you keep trying?

Some need money now and can’t afford to wait, so they switch fields but keep the door open to tech. Getting into tech is a full-time job; you need to differentiate yourself.

You have to get noticed.

The way I see it, there are two main problem areas in getting that first job. 

The first is acquiring the skills, which you can get from a bootcamp, university, or studying alone. 

All the information needed as an entry-level developer is freely available online. A university or bootcamp, however, provides a framework that channels your motivation, sets deadlines to learn the material within a certain time, and gives you a certificate at the end to prove your knowledge.

The second problem area is resumes.

When you submit your resume against 899 other applicants, how do you prove you are the best for the job? There could be many great people, but how do you stand out? This is where thinking outside the box and differentiating yourself comes in. There is no right answer. 

In lectures to university students, I provide case studies of people who did something truly out of the ordinary.

One example I like is from Tel Aviv. An HR hiring manager was looking for a job. She lived in a high-rise apartment facing a big tech building. She hung a large poster from her balcony saying "Looking for a Head of HR" with a huge QR code linking to her LinkedIn profile. Everyone in that building saw the poster, thought it was fun, and scanned the QR code. It went viral, and she got a job as Head of People at an Israeli startup. That kind of out-of-the-box thinking, that positive chutzpah, is crucial.

People who refuse to take no for an answer, who keep going despite rejections, embody this spirit. It’s inspiring to see that energy. Some people just refuse to take no for an answer and eventually succeed.

It’s about thinking outside the box, getting noticed, and providing value.

There’s no right or wrong here. 

Could you productize a cool project you did at school, post it on Product Hunt or LinkedIn, and at the end say, "PS, I’m also looking for work"? I’ve seen students do that. The post goes viral, and HR managers start reaching out. 

Nobody told them to do that. They just did it because they thought outside the box.

Another example is a guy who subscribed to a platform which gave him access to the emails of all the HR people in Israeli tech. He painstakingly crafted personal email messages to each one of them. 

It took him weeks.

95% of people ignored his message, 5% got back to him, and 1% invited him for an interview. 

He eventually got the job. He did something other people didn’t and got noticed. He got a job from a startup that didn’t even advertise an open position. It just so happened they were planning on advertising a position, and this guy fell into their lap. They invited him for an interview, saw he was great, and hired him.

The biggest determining factor for a successful Aliyah is integration into Israeli society.

The key to that is learning Hebrew and having a social group of Israelis. Many people I see don’t learn Hebrew to a high degree and stay within an Anglo bubble. That’s fine if that’s what they prefer. Some are very happy and comfortable, and that’s great. Hats off to them.

But for those who want to become Israeli and make it work, acquiring a professional level of Hebrew is critical.

Using English here is easy. Most Israelis want to practice their English, so English speakers don’t get the chance to practice Hebrew unless they really push for it or live in an immersive Israeli environment. 

Most Anglos tend to go to places with other Anglos like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Ra'anana. There’s comfort in cultural familiarity and shared backgrounds, but to succeed here and expand professional opportunities, you need Hebrew.

If you’re older and past IDF service, I recommend Ulpan and maybe living in a community with fewer English speakers. Hustle, have grit, and try to get to a high level of Hebrew. 

That may be the main factor for success.