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How do I build a network and ask for referrals without being pushy?

Who this helps: Olim with few local contacts, and anyone whose applications through job boards aren't getting replies.

Last reviewed · 7 sources

The short answer

Ask for small, specific things: a 15-minute conversation, advice on a team, or a referral for one named role you fit. In Israeli tech, referred candidates have historically been hired at a far higher rate than applicants from job boards, but a referral gets your CV read; it does not get you the job.

What a referral does, and what it doesn't

What sources report
  • In a 2015 analysis of about 100 Israeli tech companies, referrals were about 8% of applicants but 36% of hires[1]. That is old data from one sector.
  • During the 2021 hiring boom, Amdocs' Israel recruitment manager said referrals produced about 40% of its hires, sometimes more than half[2].
  • Nefesh B'Nefesh advises building a network before and after aliyah, through people in your field, online groups and professional associations[3].
  • A recruiter who works with olim calls a local network crucial, and notes most olim arrive without one[4].
Our recommendation

A referral usually means an employee passes your CV to the recruiter or hiring manager, sometimes through the company's own referral system. It can get you an answer and a first conversation. It does not replace meeting the requirements, and it does not oblige the person who referred you.

Who is worth contacting

Our recommendation
  • People doing the job you want, one level above you, at companies you'd like to join. They know what the team needs.
  • Olim from your country or language who work in your field. Many have been through the same move.
  • Alumni of your university or former employer who now work in Israel.
  • Recruiters who specialise in your field, and in-house recruiters at your target companies.
  • Programmes that build networks deliberately. Gvahim's career programme, for example, includes mentoring and meetings with employers and recruiters[5].

Your Oleh Jobs Companies page lists employers that fit your background, even when no matching job is advertised, with the official route to reach them (sign-in needed).

How to ask

Our recommendation
  • Make one specific request per message, and make it easy to say yes or no.
  • Say in one line why you are writing to this person in particular.
  • Keep it short enough to read on a phone. English is fine if they work in English; otherwise a short Hebrew message, or a note saying you're happy to switch to Hebrew, can help.
  • Ask for a referral only for a specific role you fit, with the link, after you have spoken or they have seen your CV.
Example
Example 1: asking for a short conversation
Hi Dana, I saw your talk on onboarding at the Product Meetup. I moved from London to Haifa in June after six years in B2B customer success, and I'm trying to understand how CS teams are set up at Israeli SaaS companies. Would you have 15 minutes for a call in the next couple of weeks? If not, no problem at all. Thanks, Sam

Original example written for this guide. Change every detail to match your situation.

Example
Example 2: asking for a referral after a conversation
Hi Dana, thanks again for the call last week; the point about renewals was really useful. I've just seen that your team is hiring a Customer Success Manager (link). It matches my last two roles closely: I managed 40 mid-market accounts and ran the renewal process. Would you be comfortable referring me? I've attached my CV. If it's not the right fit, I'd still be grateful for any advice.

Original example. Only ask when the role genuinely fits; it protects the person referring you.

Example
Example 3: approaching a company with no advertised opening
Hello, I'm a payroll specialist with nine years' experience, most recently running monthly payroll for 600 employees in Canada. I've lived in Jerusalem since last year and my Hebrew is at a professional working level. I noticed you opened a new office in Beit Shemesh this year. If your finance team expects to grow, I'd welcome a short conversation. My CV is attached.

Original example. Send it to the person who leads the relevant team, or to the company's recruiting address.

Following up without pressure

Our recommendation
  • If there's no reply, send one short, friendly reminder after about a week. After that, leave it.
  • Thank people who help, and tell them later how it went. It is what makes them willing to help again.
  • Don't ask the same person for a second referral to a different role at the same company soon after the first.
  • Keep notes on who you spoke to and what they suggested.

This timing is our suggestion, not an Israeli convention; we found no reliable source on one.

Your next step

List five people in your field who work at companies you'd like to join, and send one of them a short request for a conversation this week.

Related guides

Sources

We read each source on the date shown. “Source date” is what the source itself displays; our own review of this guide was on 1 October 2026. Hebrew sources are summarised in English.

  1. [1]
    רוצים למצוא עבודה בהיי-טק הישראלי? אלה הדרכים הכי אפקטיביות (The most effective ways to find work in Israeli hi-tech) (opens in a new tab)

    TheMarker, reporting data from Comeet · In Hebrew

    Source date: 5 Nov 2015 · Accessed 1 October 2026

    Used for: Historical data from about 100 Israeli tech companies: referrals were about 8% of applicants but 36% of hires; job boards supplied about 40% of applicants; average of about 30 days from CV to hire and about 3.5 interviews per hire.

  2. [2]
    עונת הציד בהייטק (Hunting season in hi-tech) (opens in a new tab)

    Calcalist · In Hebrew

    Source date: 28 Oct 2021 · Accessed 1 October 2026

    Used for: Amdocs' Israel recruitment manager said referrals produced about 40% of its hires, sometimes over half, during the 2021 hiring boom.

  3. [3]
    Networking and Employment Strategies for Your Job Search (opens in a new tab)

    Nefesh B'Nefesh

    Source date: Last updated 2 Jan 2024 · Accessed 1 October 2026

    Used for: Employers typically show interest once a candidate has made aliyah; build a network beforehand; some olim move into adjacent English-reliant work; Hebrew widens options.

  4. [4]
    Navigating the Israeli Job Market as Olim: Tips & Advice from a Career Advisor (opens in a new tab)

    belong.co.il (interview with recruiter Orly Militzer)

    Source date: 23 Jul 2024 · Accessed 1 October 2026

    Used for: One recruiter's view: even where high-level English is required, internal communication often stays in Hebrew; foreign titles may need translating into Israeli terms; most olim lack a local network, which she calls crucial.

  5. [5]
    Gvahim Career Program in Israel (opens in a new tab)

    Gvahim

    Source date: Modified 1 Sep 2026 · Accessed 1 October 2026

    Used for: A paid career programme for highly educated olim (page description: up to 10 years in Israel): career consulting, weekly job-search sessions, mentoring, workshops, employer meetings; payment after an intake meeting; no price published.

  6. [6]
    מכתב מקדים מנצח לקורות חיים (A winning cover letter) (opens in a new tab)

    AllJobs · In Hebrew

    Source date: not shown · Accessed 1 October 2026

    Used for: Cover text tailored to the job, up to half a page, in the email body rather than an attachment; name a mutual contact in the first sentence if you were referred.

  7. [7]
    איך לכתוב מכתב מקדים לקורות חיים? (How to write a cover letter) (opens in a new tab)

    Drushim · In Hebrew

    Source date: 26 Dec 2018 · Accessed 1 October 2026

    Used for: Usually one paragraph, at most three; mention at the start if an employee or mutual contact told you about the job.

This guide is general information, not legal, immigration or financial advice. Where it describes a rule, the official source decides; check your own circumstances with the authority before you act.

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