Success Story – Miriam, Information Management Consultant, Byon IT Solutions / Hadas Shimoni

zafter developing a career in two very different fields – as a tour guide and as a software engineer – miriam, 35, felt her calling was in consulting and defining organizational processes. today, while pursuing her master's degree studies in business administration with a specialty in information systems, miriam works as a management consultant and project manager at byon it solutions, a position she found a year and a half ago through the jobnet site.

one of our main tasks in life is to choose a career, a decision that can carry many significant ramifications. selecting a career direction is based on a range of considerations such as personal fulfillment, financial gain, curiosity, ego gratification, etc. miriam went through a long process that included two careers before she reached a bold decision to make another career move, eventually finding a job as an information management consultant at byon.

why did you suddenly decide, at the age of 33, to change directions professionally?
"after the army i worked as a tour guide and then decided to make a change. i took a retraining program in software engineering at sela college, and for six years worked at a number of startups. i started in a low-level position and over the years got promoted up the ladder to a job as senior developer. i felt i had fully realized myself both professionally and personally. i had lost the spark that had captivated me at the start. i was looking for the next challenge, and that's how i discovered a latent talent as an organizational consultant."

miriam at the byon it solutions offices

were you involved in organizational consulting in the past?
"at my last job as a software engineer i was involved in some of the process aspects and i came into contact with the clients. i started focusing a lot of attention on the organizational processes at organizations where my friends and husband worked and even took a good look at the processes taking place within my own organization."

did you try to alter processes at the organization where you used to work?
"of course. i analyzed processes independently, met with the company management and presented proposals to improve and streamline organizational processes based on a goal of realizing the potential of the departments at the organization, but unfortunately they ignored me, saying my task was to focus my energies on my job. i became frustrated. unlike a consultant from outside of the organization, who was given a platform for his suggestions, as an employee it wasn't considered legitimate for me to act as a consultant."

how did you conduct your search process? which companies did you turn to?
"first of all, because this was a major shift, i decided to devote all of my attention to the search, so i left the startup where i was working and started devoting all my energy to searching for a job in organizational consulting. i sent resumes to a lot of companies via the jobnet site and the university's unit for career orientation, which maintains contact with consulting companies. for two months the response rate was paltry, and then all of a sudden i got two offers in one week. one of them was from byon."

lacking a degree and experience in the field, what kind of difficulties did you encounter while looking for a job?
"my resume, which was very impressive, was really to my detriment, because the interviewers would concentrate on my professional experience rather than my skills and capabilities. i decided to call up leading consulting companies and market myself in the most sincere way possible. unfortunately, in most cases experience, the criterion that drives human resources people, overshadowed the innovative approach to processes i was presenting."

what was it about byon that enchanted you?
"during my first interview at byon with human resources manager meirav yavneh and company vp yair dembinsky, i felt an immediate click. they focused on my approach to processes, my character traits and my potential, which gave me a chance to present my approach to organizational processes."

meirav yavneh, head of placements and outsourcing, which factors did you weigh in your decision to hire miriam?
"during the recruitment process, in interviews we try to identify the job candidate's latent potential, not just formal credentials and past experience. when miriam came to us with no background in organizational consulting we immediately noted her strong character and her sharp process vision. we read between the lines. there were a lot of applicants, but with her resolve and broad perspective miriam captivated us."

meirav describes byon's operations:
"byon provides consulting services, solutions and project execution in a variety of fields in high-tech and business. the company provides object and system solutions that combine advanced technologies with an integrative vision based on various disciplines. the areas the company operates in include strategic consulting and guidance in it, information management, risk management, business perpetuity, etc. three years ago the company numbered ten employees and today we have 45. over the years the company has grown, branching out into additional contents areas."

how much does your collaboration with jobnet contribute?
"when i entered the company i conducted a survey of quality personnel websites and i soon came to the conclusion jobnet is the strongest force in the market. from day one we've advertised only on jobnet. the site has proven itself over the years as an effective organization in locating potential candidates. today we advertise 14 jobs on the site."

miriam, what intrigues you as an information management consultant?
"in information management projects we interview employees inside the organization and ask them questions related to the flow of information in the system. we assess the range of responsibilities the worker has at the organization and the flow of information to him. then we try to tailor the best possible solution to fit the organization's contents and employees. there are a variety of solutions, such as technological solutions, e.g. a company portal, and other suggestions such as a professional forum or meetings."

which clients have you worked with while carrying out these projects?
"mostly with large organizations such as israel police, coca-cola, bank leumi, samsung israel, etc."

how many projects are you working on now?
"because of my study load at the moment i'm working on five projects. i'm also running a team of consultants, dealing with clients and mentoring new employees."

how would you characterize byon as a consulting company?
"byon is a challenging company to work at. the atmosphere is warm, supportive and encouraging, and everyone on the management team has a warm, affable personality. the organization is totally flat, so you can meet with the ceo and the vice president without making an appointment in advance. our main interest is the consultant's professionalism and not his rank in the organization.
as a new employee i received a response to every question and the managers gave me an opportunity to express my opinions despite my lack of experience in consulting. all of the consultants come from very different backgrounds – organizational consulting, know-how, software, management, risk management, geography, natural and life sciences, etc. – and have expertise in at least two disciplines.

do you feel you've found yourself professionally at byon?
"i see myself continuing to advance at the company and i'm glad to have finally arrived here. i've grown a lot over the past year and a half, both in terms of the internal processes i've initiated and the new areas of information i'm exposed to every day. another significant advantage is the size of the company. i feel that at such a small company i'll be able to bring my abilities into play and have an impact."

what advice can you offer jobseekers?
"based on my experience i'll give a tip to people who are interested in a career change: while writing your resume i recommend placing the list of your skills and abilities right after your personal data and before your professional experience in order to focus the human resources people's attention on the relevant field."

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for the hebrew article