Naomi Gabriel

I'M #Hiring #UX/UI Designer #New York City, New York Only - CITIZEN,GREEN CARD,OPT EAD Onsite in NYC 2-3/days week.   Banking experience big plus   #feedback included   > Heavy on development, really need the design side. > Decent portfolio - but a bit too technical for this role. > Portfolio wasn't strong enough   Job Description Responsibilities for this role include:  Reimagine how the company can design, optimize, and integrate the lending and credit experience for clients and the future of portfolio management for associates.   Collaborate with designers, Product Managers, developers, and business stakeholders to understand requirements and pain points, conduct research and discovery, develop blueprints, and facilitate workshops to then design and deliver UX/UI designs that meet user and business goals.   Create high quality UX deliverables based on user goals and priorities, including annotated wireframes, flow diagrams, storyboards, mockups, high-fidelity prototypes and production ready final assets   Drive user research goals, including drafting research plans, conducting interviews, writing research questionnaires, producing usability tests and compiling research results to synthesize inputs into solutions   Provide insights to the product development team and document user goals, needs, motivations and pain points through user personas, use cases, and experience maps   Leverage user insights from user research to make recommendations to improve the user experience and create new concepts to bring those recommendations to life   Create future state visions that align with broader product strategy and create impact for the business through a deep understanding of the user journey and user needs   Use proven storytelling and presentation skills to communicate conceptual ideas, design rationale and the specifics of human-centered design process in all phases of the product development lifecycle, including product ideation and definition, UX design, and user research, detailed design and optimization     Requirements:   A portfolio of high quality UX deliverables based on user goals, data and business priorities, including annotated wireframes, flow diagrams, storyboards, mockups, high fidelity prototypes and production ready final assets that exemplify a deep understanding of UI/UX lifecycle and design principles to define user experiences and visual and interaction design through human-centered design solutions (e.g., flows, journey maps, service blueprints, prototypes, and user research)  Exceptional knowledge of Figma to generate low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes as well as final designs for developer handoff and seeing built designs all the way through delivery.  Experience working with and adhering to design systems and style guide  A collaborative, Design Thinking mindset and the ability to advocate for the user, while operating with business and technical constraints and changing priorities 

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If you are a LGBTQIA, BIPOC, or women-led bootstrapped pre-funding tech startup who could use free product and growth strategy consulting, read on! I’m a growth and product management leader that has worked with Medium, New York Times, GrubHub, and smaller startups. My expertise in growth includes: pricing + monetization as well as full funnel (acquisition, activation, engagement, retention) with a specialization in subscription businesses and marketplaces or platforms. I’m excited to offer pro-bono consulting to support ventures at the intersection of mission-driven work and technology, for a limited time. If you are interested in receiving help in any of these areas, please DM me! - Holistic growth strategy and long term vision planning: Evaluating business models, market size and total opportunity, product-market fit - Growth flywheel / funnel analysis: Finding areas of opportunity, modeling potential outcomes, and make recommendations for a tactical roadmap - PLG strategy: identify and implement product led growth tactics to support healthy unit economics - Product-market fit research and report - Voice of the customer: user research, persona development, UX research - Product management: understanding the problem space and customer, PRDs or briefings, opportunity analysis - Monetization and pricing strategic advisory - Product positioning, messaging, merchandising - Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): Landing page or checkout optimization and experimentation: game plan and/or implementation - Organic growth or lifecycle: CRM, email, push, SMS, app downloads, other organic channels. Uncover and implement ways to move the needle with zero paid media spend - MarTech: Evaluate stack to fit your objectives and/or conduct RFP to bring in new tooling - Interim people leadership: process, structure, mentorship, feedback for your team - PRO-BONO (free): Up to 5 hours a week for up to 4 weeks To qualify for pro-bono services, the criteria is that you must be a BIPOC, LGBTQIA, or women-led bootstrapped tech startup or entrepreneur that has not yet received funding for your mission-driven tech venture. As a queer woman, I’m looking forward to meeting more folks from diverse backgrounds and building community in this space. #growth #product #PM #productmanagement #voiceofthecustomer #CRO #MarTech #CRM #productmarketing #lifecycle #consulting #fractional #probono #missiondriven

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I couldn't agree more with this. However, to find a solution, can we recognize individuals who require immigration support during their job search? Finding a job is already challenging, and navigating immigration adds another layer of complexity. Personally, I acknowledge that nowadays, international students have much to learn about the intricacies of job searching and visa sponsorship. However, it's crucial to recognize that alongside the typical challenges of job hunting, those needing visa sponsorship deserve significant recognition. I believe in offering empathy and practical support to job seekers facing immigration hurdles. If you're navigating this journey and could use assistance, please don't hesitate reach out to me. Together, we can navigate these challenges and move forward with confidence.

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In the black is the new black cash flow > $$ raised disagree? 5 years ago everyone bragged about how much capital they raised now you're starting to hear about people bragging about not raising what's hot right now for founders? 1. Understanding value of CF 2. Not having to ask for permission to exist every 12m 3. Bootstrapping - it's easier to bootstrap a venture scale business than ever before If you are raising, founders will look for more flexible, sustainable and aligned funding partners but bootstrapped businesses will stay more innovative why? Constraint means you just build it agree or disagree?

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The months after moving on from my first startup was hard because I knew I had to network to find a job. I'm shy and so I normally avoid social events and gatherings. I found one-on-one interactions to be really effective for me because I was able to quickly get over my social fear by asking questions. The pure joy of creating a connection was more powerful than my social anxiety. One of my deepest hopes when I was struggling to make connections is that someone would reach out to me. While I'm glad I learned to take initiative to overcome my fear, I know there are alot of people out there who have trepidation taking the next step in their career. Whether that's starting a business, leaving your current job, learning a new skill, or just a hope for a friend, it's hard. Positive forward momentum takes work. If that's you, please reach out! You can schedule a time with me on Merit at https://lnkd.in/djs3svPB or send me a direct message to connect. I've always had hopes to change the world, and it seems that the biggest change is through compounding actions over the course of time. If you're in a good place, consider spending a small, consistent amount of time to help others who are looking to make a change.

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One of my favorite contributors in the (tech) hiring space right now is Sam Marelich. This excerpt is from his blog on hiring: "One Way to Enslopify Your Startup: Be Too Rigid with Experience Requirements" 🚫💼 Every hire you make lowers the bar of talent. This compounds over time. A prime example: “We want an SDR with 1-3 years of experience.” He's heard this over and over. But here’s the truth—being an SDR doesn’t actually require years of experience. The best SDRs aren’t staying in that role for 3 years. And they’re definitely not switching jobs for an SDR position unless you’re working at companies like Databricks or OpenAI. So, ask yourself: Are you hiring for experience, or for potential? --------------- Level-setting: Hiring is probably the most important thing of all. Even in the early days when you're looking for a co-founder, getting it right is worth 1000x down the line. Sam's point on hiring standards that are too "high" really resonates: why should someone with a proven track record join your unproven startup? Especially if they can walk into a larger company with a much stronger reputation. The answer to your hiring woes lies in finding diamonds in the rough. In those early stages, a person’s innate skill in [XYZ] will contribute far more to the team than simply their experience at a bigger company. You’re not just looking for a resume match—you’re looking for superpowers. Dig deep, people. The right hire often doesn’t look like the "perfect" fit at first glance. But their unique strengths can make all the difference in building something great.

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ICYMI: when addressing a cover letter, my personal approach is to write it to the “Hiring Manager and Recruiting Team.” Here’s why: The recruiting team is your gateway to the company. Ignoring them is like being rude to a receptionist. Writing a cover letter and addressing it only to the Hiring Manager sends the immediate message to the recruiter that you don’t value them. It’s good form and human decency to show appreciation for every person involved in the process, and that starts with the recruiter. Just my friendly Saturday afternoon #UnsolicitedAdvice for you to take or leave as you wish. #CareerCoach Angel Assistance Group, LC

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It's been a challenging few months for folks who work in tech equity, specifically those fighting for gender equity in tech. I was devastated to learn that Women Who Code is closing down after more than a decade of work in the space. Myself and my colleagues at Hugging Face want to continue to focus on empowering women in the open source community. It's a small gesture, but as a start, if it would be helpful for me to do some lightning talks at your organization that supports women in tech, here are some of the topics I can cover: - Getting started in open source and on Hugging Face - How open source can be a boon to your career - How decentralization can help your organization be more equitable - Anything else you might need...! Tagging a few orgs here that come to mind, but please add some more you think would benefit in the comments! ColorStack GirlsWhoML Queer In AI AnitaB.org Women in AI AdaMarie Techqueria Black in AI BlackGirlsHack Thanks to everyone who shares in this difficult work!!

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If tech companies were to actually start hiring based on "merit," we would see more "minoritized" communities employed in the tech ecosystem. Instead, what we will likely see is ramped up racist tactics to keep "minoritized" communities out while the field stagnates and becomes even more homogeneous.

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Why is Earned Wage Access (EWA) an employment benefit that gives you dignity? 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦𝘴... I am the program manager for a financial wellness product and I am still super uncomfortable talking about weak finances. Three days ago, I was in a public place, talking on the phone. I had no cash on me. When I was requested to buy something on my way back, I loudly said, "No! I have no money." Thirty seconds later, this gentleman who was standing right next to me and had overheard me, came to me and very politely asked: "If you don't mind me asking, why do you have no money?" That sweet soul thought I was in need and had stepped up to help me. While I loved the gesture, I immediately felt a tingle of discomfort telling him that I had run out of cash, even tho for me it was a simple run to the ATM. It got me thinking later on: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺? 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯? And that is when I really felt the pain of the individual I am serving. Earned Wage Access is not an alternate to bank loans or insurance. Rather, it is the solution that keeps you afloat in turbulent times while keeping your dignity intact. (More in comments.) EWA protects you from those unexpected but manageable expenses that would otherwise make you awkward like me or worse. It is a solution that does not discriminate as it does not take into your account your credit history or debt-burden ratio. If you have earned something, you will have access to it! I will keep spreading awareness on Earned Wage Access, its benefits, and its workings in the coming days. Stay tuned! ♻ 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬...

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We at Kinfolk Tech are about to embark on one of our most ambitious projects yet, and I wanted to give my network an exclusive heads-up. In just under two years, America will celebrate its 250th birthday. But here's the thing: the stories of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPoC) are at risk of being left out of this monumental narrative. At Kinfolk, we're not letting that happen. We're building a team to put BIPoC stories at the forefront, using cutting edge tech as our vehicle. Our mission? To shift the narrative about America 250 and ensure that every voice, every story has a place in this historic moment. 🔥 #WeAreHiring! 🔥 Before these roles go public on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Google Jobs, I'm reaching out to my network. Who do you know that would be perfect for these opportunities? 1️⃣ https://lnkd.in/dq9qRFXR 2️⃣ https://lnkd.in/gwaxGH95 Why join us? Because we have crucial work to do in the next two years. We're not just talking about #DiversityEquityandInclusion and #SystemsChange - we're actively reshaping the narrative of America's history. I'm counting on the power of my network. Please #repost these job opportunities and tell a friend to tell a friend that Kinfolk is hiring. Let's make history by telling ALL of our stories. Together, we can ensure that when America blows out 250 candles in 2026, every voice is part of the celebration. 🎉🇺🇸 #KinfolkTech #America250 #InclusiveHistory #TechForGood #Hiring #JobAlert

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❔ Laid-off? Busy yet boring job search? Lots of free time? 👉 What to do while laid-off that could help you get hired. While being laid-off there is a tendency to “go inwards” and do things within your personal span of control rather than “looking outwards” from yourself to collaborate with others. I know since myself and my clients have been there. One way to “look outwards” and productively use your free time while laid-off is to volunteer at a non-profit organization you are passionate about and aligns with your profession/skills. The benefits of this approach include: (a) While laid-off our professional skills tend to atrophy. However, volunteering enables you to practice and keep some of your tech skills fresh for upcoming job interviews. (b) Volunteering may also help with career development and allow you to add more skills to the “Skills” section of your resume. (c) You can meet new people and expand your professional network. (d) Being out of work for more than a few months can wear on your confidence. However, performing recent, professional work that others appreciate builds your confidence. That confidence is what you need during a job interview. (e) Volunteer work shows initiative. Recruiters and hiring managers are curious how you managed your time while laid-off. I shared the advice and benefits above with a client who was out of work. He volunteered at a local charity. He also listed his volunteer work on his resume. During his job interviews he could speak about his volunteer experience. His volunteer work wasn’t the only factor, but he got hired by a great company. You might ask, "So, where do I find these volunteer opportunities?" Simply search the web for opportunities at charities, non-profits, etc. that have a cause you are passionate about and will give you an opportunity to continue using your current professional skills. Also, there might be opportunities to volunteer at professional association events. 📨 Feel free to share. Ready to discuss more ways to expand your career? Schedule your free and confidential one-on-one career coaching call. Discover more at https://lnkd.in/gQjGDaZH #laidoff #careertips #jobinterviews

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Before you get distracted by holiday parties and shut down shop for the end of December, now’s the perfect time to rewrite that resume—especially for product leaders. You have an entire year of accomplishments to reflect on, and you’ll hit the ground running in 2025 if you do the legwork now. But is your resume standing out in this competitive market? Do you know what it takes to make sure it does? Your resume isn’t just a list of responsibilities. It’s your first chance to show hiring managers what makes you stand out from the pile. But how? That’s where Heidi Ram comes in. She’s an experienced recruiter and a go-to expert for product management and leadership resumes. No fluff, no generic advice—just real feedback that will take your resume right out of the slush pile. She won’t just tell you to highlight your accomplishments—she’ll show you how to do it most effectively. Your resume will be restructured for clarity and impact. I swear, I gave her my own as an exercise and was shocked at everything I got wrong! Don’t let your resume be the reason your 2025 starts slow. If you’re serious about landing your next role, Heidi’s got the expertise to help you get there. Check her out at theproductrecruiter.com. #newyear #careerchange #resumetips #productmanagement

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The current SEED SPOT cohort began just two weeks ago. All of the founders I spoke with yesterday were women. Almost all were BIPOC. And their companies are addressing root-cause issues across our society in smart, innovative ways: 💡 diverting emergency room "frequent fliers" to access the services they actually need 💡de-risking people for rental housing by providing free "rent insurance" & support services to people with housing insecure histories & credit challenges 💡 using AI to make networking more seamless 💡creating a digital tool that will help humanize healthcare by simplifying medical-speak, helping with appointment scheduling, and delivering nudges & prompts People are out here solving actual problems, 👢 bootstrapping their way through their own 🏠 housing and 👩‍👦‍👦 life challenges, because they understand the problems and the solutions like no one else could. THESE are the companies that should be getting investment attention.

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I am a seed planter. 🌱 Yesterday, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with a former colleague who supported the company-wide goal I was accountable for at Amazon in 2020: to prevent the inflow of racially biased language in technical systems and documentation. This goal had to be completed across the entire organization in less than a year. After much reflection, I realized this goal was not set up for success in many ways. ✍️ I saw that writing early. So, what did I do? I planted a seed that needed time to take root and I protected it. I created a program called Inclusive Tech. After the goal was completed, through: ↘ Countless hours ↘ Many racist interactions ↘ Senior leaders telling me I couldn't do it ↘ Senior leaders telling me that I wouldn't do it 🌳 Inclusive Tech still stood at the end. A whole program existed in a part of Amazon that most needed it. And then I left. First the program, then the company. My dear friend stayed on in the program for a few more years and they said to me, "I wish you had gotten to see how much we were able to accomplish in the years that followed too." 🌱 I responded, "Me too. But I wasn't meant to—I'm a seed planter." We're not always meant to stay and see the fruits of the seeds we plant. I move on because I know that one of my superpowers lies in building a strong foundation that other competent leaders can take over. I know that a solution should not solely depend on a leader but on systemic solutions. So I focus on planting those seeds and tending those roots. If that means I need to move on after that is accomplished, so be it. 📖 If I'm not doing these things at the minimum, I've lost the plot. ↗ Do you know what your superpowers are and how to use them? ↗ Do you know when to stay and when to go? ↗ Are you comfortable with both answers? To me, this is the true meaning of collective progress. Coalition building. Helping others rise. It's never just about one of us. It's always about all of us. In real, practical, smart ways. We all have a role to play. This just happens to be mine. The seed planter. 🌱 #deistrategy #woc #superpowers #togetherwerise 📸: My younger daughter, Diya, checked on me on December 31st, 2020, while my team and I were completing the final checks on the work we did for the goal for the company-wide goal so we could declare it complete with integrity. My older daughter, Asha, took this picture (hence the blurriness - she did pretty well for a 6-year-old 😉)

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*LION - Career Repair* (LinkedIn Open Networking) “Career repair” is fee for serv. consulting where I work 1:1 w/ highly motivated profs, typically in rec, on charting out a blueprint carefully tailored to the catastrophic event they want to come back from. I walked this road myself. It is hard, humbling and takes a long time but it can be done. We tend to underestimate other people’s capacity for forgiveness in the stress of it all. Among the critical importance of complete transparency about every single thing that happened, no matter how insignificant, was navigating LI. LION does not appeal to me as it relates to my career today. When I briefly tried it my feed became full of people who I had nothing meaningfully in common w/ and lived nowhere near me. I felt that even if we fit in 1 or 2 brief Zooms no matter how lovely these profs. may have been I was uncomfortable referring/endorsing people I didn’t know. Generally, my approach today is to connect w/ those in my space(s) or if not are at least locally based. However, in the early stages of CR I think it may make a lot of sense, actually. I’m sure there are other scenarios where it may, too, and I’d love feedback.

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I'm ecstatic to see the #talentacquisition job market rebounding 🙌 Those who’ve been around long enough know even before the latest downturn and covid; turnover, layoffs and hiring fluctuations in TA across tech were frequent challenges. There was just more demand to support ongoing mobility so it wasn’t as problematic. As happy as I am to see TA jobs returning, let’s not forget the past, and be sure to continue to support each other, build for flexibility and please, please, please hire your #recruiters responsibly. Want to join a platform whose mission is to support TA? Join---> HireScale 👍

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One of our most valuable learnings at Turazo: By and large, employees love coaching and befriending folks *IF* there's a chance they'll become coworkers. We've set up a bunch of different programs where employees and candidates have 1:1 conversations, off the record. They can talk about whatever the candidate wants: Benefits, work culture, advancement, processes, expectations. These conversations are hugely beneficial to candidates and often lead to more offers accepted. But here's the thing: For this to work, you need willing employees. In building Turazo, we thought that might be a significant hurdle. Turns out, with every company we've worked with, it's been relatively simple to get employee "ambassadors" on board. Their role isn't to judge the candidate. It's just to be transparent about company culture and answer questions. It's an easy ask, and the feedback we've gotten from employees has been overwhelmingly positive. I think this speaks volumes about how much people want true, authentic connections with their coworkers. #recruiting #hrtech #hiring

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Ok so listen I'm looking for engineers for tech startups in both SF and NYC....do we think this would actually work?? 🌎 I'm looking for the first US eng hire for a client in the TalentAI space. Think of them as a more robust option than LinkedIn Recruiter (so $$) that would help startup founders find and hire STRONG engineer talent effectively + quickly. It's no secret that US based eng talent is extremely competitive and the delays caused from an inability to find/secure the right technical talent are massive, esp in the startup space. But if you had a tool to 1) find the talent (domestic + int'l), 2) vet them AND 3) consult employment law --> think of how much quicker we could fill these eng roles and get to building 🛠️ The product has a bright future and needs a startup oriented Software Engineer who can retool this product for the US and guide the launch here. Details: -strong technical coding skills (React Typescript, Next.js, Node.js, MongoDB) -exp managing an offshore eng team ideal -some exp with setting up code reviews, structure for building new features, establish best practices JD in the comments! HigherPeople Katy Stover Fox Alex Nelson Julia Lee Nikki Adamson Haley Margolin

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