A year ago today, I picked up a part-time job after job hunting for over a year. 6 months later, during the holidays, I still had no plan for navigating my job search and felt lost. I questioned my career, considering a path away from product design into something else, though I didn’t know what. I was frustrated because, deep down, I knew it wasn’t me. I was working on my portfolio, asking for feedback, practicing interviews—constantly iterating to figure out what I needed to do to land a job. I wasn’t ready to leave design; I knew I had more to give.
Just in time for the New Year, Lisa Duy reached out about a “short-term” project she thought I’d be a good fit for. 8 months later, that project—Vetted—launched this week! I can’t express how much dedication and hard work went into making Vetted what it is today.
Kristy Lee, the senior designer I worked with, supported me through this journey, helping me overcome imposter syndrome and grow as a more confident designer as I navigated endless challenges. She and Lisa set the design foundations for Vetted, and I wouldn’t have succeeded without them. Kevin Zodrow, the genius PM behind Vetted (the heart of Vetted), truly cares about getting the product right for his law enforcement peers. Thanks to him, I’m now pretty well-versed in background investigations 😂. Abhinaya Goduguchinta & her QA team caught almost 1,000 bugs, and Prajith & his dev team turned our monster Figma file into code across 100+ stories.
It took a village to build Vetted, and for me, it’s the project that restored faith in myself as a product designer due to the incredible people I worked with—designers, PMs, devs, QA, marketing, etc. I became comfortable asking questions, noticing everyone was open-minded and kind, helping each other reach the same goal. Special thanks to Stephen Green for your constant support and advice during our 1:1s; you helped me focus on the bigger picture of being a designer and creating impact.
Lastly, thank you, Lisa, for bringing me onto this project based on my potential. I met Lisa when interviewing at NEOGOV in Spring 2023, made it to the final round, but wasn’t selected. Still, Lisa took the time to give me feedback, which left a lasting impression, and I knew from that moment I wanted to work at NEOGOV. Lisa taught me how to effectively communicate with stakeholders while managing expectations to deliver on time. She also encourages us to prioritize our personal time and health (physical and mental). I admire how she balances everything as a mom-boss of 2 beautiful kids. Thank you for believing in me and taking a chance on me 🩷.
My contract at NEOGOV ends this month, and I’ll be open to full-time product design roles next month (I need health insurance by Jan 😅). I’d like to continue pursuing civic tech but am open to other industries focused on creating meaningful impact. To all the amazing people I’ve worked with, this isn’t goodbye—just see you later. 😉 Don’t be a stranger!
⭐️ Introducing Vetted ⭐️
Say goodbye to cumbersome background investigations, and hello to a faster process for vetting new public safety hires with Vetted.
With Vetted, your agency is empowered to:
✔️ Lessen applicant burden
✔️ Securely store and protect candidate PII
✔️ Manage hiring in ONE place (with NEOGOV Insight)
✔️ And more!
This one-of-a-kind solution is built by and for law enforcement agencies looking to ensure a more efficient, complete, and fair hiring process. And it’s available now → https://bit.ly/3WMPluO
#HR #GovTech #PublicSafety #LawEnforcement
Prison Superintendent Ret., Criminal Justice Consulting, Penologist, Adjunct Prof CJ & Soc a t Mercyhurst University & Erie County Community College.
2moTrust the agents doing their best but the DHS head is a total lying talking head… disgraceful