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Jeremy Goldberg

Jeremy Goldberg

Design Director at Facebook

Design Director on Messenger at Facebook. Previously at Google. Building Playbook.

23 action items

Thoughtfully onboard a new designer

  • Jeremy Goldberg

    • Pair them up with another designer

      The new designer gains a dependable point of contact, building confidence and competence more quickly. Additionally, the more tenured designer has the opportunity to develop mentorship skills.

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What to do after you burnout

  • Jeremy Goldberg

      Burnout is all-too common amongst creative professionals, especially in the tech industry. I’ve experienced first-hand how detrimental it can be for your health, relationships, and the perception of your work; even your intentions. What also makes burnout frustrating is that it’s largely self-inflicted and avoidable, yet it’s still uncommon for corporate culture to educate and incentivize healthy lifestyle choices and provide support when people need it most. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to recover from burnout and prevent it from happening in the future.

    • Overemphasize communication and collaboration with co-workers

      Not everyone around you will know what you’re going through, and therefore your co-workers’ perception of your work and commitment may change. The quality of your work may not change, but your output will inevitably decrease. One way to overcome a negative shift in perception is to increase how much you communicate and collaborate. Increasing your visibility will fill in the gap where you’ve decreased output and soften or eliminate perception change.... See more

    • Seek unbiased, professional help

      While the comfort and advice of co-workers can often be helpful, there may be underlying agendas that don’t always have your best interests in mind. One of the first things I did was find professional help that ultimately provided me with an unbiased perspective and practical tools I could use throughout my day.... See more

    • Prioritize family and friends

      I feel it’s important to be mindful of our job’s transactional nature. It’s easy to bind an emotional connection to work and carry it around with us everywhere we go, but not if it’s at the expense of our relationships with family and friends. One of the most important actions I took when experiencing burnout was to prioritize time with people I love and do my best to be present when I was with them.... See more

    • Talk to your manager

      The greatest advocate you have is yourself. Let your manager know what you’re going through and be proactive in suggesting what you need. Your manager is there to help you, but can’t read your mind.

    • Trust the process

      This stuff takes time, but it really does work. The path will not always be linear and that’s ok. Trust the process, and most importantly, trust and believe in yourself.

    • Take time for yourself

      Find your happy place. This will mean different things for different people, but I found meditation, nature, exercising, and eating healthier all to be beneficial for my mental and physical health. However, not everything has to be productive. One of the best suggestions I received was to prioritize fun activities and do things that made me feel like a kid again.... See more

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Track and measure career growth

  • Jeremy Goldberg

      Better understanding your desired career trajectory and holding yourself accountable for growth is a worthy investment that I'd recommend to anyone in any field. By following a structured process, which only takes about an hour, it will become that much easier to create successful career outcomes for yourself. By the end of this process, you should have a thorough yet concise document that you can refer to on a regular basis.

    • Set near-term and long-term goals

      Setting goals is an important first step in being able to track and measure your growth. Write around 3-5 goals you have for the next six months and then do the same for the next couple years.

    • Define how you think your co-workers currently perceive you

      This exercise is even more helpful when it's done with your manager, as they have a unique lens on how you may be perceived. If not a manager, ask trusted co-workers. You're trying to seek honesty here, so lean in to both the good and bad.

    • Define how you want to be perceived

      The goal here is to define things that positively impact your company, team, product, and self.

    • Identify the gap between each perception

      Now that you have a better understanding of how your co-workers perceive you and how you want them to, you'll have a better sense of where to focus your efforts. You may even find that certain gaps in perception end up being similar to your goals.... See more

    • Gather feedback on a regular basis

      Ask for feedback that relates to your goals and perception gaps. Make sure to document the highlights and who they came from.

    • Recognize when you reduce perception gaps or accomplish your goals

      Recognizing your progress is the only way to measure it. Reward yourself when you either accomplish a goal or change perception in a positive way!

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Find time for side projects or learning new skills

  • Jeremy Goldberg

      Anyone can find time to do something if they really want to. However, not everyone does so in a way that is healthy and sustainable. That is the real challenge.

    • First, do your primary job well

      Your job is your job, so do that really well before you decide to do anything else. If your side project is a band-aid, your co-workers will notice.

    • Create a healthy work-life balance

      If you're already working too much, it's probably not the best idea to add to that. Besides, your side project wouldn't get the attention it deserves.

    • Find a problem or skill you care about

      What would you work on or develop if money wasn't a factor?

    • Collaborate with people you admire

      They'll keep you motivated, hold you accountable to shipping, and help challenge your ideas to make them better.

    • Set short-term goals

      By setting short-term goals, you'll feel a steady sense of progress and accomplishment. This will help you stick it out. Plus, it just feels damn good.

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Identify if you have a good or bad manager

  • Jeremy Goldberg

      One way to identify if you have a good or bad manager is to first understand the expectations of their role and how they're supposed to help you.

    • Do they set clear expectations?

      Your manager should communicate what is expected of the role you play on your team, especially in the context of your current experience level. A good manager does this often and is direct about it.

    • Do they provide actionable feedback?

      If your manager is providing actionable feedback, then you should consistently have clear next steps on what to do in your career or a given situation.

    • Do they help you grow?

      Great managers help you do your best work and create opportunities for you to develop. It's important to let your manager know how you want to grow so they can do their best work as well. An effective manager knows that career growth is different for everyone and has a strategy specifically for you.... See more

    • Do they recognize your impact?

      Recognition shouldn't just happen in performance reviews. Good managers recognize people in the moment because they understand the importance of making people feel valued and encouraging good behavior.

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​​Improve recruiting reach-outs

  • Jeremy Goldberg

    • Coordinate. Assign one POC per candidate.

      When candidates receive reach-outs from multiple people across a company, it can come across as disorganized and less personal. To avoid this, assign a single person to reach out and follow up with a specific candidate. It's not only a better experience, but also leads to better long-term relationships and thus greater potential for converting candidates to employees. Recruiting is often a long game!... See more

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