The Fellowship
For 4-6 months, get regular guidance and advice on how to thrive in your Design career and navigate the industry through one-on-one coaching or group sessions
Two Tracks
Successful applicants will be assigned to either a group mentoring track or a one-on-one coaching track based on the strength of their application and their identified needs
Group
Cohort based, group coaching
This track is suited for early-career designers, looking to break into the industry or get their next design role
Free • 6 sessions • 5 - 10 fellows per cohort
One-on-one
Ongoing one-on-one coaching sessions
This track is suited for mid-career designers that want to level up their craft, accelerate their growth or work on specific growth areas
Free • 6 sessions • 5 fellows per cohort
Program Overview
The program is designed to be practical, actionable, and comprehensive. Mentees will be immersed in insight-packed presentations, workshops, AMAs, and more. Our Fellows will choose specific areas of focus and growth opportunities and together we will develop a plan to make them a reality
01
Creating a career plan
We'll create a career plan to help uncover and document your motivations, goals, and what's important to you as you progress in your career
02
Creative Confidence & Career Growth
Actionable insights on building a career in Design, levelling up, cultivating creative audacity and overcoming career obstacles
03
The Anatomy of a great case study
We will demystify the UX case study and discuss ways to structure your case studies to convey impact through structured storytelling
04
Building a compelling Portfolio
We’ll walk through how to create a portfolio that gets you noticed by recruiters and hiring managers and sets you apart
05
Linkedin Mastery
Networking is one of the most effective methods for landing entry-level design roles for early career designers. In this workshop, we'll discuss how to harness Linkedin's power to help you land the job of your dreams
06
Upskill on Visual Design
Participate in collaborative design exercises and get feedback on how you can improve on elements like visual hierarchy, balance, harmony, etc.
07
Preparing for interviews
From submitting your application to getting an offer, we'll walk you through the standard, end-to-end interview process for product design
Benefits of becoming a fellow
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Accelerate your career
Leverage our practical approach in crafting your design career to prepare you to succeed, grow and thrive
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Be part of a growing, vibrant community
Join a network of the most talented design fellows to share ideas, build and grow together
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Alumni network, exclusive events, access to recruiting network + more
The fellowship is just the beginning of what we have planned. We aim to build an inculsive community where fellows can access opportunities, network, and thrive
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Curated Resources & Templates
Gain access to our recommended resources and a growing library of templates to help you uncover insights and areas of growth
You should apply if
Your voice is underrepresented in Tech
You at least have basic knowledge of what Product Design entails. If you have any industry experience or have completed a Product Design course, bootcamp or internship, that would be beneficial but not required
You can dedicate several hours a week for 4-6 months to studying and at least 2 hours a month for group or 1-1 coaching sessions
You are a motivated self-starter, eager to learn and make an impact
Important Dates
March 30
Applications open
April 6
Applications close
May 4-11
Applicants are notified
June 4
Fellowship begins
FAQ
1
The Leads By Design fellowship is a free mentorship program for designers from underrepresented backgrounds that helps them accelerate their careers through active coaching, deep dives, and access to curated resources.
Successful applicants will be assigned to the group track, comprised of group coaching sessions, structured presentations, and workshops, or the one-on-one track, which includes one-on-one coaching tailored to the fellows' needs.
2
This program is geared towards early to mid-career designers with underrepresented backgrounds in tech, specifically people of African/Black, Latino/Hispanic or Indigenous descent.
We also have a peculiar interest in mentoring and nurturing African design talent, based in Africa or in the diaspora so we'd love to hear from you as well.
3
This is a fully remote fellowship, so we invite people from the aforementioned underrepresented backgrounds to apply. However, some group and one-on-one sessions will be held during waking hours in Pacific Standard Time (UTC -7) and this could be very early or very late for you depending on your location.
4
After you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email indicating that we have received your application. Please allow 4-6 weeks for us to review all applications and notify candidates of our decision.
If you are selected, you will receive a welcome email with next steps.
5
No, unfortunately. We don't offer design courses or bootcamps. You should be familiar with what Product design entails, and have some samples or a portfolio to demonstrate your ability.
The Google UX Certificate Course is a good place to start for those who are new to product design or just want to explore it.
6
We will evaluate applicants on the strength and completeness of their online applications, their portfolio and any relevant work experience or education.
7
We appreciate your interest in using your skills and expertise to help us further our mission of diversifying the face of design. Please check out the "Partner with us" page where you'll find open volunteer positions and instructions on how to apply.
8
We are always on the lookout for strong recruiting and corporate partners. Please reach out to us and we’d be happy to introduce you to our talented, ambitious fellows
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Success stories
from our fellows
Teslim is one of the most remarkable designers I’ve met. The advice he’s given me has set me on a great design career path.
He was the missing piece my career journey needed. Talking with Teslim leaves you feeling empowered and motivated. He gives you clarity on the steps you need to take to help you achieve your career goals.
While interviewing at Microsoft, he helped me prepare and gave me key pointers that set me up for success and led to an offer.
His mentorship program is more like a partnership to get you the best outcome of your desired goals. He’s kind, intelligent, and knows how to get you to where you are going! “
Favour Adeniyi
Product Design Intern at Microsoft
Signing up for Teslim’s Product Design One-one mentorship was the best career decision I’ve ever made! I was initially hesitant before the first call, or if he’d even accept my application in the first place.
The first call changed everything! What did I learn? Everything! From Networking tips(who to network with), to resume review and interview preparation links.
Asides from being super resourceful, Teslim listened to me. That felt good you know, and getting quality feedback from someone who really understands the struggle of emerging designers from this part of the world(Nigeria).
The best part? I got 2 amazing offers from great companies, amazing benefits + fully sponsored relocation. My life will never be the same again, for good!.
Akintunde Brown
Product Designer at RedGate
Teslim paid close attention to me sharing about my career journey from inception to date and was incredibly helpful in steering me in the right direction. He cleared all the doubts I had about my areas of improvement and shared about his journey too.
After our first mentorship session, I had a clear idea of what I was lacking and
what resources I needed to put together to be interview ready. His advice
was tailored to my needs at the time and was incredibly helpful.
Teslim was also great at providing recommendations to resources I needed to
prepare with and as a favor, provided a job referral in the process. I could reach
out at any point with a question and get a swift response. Overall, I have had a
wonderful experience being mentored by Teslim and I would recommend this
design fellowship to any underrepresented designer I know.
Eleanor Ezimah
Product Designer at Truebill
Teslim is one of the most remarkable designers I’ve met. The advice he’s given me has set me on a great design career path.
He was the missing piece my career journey needed. Talking with Teslim leaves you feeling empowered and motivated. He gives you clarity on the steps you need to take to help you achieve your career goals.
While interviewing at Microsoft, he helped me prepare and gave me key pointers that set me up for success and led to an offer.
His mentorship program is more like a partnership to get you the best outcome of your desired goals. He’s kind, intelligent, and knows how to get you to where you are going! “
Favour Adeniyi
Product Design Intern at Microsoft
Signing up for Teslim’s Product Design One-one mentorship was the best career decision I’ve ever made! I was initially hesitant before the first call, or if he’d even accept my application in the first place.
The first call changed everything! What did I learn? Everything! From Networking tips(who to network with), to resume review and interview preparation links.
Asides from being super resourceful, Teslim listened to me. That felt good you know, and getting quality feedback from someone who really understands the struggle of emerging designers from this part of the world(Nigeria).
The best part? I got 2 amazing offers from great companies, amazing benefits + fully sponsored relocation. My life will never be the same again, for good!.
Akintunde Brown
Product Designer at RedGate
Teslim paid close attention to me sharing about my career journey from inception to date and was incredibly helpful in steering me in the right direction. He cleared all the doubts I had about my areas of improvement and shared about his journey too.
After our first mentorship session, I had a clear idea of what I was lacking and
what resources I needed to put together to be interview ready. His advice
was tailored to my needs at the time and was incredibly helpful.
Teslim was also great at providing recommendations to resources I needed to
prepare with and as a favor, provided a job referral in the process. I could reach
out at any point with a question and get a swift response. Overall, I have had a
wonderful experience being mentored by Teslim and I would recommend this
design fellowship to any underrepresented designer I know.
Eleanor Ezimah
Product Designer at Truebill
"One of the first lessons I learned during my transition into UX design is that it's both about what you know as well as who you know, and I can say that knowing Teslim has been a life changing experience. His careful mentoring and honest feedback helped fortify my confidence and changed the trajectory of my career for the absolute best."
Dock Scott
User Experience Designer at Amazon
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