Polymath fellowship program: all you need to know

2020-07-08
Get an insider look at our Service Design Fellowship, an opportunity to build products and services for the middle-class of Latam.

In light of our new Fellowship program, we talked to our Talent director, Nicole Pérez to cover all you need to know about it, her recommendations to win the process, and her perspective on the overall experience.

What is a design fellow?

A design fellow is someone that sees the world through the lens of a human-centered architect. This person is always questioning the status quo and is passionate about designing solutions that can transform communities and organizations globally. He/She also possesses the ability to guide the strategy and vision of a product (end to end) while at the same can zoom in and nail all the details. And most important of all, a fellow is a team player that is excited to share and learn from a diverse group of high potential profiles.

Fellowships are strongly desired roles amidst professionals. Do you have recommendations to strengthen the application?

  • Work diversity: We believe that flexibility is one of the most important qualities for succeeding in this high pace and always changing environment. Show us how your work in the past has adapted and transformed into what was needed at the moment.
  • Thoughtfulness: Deeply understanding before jumping into any conclusion is a must-have for this role. Be sure to walk us through your thinking process (especially the Whys) to make important decisions or to answer any questions that will come up during the process.
  • Growth mindset: We love vulnerability, acknowledging that we are not perfect and there is a lot to be learned is the first step towards greatness. We encourage you to be open about your previous mistakes and how they teach you something valuable.

For those distant to the Fellowship concept, can you provide some insights about what are the professional benefits for fellows at Polymath?

  • Be at our core: During your time as a fellow you will be part of the most important projects for Polymath at this moment, therefore you will act as a key player and constantly work with our top senior leadership.
  • Expand your network: Fellows have the opportunity to work with a variety of team members depending on the project needs and given the nature of this fellowship, in particular, you will also get exposure to leaders in other important companies and across different industries.
  • Master our methodology: There is no better way to learn than by doing. Instead of spending a relevant amount of money on company building methodology training, you will be able to learn the methodology from the experts by actually doing it.
  • Try without compromise: As a fellow, you will be able to decide if you want to remain in Polymath with an indefinite term role or if you would like to pursue other opportunities. (We warn you though 95% of our fellows decide to stay).

On top of the Polymath experience, why this experience in Latin America can be a game-changer for our applicants?
If you want to expand your view about the world, you need to start by actually expanding your comfort zone and Latin America is the right place to accomplish that. A region with a vast potential to grow, a middle-class that is booming with not enough services and products to meet current needs, it’s the perfect space for solutions to flourish. We are certain this experience will transform the way you look at problems by bringing new variables in the game.

Lastly, but not less important, what’s the differential of our program versus other programs out there?
The combination of participating in the core business and having real ownership. We want to expose you to a high stake project and be at the front row of it while learning from our senior talent.
——
The objective of the Service Design Fellowship (SDF) is to strengthen our team’s design capabilities to create and launch a new venture with one of our corporate partners. It’s a unique opportunity for professionals to engage with our entrepreneurial methodology, access an extender network of leaders and experts, and experience the Polymath culture.

Join our team! Apply here.