Building BIPOC Careers in Tech: A day of Portfolio-Building & Mentorship

Building BIPOC Careers in Tech is an opportunity for early-career folks who identify as Black, Indigenous, and POC to work on building or strengthening their online portfolios/resumes, and connect with experienced BIPOC individuals in the tech industry. Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Work on building their online portfolios or resumes with tips and guidance from BIPOC mentors working in the Toronto tech field
• Connect with, and receive career mentorship from, professionals in various areas of the technology industry (UX, product management, development etc.)
• Get a professional portrait taken for your website or online portfolio

About the day

The afternoon will kick-off with a 30-minute mini-workshop on building your online portfolio. Participants can then split up into two breakout rooms with the following activities:

Portfolio Coworking Time: Work on your online portfolio amongst fellow BIPOCs - whether it’s building one from scratch, or strengthening an existing one! We’ll have volunteer mentors available to give you tips and guidance if needed.

“Lightning” Mentorship Sessions: Want to learn more about the different aspects of the tech industry? We’ll have BIPOCs with experience in areas including UX, product management, web development and others available to chat with you in a series of 10-minute 1:1 sessions.

Details on how to sign up for a mentorship slot in advance will be sent upon registration, and there will be opportunity to sign up on the day-of as well!

Portrait station: We’ll have a professional photographer on-site for 10-minute portrait photography sessions.

Details on how to sign up for a slot will be provided the week before the event, so please keep an eye on your inbox! Priority for portraits will be given to Black, Indigenous, QPOC, WOC and disabled BIPOC job-seeking individuals. What should you bring?

Yourself and a positive, inquisitive mind! Definitely bring your laptop if you are interested in spending the afternoon working on your online portfolio. We can also provide guidance if you have your resume or portfolio available in digital format on your phone or tablet. If you are interested in receiving a professional headshot in our booth, feel free to dress appropriately for that as well. Interested in getting involved as a mentor or volunteer?

A BIPOC-only event

This evening of community talks is intended to be a safer, dedicated space for BIPOC to share ideas and learn. Please register for the event only if you identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of colour.