Greg Nance's Dyad.com has moved into career mentoring, with the support of several Gates Cambridge Scholars.
The idea is that if you want to live your dreams it pays to speak to someone who is living theirs, who is a few steps ahead.
Greg Nance
A Gates Cambridge Scholar who set up a mentorship platform to expand university access for international students has extended it to career development.
Greg Nance [2011] is CEO and founder of Dyad, formerly ChaseFuture. The name change coincides with the launch of a fully supported professional development curriculum so a university student can begin exploring career options while building their skills, tools and experience.
“The idea is that if you want to live your dreams it pays to speak to someone who is living theirs, who is a few steps ahead,” says Greg [pictured], who did an MPhil in Management at the University of Cambridge.
The platform begins by taking a full inventory on the students’ interests and strengths before building a tailored plan to bolster their prospects, ranging from volunteer opportunities to campus activities and competitive internships. Students are connected to multiple mentors from diverse fields so they can learn what it's really like to work as an investment banker, solicitor, consultant, trader, technologist or whatever profession interests them. “We've found that these conversations dramatically improve clarity so a job seeker is confidently equipped with authentic insights into their chosen fields,” says Greg.
Dyad has helped over 1,700 clients since 2012 while he was a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Greg says extending the admissions consulting to careers mentoring seemed a natural progression.
The platform offers free instructional articles, videos and events. If a student wants further individualised mentorship, Dyad offers one-to-one videoconferencing as well as a shared digital workspace, including the ability to share documents such as draft cover letters. Greg emphasises that Dyad mentors build relationships with students over a period of time so they know exactly what the candidates want and personalise a development plan, including a monthly consultations and check-ins.
The platform has 205 mentors, 17 of whom are Gates Cambridge Scholars. Greg says Gates Cambridge Scholars are among the highest rated mentors because of their passion for helping others.
The candidates come from a wide range of countries. Greg says the main focus has been on Chinese students – Dyad has offices in Shanghai and Beijing – but the client base is becoming increasingly globalised. The most popular careers they are interested in include investment banking and consultancy, but marketing and communications are increasingly of interest.
He adds that Dyad is always looking for new mentors. If you are interested in finding out more, visit www.Dyad.com or email Greg Nance directly: greg@dyad.com.
