CASE STUDY: A Leading Pacific Northwest Regional University Classroom
- 19 hours ago
- 5 min read
Preparing Students to Network: How One Career Management Class Used Advize to Build Confidence Before Real Informational Interviews
THE CHALLENGE
A career instructor at a leading Pacific Northwest regional university faced a common dilemma: her Career Management 301 students needed to conduct informational interviews as their final assignment, but most had never spoken with a professional before.
The class context:
20-30 upperclassmen per section (mostly online, asynchronous)
Students already declared in their majors, figuring out what to do with their degrees
Focus on practical career skills: resumes, networking, articulating strengths
Final assignment: conduct real informational interviews with professionals
The instructor's concern: "I'm having them do career conversations at the end of the term as a final cumulative piece. But how do I prepare them so they actually feel confident and know what to ask?"
Most students had never networked before. They didn't know what questions to ask, what professionals actually did day-to-day, or how to prepare for a meaningful conversation.
THE SOLUTION
The instructor integrated Advize's assignment tool as a mid-course prep step before students conducted their real informational interviews.
The assignment:
Format: "Explore any 3 people" — students chose professionals to watch based on their interests
Timing: Early in the quarter, before the networking module
Reflection questions: What aspects of your career path are you still not confident about? Which careers felt like a good fit? Which were a bad fit? Why? What surprised/inspired/motivated you the most? Why did you watch the videos you did?
The instructor's goal: "I think having this as almost like a mid-step or an early-on way to dip into networking would be good. Maybe they'll feel a little bit more comfortable when they do the actual networking portion."
THE RESULTS
Fall 2025 | N=24 students | 83% full completion rate
Engagement:
20 students fully completed the assignment (83.3%)
Average 18 minutes watched per student
440 total minutes of professional content consumed
21 students watched playlists (pre/post learning measurement)
Learning Outcomes:
Average 86% increase in understanding across playlist topics
Students watched professionals across 15+ industries and 30+ roles
Top interests: Psychology, Communications, Criminal Justice, Business, Environmental Science, Law & Policy
Confidence & Networking Preparation:
Student reflections revealed exactly what the instructor hoped for:
"What motivated me the most was to not be afraid to network." — Student, Communications Major
"What I learned that surprised me the most is that it's important to start connecting with people who work in the field." — Student, Psychology Major
"I was surprised by how many different jobs you can do with a social sciences degree. It motivated me to keep going because there are more options than I thought." — Student, Sociology Major
"One thing that was motivating was when someone said they 'underestimated their own abilities.'" — Student exploring Clinical Counseling
STUDENT OUTCOMES: CLARITY & READINESS
Students gained clarity on fit:
"Careers that involve helping families and working in the community felt like a good fit for me. Jobs that focused only on research or politics did not seem right because I like being involved with people instead of only working with data."
"Communications and Criminal Justice felt like a good fit because I found them interesting. I was not interested in the medical video because it did not give useful information to me."
"I definitely enjoyed product development the most. I think the least likely for me to fit in is retail — I've worked a lot in retail, and I just think it's not the right fit for me."
Students identified what they still need:
"I am still not confident about choosing one career. I know I want to help people, but I do not know the exact job I want yet. I worry about things like getting the right training, meeting the requirements, and if I will be fully prepared."
"I'm still not confident in exactly what I would like to do. There's a broad range of jobs that make a difference, and these are the jobs I want to be a part of."
"Doing interviews and looking for a network will be a challenge since I am a shy person. But I understand these are the steps I have to take if I want to follow my career path."
KEY INSIGHT: PREPARATION BUILDS CONFIDENCE
The instructor integrated Advize specifically to prepare students for their final networking assignment:
"It's going to be really good, especially for the purposes that I have — getting students to almost dip their toes into what I'm going to have them do later. Maybe they'll feel a little bit more comfortable with the networking portion." — Course Instructor
Advize's founder, who worked directly with the instructor on implementation, explained why this approach works:
"We have seen students gain more confidence from just watching because if you hear just a couple people talk about what they do before you go meet them, they're like, 'Oh, they're not that terrifying.' Also, 'I know what questions to ask.' They kind of pick up on what questions we ask in the interview process." — Emily McSherry, Founder & CEO, Advize
Student reflections confirmed this:
"I learned that undergoing leadership opportunities provides a skill to communicate effectively in front of people and in-person. Also surprised they talked about clubs. I like how they mentioned confidence."
"What was most inspiring was the number of people who are willing to help and come together to solve a problem. I like knowing that if I reach out for assistance, something will come from it."
"The thing that motivated me the most is when one of the girls said: 'If you're just submitting applications online, that's really difficult to get anywhere. You have to be aggressive and earn your spot.'"
IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
What worked:
Integrated into existing curriculum as a required mid-course module (not extra credit)
Student choice — students picked professionals relevant to their interests
Reflection-based — focused on fit, clarity, and networking preparation
Low instructor burden — assignment setup took ~10 minutes; analytics dashboard showed completion and insights
Timing recommendation: The instructor placed this assignment early in the quarter, before the networking/resume modules, so students could:
Understand what professionals actually do
Build confidence that networking is possible
Learn what questions to ask
Apply that knowledge when conducting real informational interviews later
CONCLUSION
By using Advize as a prep step before real networking, this Career Management class achieved:
✅ 83% completion rate and ~500 minutes watching content for a meaningful career exploration assignment
✅ 86% average learning gain across topics students explored
✅ Increased confidence in networking and reaching out to professionals
✅ Clarity on career fit — students articulated what felt right and what didn't
✅ Better preparation for final informational interview assignment
The instructor's takeaway: "It's going to be really good for getting students to dip their toes into what I'm going to have them do later. Maybe they'll feel a little bit more comfortable with the networking portion."
And the data shows: they did.
Learn more at www.advizehub.com
