HBS Career Journeys
In today's rapidly evolving job market, how can business students forge rewarding career paths with confidence?
By hearing first-hand from peers who’ve leveraged resources to gain clarity on their goals while setting themselves up for immediate and long-term success!
10 videos
+ a repeatable framework
The Ask
Harvard Business School's Career & Professional Development (CPD) office for the MBA Program wanted students to keep their extensive resources and services top of mind as they navigated their academic and professional journeys.
CPD partnered with Thought Leader Media (TLM) to create a video series that not only informed, but inspired students to push beyond their comfort zones. But rather than having CPD talk about what they do, we encouraged them to let the students themselves share their experiences of the transformative impact of CPD's offerings.
Our Approach
TLM focused on showcasing the career-shifting possibilities of CPD services and peer mentors as told through personal testimonials. This way, the video series would increase understanding and demonstrate far-reaching impacts on individual students by ‘showing’ instead of overtly ‘telling.’
To capture genuine experiences, TLM interviewed nine HBS students, each of whom shared how CPD's resources and mentorship, as well as peer guidance, have helped them carve their unique career paths. The students discussed various aspects of support, including:
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Career Coaching and Mentorship: Students shared how CPD coaches helped them navigate their interests, understand their options, and develop tailored job-hunting strategies.
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Resume and Interview Support: Testimonials highlighted how individualized advice and preparation from business experts with CPD boosted their confidence during the internship and job application process.
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Networking and Clubs: Students described how CPD connected them to valuable networks and resources, some of which they were previously unaware of, such as niche industry connections and international opportunities.
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Psychological Benefits: Many students emphasized the relief and self-assurance they gained from the guidance of their CPD mentors, which was crucial in preparing for a competitive and uncertain job market.
As part of the video production process, TLM took care to create a comfortable, open, and fun environment for interviews, allowing students to speak candidly about their experiences.
TLM then skillfully edited the footage to craft authentic, compelling narratives that would resonate with HBS students for years to come.
Our Impact
The video series TLM produced was initially intended as a private resource for current students, but was so well-received that HBS ultimately published it on their public YouTube channel.
This broader accessibility allowed for prospective and incoming students to also benefit from the breadth and depth of resources showcased in the series, which covered everything from creating a purpose-driven business career combining multiple interest areas, to pivoting industries, to accessing game-changing networking and job opportunities.
By sharing these stories publicly, HBS highlighted the comprehensive and personalized support system available through CPD and its tangible benefits for students, making HBS an even more attractive choice for aspiring business leaders.
Through this project, TLM not only delivered a powerful, human-centered video series, it helped HBS reach beyond current students and amplify its value amongst future applicants and the broader HBS community.
But There's More...
Having seen the impact of student-centered storytelling to not only explain their services but inspire greater heights, CPD has commissioned annual interviews – with current MBA students as well as alumni.
TLM is thrilled for the opportunity to continue creating human-first videos that empower Harvard Business School to help their students realize their full potential.
Telling the story of many through the voice of a few.
This is how TLM helped Harvard Business School's MBA Program inspire the next generation of business leaders to reach beyond their comfort zone.
