Leland+ Content Library

Storytelling 101: Crafting an Effective Experience Story

One of the most common mistakes in the Behavioral Interview is in telling poor experience stories. These glimpses into your past not only need to highlight your impact, teamwork, coachability, and resiliency, but also be compelling enough to capture the attention of your interviewer (and someday, your clients). We will break down the components of a great experience story, and demonstrate how it goes so much further than a mere STAR approach

Application Timeline Tracker Template

I created this template to help you use your time effectively while applying to college! Check out a video I made explaining how to use it here: https://www.joinleland.com/content/item/urn:contentEntry:6946127756b5b2f63a8db7f6?fromName=College

HBS Admit Full Letter of Recommendation Example

This is an example of a letter of recommendation that lead to candidate admittance into the Harvard Business School.

How to Strengthen your LinkedIn Presence in 5 Minutes

With over 1 billion members and 67 million companies, LinkedIn stands as the world's largest professional network, making it an invaluable platform for your career growth. These days you need to have a strong LinkedIn presence because admissions teams and recruiters will be looking.

How I Founded, Scaled and Exited my Brand Last Year

Cashmere is the Founder and CEO of Beauty Bakerie, a cosmetics company she built into a globally distributed brand before being acquired by West Lane Capital Partners. Sold in nearly 2000 locations worldwide and backed by more than $15M in venture capital, Beauty Bakerie grew into San Diego’s fastest-growing private company from 2015 to 2017 and developed a strong, multi-platform social media presence with over 1M followers. The brand earned recognition from publications including Allure, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Good Morning America, Teen Vogue, Essence, Elle, Oprah, and BuzzFeed. As a founder who led vision, branding, product development, and overall strategy, Cashmere has firsthand experience navigating fundraising, hyper-growth, market expansion, and the acquisition process. In this session, she will share key lessons from scaling a consumer brand, building a team, developing products, working with retailers, and preparing for exit. Attendees will gain insight into what drives brand value, how to manage rapid growth, and the strategic decisions that shaped Beauty Bakerie’s trajectory from inception to acquisition.

r/AMA: Building products people love from Slack to Discord to Reddit

What does it take to build products that millions of people use every day—and genuinely love? In this AMA, Sri V., a product manager at Reddit who has also worked on community and communication products at Discord, Slack, and Microsoft, will share candid insights from years spent shaping how people connect online. With a background in computer science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a career built on solving meaningful problems rather than just writing code, Sri brings a uniquely human-centered perspective to product development. Come with questions about breaking into PM, building social and community products, navigating big tech careers, or even national parks—Sri has nomaded through nearly all of them.

Duke MBA Essay 1 Example: 25 Things About Yourself

This is an example of the Duke MBA Fuqua Essay #1, which has the following essay prompt: "The ‘Team Fuqua’ spirit and community is one of the things that sets the MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. Please share with us “25 Random Things” about you. The Admissions Committee wants to get to know YOU – beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. Share with us important life experiences, your hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Your list will be limited to 2 pages (750 words maximum). Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be brief, while others may be longer."

MIT Sloan Personal Statement Short Answer

While MIT Sloan does not have a traditional personal statement, they do have a Short Answer portion of their application following their behavioral cover letter and video introduction. This is an example of the Short Answer from an MIT Sloan admit.

Georgetown McDonough Essays

Application essays for two short answer questions and one long form question for dual-degree applicants

From Waitlisted to Admitted: Insider Tips for MBA Admissions

Navigating the MBA waitlist can feel like walking a tightrope—but with the right strategy, it’s often your strongest chance to turn a “maybe” into a “yes.” Join Karla M., a seasoned AdCom-trained strategist who has coached over 300 MBA applicants, helped more than 150 M7 admits, and has deep insight into waitlist dynamics. Drawing on her experience shaping successful narratives and guiding candidates through revisits, updates, and communication, she’ll walk you through proven tactics to strengthen your profile, re-engage with schools, and advocate for your admission.

Human + AI Collaboration: Learn How to Think With AI

In this reflective and practical workshop, you’ll learn how to use AI as a true thought partner--one that helps you reason through ideas, uncover blind spots, and make better decisions. Through live examples, you’ll see how to move beyond surface-level use (like writing or summarizing) and instead use AI to challenge assumptions, explore alternatives, and clarify strategy. You’ll practice “collaborative prompting,” a method that turns AI into a sparring partner that helps you think deeper, faster, and more creatively. Outcomes: You’ll leave with a set of conversational prompts for strategic thinking, a clearer understanding of what humans do best in an AI-powered world, and confidence using AI as an extension of your judgment and creativity. Learning Objectives: *Recognize when to rely on human intuition vs. AI reasoning *Practice “collaborative prompting” for deeper insight and reflection *Use AI strategically to analyze, debate, and refine complex ideas

Application Timeline Walkthrough & Example

In this video I will be walking you through a customizable college application timeline tracker template that I created for you. Check it out and good luck on your applications! Link: https://www.joinleland.com/content/item/urn:contentEntry:694612235b381540d85002f6?fromName=College

The Process: How Bain Recruiting Actually Works

From application to final round decision, this video maps out the entire lifecycle of a Bain recruit. We break down the timeline, the different interview formats you’ll encounter, and the key touchpoints where candidates often get lost. Know exactly where you stand at every step of the journey.

How to Network Like a Pro to Land IB Interviews

Breaking into investment banking isn’t just about technical skills—it’s about building relationships that get you in the door. In this session, you’ll learn proven networking strategies that help candidates turn cold outreach into meaningful conversations, develop strong connections with bankers, and convert touchpoints into interview opportunities. Led by Jonathan S., a former Wells Fargo investment banker and experienced coach who has helped candidates land roles at top firms, this workshop will teach you how to craft effective outreach messages, manage informational interviews, and confidently position your story. Whether you’re early in recruiting or trying to level up your current approach, you’ll leave with actionable tactics you can start using immediately to stand out in a crowded pipeline.

Mastering the Hedge Fund Interview

Breaking into hedge funds requires sharp investing instincts, a compelling stock pitch, and the ability to think clearly under pressure. In this session, Diyang Y.—a former investment banker turned Long/Short equity analyst at Point72—will break down what top funds really look for in candidates. Drawing on years of evaluating investments, mentoring aspiring analysts, and preparing candidates for competitive buy-side interviews, Diyang will walk you through how to build a strong investment framework, articulate conviction, defend your ideas, and avoid common pitfalls. Whether you're crafting your first stock pitch or preparing for final-round interviews, you’ll gain practical, results-focused strategies to stand out in the hedge fund recruiting process.

AMA With Former Amazon Principle PM & Hiring Manager

Join this candid Ask Me Anything with Leland coach Lou A., a former Amazon Principal Product Manager and hiring manager, for an inside look at how product leaders at top tech companies evaluate candidates and build teams. Lou will share firsthand perspectives on what strong PMs consistently do to stand out, how hiring decisions are really made, and where candidates most often go wrong. Come with questions and leave with practical insights you can apply immediately.

The Top 10 Things That Matter in a Deferred Application

Applying to deferred MBA programs requires a unique strategy—strong academics and internships aren’t enough unless you know how to package them into a compelling story. In this session, Tim F., a Chicago Booth MBA graduate with high distinction and former admissions fellow who interviewed and evaluated nearly 100 applicants, will break down the ten elements that most influence AdCom decisions. Drawing on his experience helping candidates gain admission to top U.S. and European MBA programs, along with his professional background at Goldman Sachs and as a project leader at Boston Consulting Group, Tim will share how to communicate impact, craft a standout narrative, and position yourself competitively as an early-career applicant.

Duke MBA Essay 2 Example: The Fuqua Community and You

This is an example of the Duke Fuqua MBA Essay #2 which has the following essay prompt: "Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and to the development of leaders. Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, what are 3 ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua? Your response will be limited to 1 page (500 words maximum)."

Paid Media Strategy Example Template

This is an example media strategy template--it would need to be fleshed out a lot more to add significant value, but this is a great way to start as it covers aspects such as competitive analysis, channels, testing, risk and contingency planning, etc.

How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself"

"Tell me about yourself" is a common interview question, but there are specific signals that employers are looking for. In this video I will break down how you should approach these questions.