Leland+ Content Library

Ask Me Anything: Behind the screening curtain at MBB

Step behind the screening curtain of MBB with Alison L., a seasoned expert in strategic talent acquisition. With 15 years of experience between MBB, Alison has scaled and led global talent teams at McKinsey and Bain and served as a knowledge expert in BCG's global health care practice. These experiences have provided her some unique insights into their cultures and what they seek in candidates. Whether you're exploring a career in management consulting or preparing for interviews, this AMA session is your chance to gain insider knowledge and guidance.

The MBA Narrative Lab: Where Story Meets Strategy

Most MBA applicants have strong resumes. Far fewer know how to turn their experiences into a cohesive, compelling narrative that actually drives admissions decisions. In The MBA Narrative Lab: Where Story Meets Strategy, you’ll learn how to connect your career moves, leadership moments, and future goals into a clear story that resonates. The speaker regularly works 1:1 with MBA candidates, and this session offers rare access to the same narrative frameworks used in coaching sessions to shape standout applications. Who This Is For - Applicants planning to apply in the next 1–2 cycles - Reapplicants who need a stronger, clearer positioning - Candidates struggling to connect “why MBA” to long-term goals - High achievers whose story feels scattered on paper What You’ll Walk Away With - A practical framework to define your core narrative arc - How to align past experience with future goals convincingly - The patterns I see across successful candidates at top programs - The kinds of story gaps and positioning mistakes I fix in 1:1 sessions - A simple exercise to pressure-test your narrative before writing essays

The Elements of a Successful Case

What separates an average case from a memorable one? This session focuses on the specific elements interviewers look for when evaluating consulting cases—and how to consistently demonstrate them. You’ll break down how to drive the case forward, ask sharper questions, synthesize insights, and communicate recommendations with confidence. We’ll also highlight where candidates often lose points and how to course-correct in real time. Whether you’re building case fundamentals or aiming to refine your performance, you’ll leave with a clearer sense of how strong cases are actually judged—and how to deliver one.

MIT Sloan MBA Résumé Requirements

MIT Sloan has specific résumé requirements that MBA applicants must adhere to. This guide outlines those requirements.

How to Write an MBA Resume

A quick, step-by-step guide to writing the perfect MBA résumé.

Get Your Master’s in the EU

Earning a master’s degree in the EU can unlock world-class academics, lower tuition costs, and strong post-graduate career opportunities across global markets. This session breaks down how European master’s programs work, key differences from US applications, timelines and requirements, and how to choose the right country and program based on your goals. You’ll leave with a clear framework for evaluating options and taking next steps toward a competitive EU master’s application.

Home for Ambition #2 — Weekly Live Show [3/25/2026] (Recording)

Home for Ambition is a weekly live show, by Leland, for people trying to stay ahead as work, learning, and opportunity keep changing. Each episode tackles a handful of timely, high-signal topics across AI, careers, education, and the future of work. We expect thoughtful debate, unique perspectives, and practical takeaways you can actually use. It is not a typical interview show or a generic news recap. It is a live roundtable built to help ambitious people make sense of what is changing, understand what matters, and leave with a sharper point of view on how to navigate what comes next.

The MBA Story Bank Worksheet

Build your core story library before writing a single essay or preparing for a single interview. This fillable worksheet walks you through cataloging your 8–10 strongest career stories with the specificity MBA admissions committees and interviewers actually require — including a story card template for each experience, a theme matrix to map your stories to essay and interview categories, a coverage checker to identify gaps, and a goals and narrative prep section to build the spine of your entire application.

Mastering the MCAT: C/P Strategies from a Top Scorer

The Chemical and Physical Foundations section of the MCAT challenges students to integrate scientific concepts with data analysis and critical reasoning under time pressure. In this session, you’ll learn high-impact strategies for approaching C/P passages, prioritizing key information, and avoiding common mistakes that cost points. Whether you’re building your foundation or fine-tuning your approach, you’ll leave with practical techniques to improve accuracy, efficiency, and confidence on test day.

Crafting a Winning Narrative: Harvard and Stanford Graduate Break Down Elite College Admissions

Elite college admissions are driven by how clearly and authentically you tell your story, not just by grades and test scores. In this session, graduates of Harvard and Stanford will explain how top schools evaluate applications and what makes a narrative resonate with admissions committees. You’ll learn how to connect your experiences, values, and goals into a cohesive story across essays, activities, and recommendations, while avoiding common pitfalls that weaken otherwise strong profiles.

The Non‑Traditional Applicant’s Storytelling Workbook

How to build an authentic, coherent MBA narrative (without obsessing over stats). Non‑traditional candidate stories can be coherent, but often candidates just don’t know how to translate them for what Adcom wants to hear. This guide helps you translate your niche experience into MBA language.

Great Alternatives to the US for Grad School

For many applicants, top graduate programs outside the United States offer world-class education, strong career outcomes, and more accessible pathways to admission and visas. This session explores leading international destinations for grad school, how their application processes differ from the US, and what to consider when evaluating cost, career mobility, and long-term goals. You’ll leave with a clearer view of global options and practical guidance for building a competitive international application strategy.

Sample Resume Bullet Points

This guide includes a set of résumé bullet points designed to showcase a wide range of skills and industries. Each bullet uses a strong action verb and highlights a quantifiable outcome.

How to Stand Apart in Consulting Recruiting

Consulting recruiting is intensely competitive, and standing apart requires more than strong case skills. This session breaks down what top firms actually look for, how to differentiate your profile through storytelling, judgment, and communication, and how to signal readiness across resumes, networking, and interviews. You’ll learn common mistakes that hold candidates back and practical strategies to position yourself as a clear yes.

Five Real Cases: Americans Landing Jobs in Europe

I have been talking about working abroad in general terms. Now it is time to share the success. I have placed many clients in jobs across Europe, and I want to show you exactly how this works. In this session, I will present five real cases: the application strategies we used, the interview processes they went through, the offers they received, and how we handled work permits, visas, and relocation. These are not hypothetical scenarios. These are actual people who now work in Europe. I am very proud of these clients. Their success contributed to my winning the 2026 Top Coach Award in the Career and Leadership section on Leland. Each case demonstrates something different: different industries, different countries, different career stages. You will see what worked, what did not work, and what made the difference between an application that went nowhere and an offer that changed someone's life.

Sample Finance to MBA CV

Example of a finance-focused CV for MBA applications.

Necessary and Sufficient Assumptions for the LSAT

Assumption questions are some of the most challenging and frequently tested question types on the LSAT, and understanding the difference between necessary and sufficient assumptions is critical to mastering them. In this session, you’ll learn how to identify argument gaps, apply the negation test correctly, and recognize when a question requires bridging logic versus strengthening it. You’ll leave with a clear, repeatable framework to approach assumption questions with greater precision and confidence.

Session 3: Craft a Resume and LinkedIn to Impress Humans

Session 3 from Mar26 AI-Powered Job Search bootcamp

Session 1 - Application Strategy and Fundamentals

Session 1 from Mar26 Dental School bootcamp

Sample Resume Metrics

Adding metrics and quantifiable data to your résumé demonstrates your tangible impact and value to potential MBA programs. Use this original list of metrics to clearly highlight your accomplishments.