Leland+ for Management Consulting

What Sets Great Cases Apart: Insights from an Ex-Mckinsey Interviewer

Great consulting candidates don’t just solve cases—they stand out in how they think, communicate, and lead the conversation. This workshop is designed to break down what truly separates strong case interviews from exceptional ones, drawing on insights from a former McKinsey interviewer. In this session, you’ll learn how interviewers evaluate structure, problem-solving approach, synthesis, and communication under pressure. We’ll cover common mistakes candidates make, what top consulting firms consistently look for, and how to elevate your case performance across interview rounds. Whether you’re building your foundation or fine-tuning for final-round interviews, you’ll leave with practical strategies and a clearer interviewer’s perspective.

How Top Consulting Candidates Network

Join this session to learn how top consulting candidates approach networking strategically, not awkwardly or randomly. We’ll break down what effective outreach looks like, how to build genuine relationships with consultants, and how to turn conversations into real recruiting momentum. You’ll leave with a clear framework for networking that actually helps you stand out during the consulting recruiting process.

Landing an MBB / Consulting Offer - From A to Z

Breaking into top consulting firms requires more than strong academics and case prep - it requires avoiding countless pitfalls, common misconceptions, and time-wasting work. In this session, Leland coach Ian G will walk you through the entire consulting recruiting and interviewing process end-to-end, providing you with the tools and tips to optimize your chances of success and minimize time wasted. As an ex-BCG consultant Ian brings a proven track record, having aced all 8 of his consulting interviews, with a 95% success rate helping candidates land consulting offers over the past 5 years. After this session you’ll leave with a clear, structured playbook for what to focus on at each stage of the journey - from building the right profile and networking effectively to get offers all the way to mastering case and behavioral interviews to convert interviews into offers.

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

How to build MECE and Customized Frameworks

Strong case performance depends on your ability to build clear, MECE, and customized frameworks, not memorized templates. In this session, Karthik R., an ex-BCG Project Leader and interviewer and former President of Consulting Prep at both Wharton and UT Austin, will teach a foundations-first approach to frameworking that top firms actually reward. Drawing on his experience helping 200+ candidates earn offers at McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Oliver Wyman, Deloitte, and Accenture, Karthik will break down how to structure problems from scratch, tailor frameworks to the case context, and integrate quantitative and qualitative thinking into a coherent storyline. You will also learn how interviewers evaluate frameworks and how small improvements in clarity and logic can dramatically raise your case scores.

Breaking into MBB as an Underdog

Breaking into MBB (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) is challenging even if you're at an Ivy League School with a top GPA and you start preparing for interviews six months in advance. But imagine trying to break in from a non-target school with a sub-3.5 GPA, having never heard of a case interview until two months before the application deadline. In this event, you'll hear Matt's story overcoming those exact circumstances to land a Bain Associate Consultant Internship. And you'll hear from Jeremy, his Leland coach, who helped him navigate the entire application process and put in place a strategy to overcome obstacles that most candidates see as insurmountable. If you feel like an underdog, or don't know how to you could possibly land an MBB offer, come to this event to revitalize your belief and learn the exact steps you need to take to get there.

Mock McKinsey PEI with 2 McKinsey Alums

Join this live mock McKinsey Personal Experience Interview led by two former McKinsey consultants who have interviewed and evaluated real candidates. You’ll see exactly how strong PEI answers are structured, what interviewers listen for, and where candidates commonly lose points. This session will help you understand how to tell clear, compelling stories that demonstrate leadership, impact, and fit with McKinsey’s values.

Talking Your Way into McKinsey (with an ex-Personality Hire!)

Breaking into McKinsey requires more than strong credentials—it’s about how you present yourself. Join this session to learn how top candidates communicate, connect, and stand out in interviews. You’ll discover strategies for behavioral and fit questions, how to showcase your strengths authentically, and what interviewers look for beyond technical skills. Whether you’re preparing for first-round or final interviews, you’ll leave with actionable tips to elevate your performance.

Networking Strategy: Making the Connection

Networking is not one-size-fits-all; your approach must shift based on how you enter the room. In this lesson you’ll learn how to maximize the "home court advantage" of campus events, how to professionally activate your existing network without being awkward, and the precise "low-friction" email scripts needed to turn a total stranger into a cold-lead conversion.

Networking Strategy: Developing the Relationship

The biggest mistake candidates make is treating networking as a one-off transaction. To get your resume pulled from the pile, you need a long-term advocate, not just a LinkedIn connection. In this lesson, we'll discuss how to transition from a stranger to a "referral-worthy" candidate by demonstrating curiosity, coachability, and a genuine connection with both the firm and the individual.

Cracking Cultural Fit: Becoming a Bainie

What does it actually mean to be a "Bainie"? Beyond the resume, we look for that "True North" orientation, and this lesson moves past the buzzwords to examine the specific behaviors that signal cultural alignment. We will discuss how to subtly weave Bain’s core values into your responses and how to handle the "airport test"—the unspoken metric of whether a partner actually wants to spend a six-hour flight with you.

How to Effectively Practice for Consulting Interviews

Most candidates practice long, but few practice well. We break down the "Deliberate Practice" framework used by elite performers. Learn how to structure solo drills for mental math, how to give and receive high-utility feedback during peer mocks, and how to utilize professional coaching sessions to fix your specific "blind spots" rather than just running another case.

Overcoming Application Weaknesses

The "perfect" application is more often myth than reality. In this lesson, we tackle the reality of low GPAs, non-target backgrounds, and "light" work experience. You’ll learn tactical ways to "offset" these gaps—from leveraging high GMAT/GRE scores and specific certifications to networking your way into a partner-led referral that bypasses the automated screening bots.

Advanced Chart Analysis

Bain is known for "trick" exhibits that test more than just your ability to read a legend. We deconstruct complex, multi-variable charts and unconventional data visualizations. You’ll learn how to quickly synthesize the "so what" from a messy data set to deliver clear insights and nail your case problem solving.

How to Sound More Conversational in Interviews

The fastest way to fail the "fit" check is to sound like you’re reading from a script. We teach you how to break the "robotic" habit, treating the interview as a working session with a friend or colleague rather than an oral exam, and projecting the "client-ready" confidence Bain partners expect.

Advanced Problem Solving Tips & Tricks

Move beyond the "Profitability Framework" into industry-specific and capability-oriented problem-solving. This lesson covers advanced quant shortcuts for rapid mental estimation and introduces "Modular Frameworks" that allow you to adapt to unconventional cases. We’ll teach you how to think like an industry expert on the fly, whether the case is about private equity due diligence or a digital transformation.

How-To Industry Deep Dive

Get the inside scoop on your target industry! Learn how to conduct expert-level research for job applications, career changes, and more.

MBA to Consulting: How to Nail the Interview

Consulting interviews are some of the toughest in the MBA world—and breaking into a top firm requires mastery of both case and behavioral components. In this workshop, Erik Z. —a former Bain consultant and manager who spent three years on the “other side” of recruiting—will walk you through exactly how to prepare. Having conducted 300+ mock interviews, authored an MBA interview case at Bain, and coached candidates (including many from non-traditional backgrounds) into MBB, Erik brings insider knowledge of what firms truly look for. He’ll cover networking strategy, resume positioning, case frameworks, behavioral excellence, and the nuances that help you stand out during recruiting season. Whether you're prepping for on-campus recruiting or pivoting into consulting post-MBA, this session will give you the clarity and confidence to excel.

Crafting a Cover Letter for BCG

See how this successful cover letter from a student at Ivey Business School helped them land an Associate position at a top firm like BCG.

BCG Resume

See this example of a compelling resume that landed a spot at a top consulting firm - BCG. This example from a successful applicant shows how to structure your experience and stand out.