James Havlicek
Top Expert
Build a non-boring career | Hollywood → McKinsey → AI Strategy & Ops
Columbia Business School
McKinsey & Company
Successful clients at
18.3k
Expert mins
7.3k
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Available today
Starting at 5:00 PM UTC
Hi! If you don't see a time on my calendar that works for you, please message me and I will get back you about scheduling. Please note that rescheduling or canceling <24 hours out for a paid session will still be billed.
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Work with James
Career Strategy & Interview Sprint
$8973h of coaching
Career Development Start-to-Finish
$7,58020h of coaching
Job Search Diagnosis: Find What’s Blocking Your Job Search
$4930m of coaching
Save $100.50
About
Customer favorite
In the top 10% of Career Coaching experts on Leland
Hi! I'm a Columbia MBA, former McKinsey consultant, and current Head of Partner Strategy & Operations at Salsa. I started my career in the agent training program at United Talent Agency, and was a non-traditional MBA applicant. I like to drum, play golf, see as many movies as possible, and have recently gotten addicted to Peleton...
James also coaches for Management Consulting, Break Into AI Careers, and MBA. View all.
James’s Career Coaching Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Experience level: Director
20+ people coached for Career Coaching
James has helped clients get into these companies:
If your career is anything like mine, it's non-linear and often hard to predict. I've been lucky to work in Hollywood, as a strategy consultant at McKinsey, and at startups. My diverse background has given me insight into career strategy, interview preparation, and personal branding. Whether you're looking to break into a new field or climb the corporate ladder, I'm here to help you achieve your professional goals. Let's connect and chart your path to success!
James can help with:
Career Planning
Cover Letters
Interview Prep
Job Search Strategies
Networking Strategy
Personal Branding
Professional Networking
Resume Review
Salary Negotiation
Skill Building
Why do I coach?
If it hadn't been for the amazing coaches and mentors I've had throughout my career, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve my goals. I love to pay it forward and help others do the same.
Work Experience
Founding Strategy & Ops
Squad
2026 - Present
Head of Partner Strategy & Operations
Salsa
2025 - 2026
Senior Associate
McKinsey & Company
2022 - 2024
Enterprise Sales
Frame.io
2018 - 2019
Video collaboration startup (acquired by Adobe for $1.3B)
Original Series Development
NBCUniversal
2017 - 2018
Agent Trainee
United Talent Agency
2014 - 2017
Education
Columbia Business School
MBA
Claremont McKenna College
BA, Economics & International Relations
Thesis: The Performance of Global Film Franchises: Installment Effects & Extension Decisions (published in the Journal of Cultural Economics, January 2018)
James was also personally admitted to
Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern)
5.0 average review
95 reviews
Overall rating
James has helped clients get into these companies:
James also coaches for Management Consulting, Break Into AI Careers, and MBA. View all.
James’s Leland+ Resources
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