Leland+ Content Library

The Resume Formula That Gets MBB Interviews

Learn how top candidates structure bullets, quantify impact, and position experience to pass the brutal MBB resume screen. This document is part 5 of a broader 9-part consulting interview resource kit. Please visit my page for the other templates and guides.

Wrap Up Your MBA Prep Before R2 Deadlines

Get ready to submit your strongest Round 2 MBA application with guidance from top Leland coaches. This session will cover final essay tweaks, resume polish, recommendation strategies, and interview prep to ensure every component of your application is aligned and compelling. You’ll leave with a clear plan and actionable next steps to approach Round 2 deadlines with confidence.

8 Steps to an MBA App: 3) Core Values, Superpowers & LOR Strategy

Applying to business school can feel overwhelming! You have dozens of moving pieces: essays, short answers, video content, resume, recommendations, outreach, research, and more. This workshop is the third of a structured 8-part MBA Identity Mapping series designed to take you from fragmented tasks to a clear plan of action. In this session, you will identify your core values and defining strengths and begin aligning your Letters of Recommendation with your overall narrative. These sessions walk you step by step through building one fully aligned MBA application. In every workshop, you will be assigned tasks to complete over the next two weeks, keeping you organized and accountable. By the end, you will have strong, authentic essays and a cohesive narrative that runs consistently through your resume, goals, recommendations, school strategy, and interviews. You are absolutely welcome to watch individual sessions if you only need focused help on a specific component(s) of your MBA application. Event 3 clarifies your defining characteristic and begins the recommendation process: • Identify 3–5 core values and superpowers that consistently appear across your key stories. • Define what each strength truly means in your life and how it shows up in action. • Ensure your positioning reflects who you actually are, not who you think admissions wants you to be. • Learn how to select recommenders and ensure strong narrative alignment. This is the phase where your stories become identity. Instead of a collection of experiences, you now articulate the defining qualities that connect your past, present, and future. The MBA Identity Mapping process has guided 100+ applicants into every M7 program, all other top 20 U.S. programs, and leading international programs including INSEAD, London Business School, IESE, Esade, Oxford, Cambridge, NUS, and more. Clients consistently describe it as transformative because it replaces scattered effort with forward momentum and strategic clarity. If you are ready to clarify what truly defines you and ensure your recommendations reinforce your positioning, this is your next step.

Banking to Buy-Side: IB & Venture Playbook [5/18/2026] (Recording)

After this session, you'll understand how investment banking experience translates into a credible VC narrative and where most candidates lose the thread making that transition. We'll cover how to position deal experience for early-stage fund interviews, what VC firms actually look for in candidates coming from IB versus other paths, and how to think about sourcing as a differentiator when you have limited buy-side exposure. Attending live means you can bring your specific background and get a direct read on how it lands, which a recording cannot replicate. The coach works inside this industry and will share the patterns they see across candidates who successfully make this move, giving you a real look at how practitioners evaluate this transition.

Last Chance to Ask Questions for the Dental Early Admit… [6/1/2026] (Recording)

Dental early admission timelines move quickly, and many applicants reach the final stretch still unsure about how their application will actually be evaluated. This session is for students preparing to submit or finalize their dental early admit applications who want clarity before deadlines arrive. You’ll learn what admissions committees focus on most, the common mistakes that weaken otherwise strong applications, and how to make sure your essays, experiences, and overall narrative are working together effectively. Join live for an opportunity to hear directly from an experienced admissions coach who works closely with dental applicants throughout the process. You’ll be able to get real-time answers to key application questions and hear the kinds of insights and patterns typically discussed in 1:1 coaching conversations before submission deadlines.

Designing AI Systems That People Actually Trust and Use

​Most people using AI tools at work have the same quiet worry: what is actually happening to my data? It is a fair question, and most AI systems are not designed to answer it well. ​Join Andrew Quillen, former Head of AI at Spotify and Content Strategist at OpenAI, for a session on how to design AI systems that people actually trust. Andrew will walk through how to think about sensitive data, connectors, and access controls, how to prevent unintended exposure before it happens, and how to build systems where users always know what the AI can see and what it can't. He'll also cover the broader design principles, boundaries, visibility, and user control, that separate AI products people rely on from ones they quietly stop using. ​You'll leave with a practical framework for building AI that earns trust, not just attention.

How to Position Yourself for Promotion: What Leaders Actually Evaluate [6/2/2026] (Recording)

Many professionals assume strong performance alone leads to promotion. In reality, promotion decisions are usually based on a broader set of factors leaders evaluate when determining who is ready for the next level. In this workshop, we’ll break down how promotion decisions are often made and introduce a practical framework you can use to assess and strengthen your own positioning. Drawing from over 12 years in corporate professional services, executive search, and talent development leadership, including leading promotion review processes, sitting in on promotion and performance discussions, and advising on promotion decisions, I’ll share practical insights into what leaders actually look for when evaluating readiness for advancement. In this session, you’ll learn: - The key factors leaders evaluate when determining promotion readiness - Why strong performers still get passed over for promotion - How to assess your own positioning across results, leadership behaviors, and organizational confidence - Practical ways to strengthen your visibility, leadership presence, and readiness for the next level - How to identify the highest-impact areas to focus on for career growth You’ll leave with a clear framework to evaluate your promotion readiness, identify potential gaps, and approach your career growth more strategically and intentionally. This session is designed for professionals who are preparing for increased responsibility, navigating career growth, or looking to position themselves more effectively for future advancement.

Build an AI-Powered Lead Gen System in 45 Minutes (No Code) [5/30/2026] (Recording)

A practical build-along where you design a simple, end-to-end AI-assisted outbound workflow — from prospecting and enrichment to first-touch drafting — tailored for lean service businesses. Leave with a concrete, working outbound system you can implement immediately. Agenda: • 10 min: Overview of the agentic approach (browser agents + human-in-the-loop) and why it beats hiring another SDR • 25 min: Structured build steps — you demo, they follow along with a provided checklist template • 10 min: Qualify who should get DFY support vs. continue DIY Who this is for: Founders of agencies, consulting firms, and service businesses who want to build a repeatable AI-powered outbound engine without writing code. CTA: If you want this system fully built and wired into your tools in 2 weeks, book a System Builder call.

Last Chance to Ask Questions for the Dental Early Admit… [6/1/2026] (Recording)

Dental early admission timelines move quickly, and many applicants reach the final stretch still unsure about how their application will actually be evaluated. This session is for students preparing to submit or finalize their dental early admit applications who want clarity before deadlines arrive. You’ll learn what admissions committees focus on most, the common mistakes that weaken otherwise strong applications, and how to make sure your essays, experiences, and overall narrative are working together effectively. Join live for an opportunity to hear directly from an experienced admissions coach who works closely with dental applicants throughout the process. You’ll be able to get real-time answers to key application questions and hear the kinds of insights and patterns typically discussed in 1:1 coaching conversations before submission deadlines.

Build a Personal AI That Schedules Your Life Over Text

You text "dentist tomorrow 3 to 4pm, bring x-rays" and it's on your calendar before you put your phone down. ​Join Luca Tomasino, AI Automation Expert and n8n specialist who has coached over 100 professionals on building real AI workflows, for an exclusive AI Builder session where you'll create a Telegram bot that reads your messages, checks your Google Calendar for conflicts, and books your events automatically over text. ​You'll build the entire thing inside n8n from scratch, live, in under an hour. By the end of the session, you'll text your own bot and watch the event land on your calendar in real time, not in a demo, on your actual phone. ​This isn't a tutorial you'll finish later. Luca will walk you through every node, every connection, and every decision as you build, teaching you the core n8n concepts that unlock every other automation you'll ever want to build: triggers, AI agents with structured output, conditional logic, and multiple API integrations, all in one flow.

VC Recruiting Workbook

Template to articulate your unique value proposition and background story for VC recruiting; Evaluate your current track record and identify 3 goals to strengthen your candidacy over the next 90 days.

Build Your Personal Budget with Claude

​Most personal budgets die by February. You build a beautiful spreadsheet in January, miss a week of updates, and never open it again. The numbers stop matching reality, and the plan stops working. ​In this exclusive AI Builder session, Ben Lazaroff will walk you step by step through building a personal budget powered by Claude. By the end of the hour you'll have a working AI that tracks where your money goes, flags when you're drifting, and tells you in plain English whether you can swing that flight home this summer. ​But the budget is just the on-ramp. The real takeaway is the playbook: how to hand any messy, recurring part of your life over to AI. First a budget. Next a meal planner, a job search tracker, a CFO for your side hustle. Same skill, different shape. ​Ben has spent his career thinking about how money moves: private equity at Bain, economic development policy at the Chicago Mayor's Office. Same rigor, much smaller balance sheet. ​You'll be building alongside him in real time. No demo, no notes for later. You'll leave with a finished budget and a clearer sense of what else you could build next.

Home for Ambition #9 — Weekly Live Show [5/13/2026] (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.

Product Requirements Document Template

Stop reinventing the wheel every time you kick off a new product. This battle-tested PRD template walks you through everything from TL;DR overviews and user flows to system requirements, metrics, and launch planning, so your team stays aligned and nothing falls through the cracks. Whether you're a first-time PM or a seasoned lead, this is the structure that keeps stakeholders happy and engineers unblocked.

3 AI Skills to Land Your Job in ... The Green Energy Industry

Some people assume green energy is about policy, subsidies, and political will. In practice, the industry runs on physical hardware as demanding as any in heavy manufacturing. A wind turbine nacelle housing a gearbox that must perform reliably at 100 meters altitude in North Sea conditions for 25 years. A solar panel assembly sealed well enough to withstand thermal cycling, humidity, and UV exposure across decades of outdoor installation. A battery cell precise enough in its chemistry and construction to store grid-scale energy without degradation. These are tangible products; the energy transition does not happen without them. I spent more than 10 years selling to the green energy industry, working across its supply chain at the component and system level. Beyond that, I have coached candidates on Leland preparing for roles in this sector, several of whom have since been successfully hired. I understand what green energy companies require from their people; I also know which skills are shifting fast right now because of AI. This Tuesday session covers the green energy industry: one of the fastest-growing, most capital-intensive, and most consequential sectors in the global economy. We will discuss three specific AI skills that are changing what hiring managers expect, and how you can demonstrate them before you walk into an interview. If you want a career where the tangible product you help bring to market contributes to something larger than a balance sheet, this session is for you.

Sector Overview: Sustainability & Energy

Learn about the Sustainability and Energy industry and what VCs look for there. Check out key metrics, valuations, and major players in the space.

Starting Your GRE Journey: An Introduction to the GRE General Test [5/14/2026] (Recording)

Starting your GRE prep can feel overwhelming when you’re not sure what the test actually involves or how to begin. This session is for anyone looking for a clear introduction to the GRE General Test and how to approach it effectively. You’ll learn how the exam is structured, what each section tests, and how to build a study plan that sets you up for steady improvement. Join live to ask questions about your starting point and get guidance on how to approach your prep with more confidence. The speaker is an experienced GRE coach who regularly helps students navigate the early stages of preparation. They’ll share the patterns they see across successful test takers and the foundational strategies typically covered in 1:1 prep sessions.

Sector Overview: Marketplaces

Learn about marketplaces, their key growth drivers, key players, metrics and benchmarks, and what VCs look for.

MBB Interview Workshop: Master the Fundamentals [5/14/2026] (Recording)

MBB interviews test a specific set of core skills, and many candidates struggle not because they lack ability, but because they haven’t fully mastered the fundamentals. This session is for candidates preparing for consulting interviews who want to build a strong foundation before moving to advanced cases. You’ll learn how to structure clear and logical frameworks, communicate your thinking effectively, and avoid the common mistakes that cost candidates offers. Join live to see how an experienced coach breaks down core case interview skills and the patterns they see across successful candidates. You’ll also have the chance to ask questions and get real-time guidance on your approach, with insights typically shared in 1:1 coaching sessions.

How To Prep Independently For the GRE [5/18/2026] (Recording)

Preparing for the GRE on your own can feel overwhelming without a clear plan or feedback loop. This session is for test takers who want a structured, effective approach to independent prep. You’ll learn how to build a study plan that fits your timeline, choose the right materials, and track your progress in a way that leads to consistent improvement. Join live to ask questions about your current approach and get guidance on how to refine it. The speaker is a GRE expert with 18+ years of test prep experience and has helped many students succeed through self-study. They’ll share the patterns they see across high scorers and the strategies typically covered in focused 1:1 prep sessions.