Leland+ Content Library

Part 3: Build Your Network to Learn

Are you tired of applying to 100 jobs and not hearing back? Maybe you’re nervous about reaching out to other people and talking about yourself. Perhaps you’ve heard about networking from a lot of people, but you’re skeptical about the way it can actually work for you. As a career coach, I have distilled the targeted networking approach of finding jobs into a five-step process, each of which I will guide you through. Every three weeks, we will address another piece of the puzzle through an interactive workshop. In Part 1, we reflected on what exactly you want out of your next job and why, and learned how to tell your story in an elevator pitch and rehearse it so you are comfortable sharing your story with others in as little as one minute. In Part 2, we discussed how to start by finding 5-10 organizations that you want to work at, now that you know what you want to do next. We talked about how to figure out what opportunities actually exist for you in the market, using both online (LinkedIn, virtual communities) and in-person (networking and industry events) methods. In Part 3: Build Your Network to Learn, we will: - Use your existing networks to find people who do the work you want to be doing and ask them for coffee chats so you can learn more about them - Harness your curiosity and concerns to learn about what they’re doing, their workplaces, and how you can break into this organization or field. - Focus on figuring out if a good fit exists and also creating a good connection and relationship with that person, not asking for a referral. Part 4: Maintain Your Network (July 10) Part 5: Use Your Network to Apply (July 31) By the end of the process, you will be fully prepared to use the targeted networking approach to find a job, and more importantly, you will be closer to a chosen job and career that helps you live a purposeful, fulfilling life. Each workshop will include exercises that we will work through together, and I will answer questions. While you can attend any workshop as a one-off, it can be very powerful to attend the entire five-workshop sequence. If you want more personalized support as you go through the job search process, sign up for 1-on-1 coaching sessions with me! This workshop is appropriate for: - Students and early-career professionals who are not sure how to get started with the internship or full-time job search - Mid-career professionals who are looking to pivot into another industry or find a job after a career gap - Anyone who wants to become more adept at networking and use it strategically

Closing Intro Calls and Selling Packages

Learn how to build trust and showcase your expertise, master the sales process, and convert more leads to paid clients.

Recommended Offerings Tutorial

Quick crash course on how to use recommended offerings to close clients.

Secrets of the Admissions Office: AMA with a Former Stanford Admissions Committee Member

Trying to understand what actually happens behind the scenes in admissions can be frustrating when most advice comes from secondhand perspectives and guesswork. This session is designed for applicants who want a clearer understanding of how applications are evaluated and what admissions readers are truly paying attention to. You’ll learn how applications are assessed in practice, understand the factors that influence admissions decisions, and hear common patterns that emerge across successful candidates.

My 5 Top Tips for the ACT and SAT

Small changes in test strategy can lead to major score improvements on the ACT and SAT. This session is for students who want practical, high-impact ways to improve their performance and approach the exams more confidently. You’ll learn five proven tips for managing time, avoiding common mistakes, and maximizing points across sections without wasting effort on ineffective study habits.

Expert Roundtable: Leveraging AI in Your Coaching Business

Top tips from Leland experts on using AI to 10x their impact.

3 Things to Do (and 3 to Avoid) for a Stellar College App

Small decisions in the college application process can have a major impact on how your application is perceived. This session is for students who want clearer guidance on what actually strengthens an application—and what tends to weaken it. You’ll learn three high-impact strategies that help applicants stand out, three common mistakes admissions readers frequently see, and how to present your experiences in a more compelling and authentic way.

7 Common Mistakes to Avoid in MBA Applications

Are you gearing up to apply to MBA programs and want to ensure your application stands out? Join me, Emily, for an insightful session on the 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid in MBA Applications. With an MBA from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and 10 years of professional MBA coaching experience, I've guided hundreds of applicants through the intricate admissions process. This event will provide an overview of several key aspects of the application process, and equip you with knowledge of what to being doing NOW to set yourself up for success in Round 1 applications. Whether you're considering a traditional full-time MBA, a part-time MBA, or any other format, this session will equip you with the knowledge to avoid common pitfalls and maximize your chance of success. Spaces are limited, so be sure to RSVP and secure your spot. I look forward to helping you navigate your MBA journey with confidence!

McKinsey PEI: Behavioral Story Development Worksheet

This worksheet is a companion tool to the bootcamp / consulting offer week classes I teach on developing a compelling behavioral & PEI story, and walks through two frameworks for how to select a story and how to develop it in order to get to a strong first pass.

How to Safeguard Your Data While Using AI

As AI becomes part of more workflows, many people are realizing they’re using powerful tools without fully understanding the risks around privacy and data security. This session is designed for professionals, teams, and everyday AI users who want a practical approach to using AI responsibly without slowing down productivity. You’ll learn how to identify common data privacy risks, understand what information should and should not be shared with AI systems, and build safer habits for using AI tools in day-to-day work.

Ship Your First Claude Skill: Live Build

Building with AI becomes much more approachable once you see the process happen in real time. This session is for professionals and builders who want hands-on experience creating their first Claude-powered skill from start to finish. You’ll learn how to structure a practical AI workflow, think through real implementation decisions, and walk away with a working build you can continue developing on your own.

Your Plan to Build an AI-Native Team in 6 Weeks

Trying to introduce AI into your team without a clear plan can quickly turn into scattered tools, inconsistent adoption, and unclear results. This session is designed for leaders and operators who want a practical roadmap for building a more AI-native team with structure and intention. You’ll learn how to identify high-impact workflows, create systems that encourage adoption across teams, and build a phased implementation plan that drives meaningful day-to-day change over six weeks.

Using ChatGPT for Career Narratives

Download this guide to help you use ChatGPT for support in your search-- from framing your career throughline to interview answers!

Build a Cold Outbound Email Agent

SESSION GUIDE: https://www.lelandcourses.com/ai-builder/cold-outbound-email-agent/ The math of cold outbound never quite works. A genuinely personalized email takes twenty minutes. A templated one gets a one percent reply rate. Either way, you're losing time. ​In this exclusive AI Builder session, Jonathan McLemore will walk you step by step through building a cold outbound email agent powered by Claude, one that researches every prospect on your lead list, writes a personalized first-touch email for each, and queues them up for you to review before sending. By the end of the hour you'll have a working agent ready to put to work the next morning. ​But the email agent is just the on-ramp. The real takeaway is the playbook: how to turn a one-off chat with AI into a repeatable system that processes an entire list the same way, every time. First outbound. Next a lead qualification agent, a customer research bot, a weekly report that writes itself. Same skill, different shape. ​Jonathan builds AI automations for sales teams as the founding solutions engineer at Plinko Solutions. He's done this for a living. Now he'll do it with you. ​Open exclusively to AI Builder Program members.

Build Your Own Competitive Research Agent

​SESSION GUIDE: https://www.lelandcourses.com/ai-builder/competitive-research-agent/ Competitive research is the thing you do once, mean to update, and then never touch again until your CEO asks for it on a Tuesday morning. By then it's six months old, and your competitors have shipped three more things. ​In this exclusive AI Builder session, D'Aaron Gonzalez will walk you step by step through building a competitive research agent powered by Claude, one that pulls from public sources, tracks your competitors over time, and keeps the picture fresh without the manual lift. By the end of the hour you'll have a working agent ready to put to work the next morning. ​But the research agent is just the on-ramp. The real takeaway is the playbook: how to turn any "I should keep tabs on this" task into something AI does for you, on a schedule. First competitors. Next industry news, regulatory changes, your customers' product launches, your own pipeline. Same skill, different shape. ​D'Aaron builds with AI for a living. Now he'll do it with you. ​Open exclusively to AI Builder Program members.

5 Actions that can Make or Break your MBA Application

It’s not enough to do all the right things - you also need to know what not to do! Join me in this webinar as we review the dos and don'ts and uncover small yet crucial details that can help you win admission to your dream school. This event is designed to make you better informed, so you can make the right decisions about your applications!

Claude Code Deep Dive - Slash Commands

Today we’re diving into slash commands. We’ll cover both the built-in ones and how to create your own custom commands. “Automation is not about replacing humans, it’s about amplifying them.” ~ Satya Nadella

Claude Code Deep Dive - Basics

My way for studying anything is experimenting/building something and then writing about it. This is the first article in the CCDD (Claude Code Deep Dive) series. I’ll cover some general and personal background and history of AI coding and then show some basic yet useful Claude Code tips. “AI will soon be writing 90 percent of all code.” - Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO, March 10 2025

Path to PhD | How to Make the Most of Your Summer Research Program

How can you make the most of your summer research program as you build your profile for your PhD journey? No matter where you are on your path — whether you have extensive research experience and a clear direction, are just starting out, or are returning to school after time away — this session is for you. While this event is geared toward students in STEM fields, participants from all backgrounds are welcome. In this session, I’ll discuss strategies and concrete steps you can take to maximize your summer research experience as you build a standout PhD application. You’ll Learn: - How to approach your summer program strategically and identify the goals that matter most - Best practices before, during, and after your summer program - How to turn any experience into a competitive advantage With a background in higher education leadership and extensive experience guiding students through the PhD application process, I’ll be drawing from nearly a decade of experience directing the Stanford Summer Research Program, along with my current work as an educational consultant and coach.

Get Into BYU: 3 Tips to Get You Started Before the Application Opens [6/3/2026] (Recording)

Most people don't realize that success in applying to BYU starts before you ever open the application. Essays, recommendations, and endorsements are only part of the game plan. BYU applications are getting more competitive every year, and the applicants who stand out aren't just the ones who write well. They're the ones who showed up before the application even opened. Join me for a free event where I'll share my top 3 tips for what to do before you start your application. We'll talk about how to strengthen your resume, sharpen your narrative, and walk into essay season ready to write something that gets you in.