Leland+ Content Library

Applied to 1000 Tech Jobs with No Luck? Stand Out with Personal Projects

“Applied to 1000 tech jobs with no luck.” If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone—many candidates flood the market with generic resumes that don’t stand out. The truth is, recruiters and hiring managers are looking for more than just a list of responsibilities: they want to see initiative, impact, and skills in action. ​In this session, Annie F., a Leland coach with extensive experience in tech recruiting and product roles, will break down how personal projects can transform your application from forgettable to compelling. You’ll learn what types of projects make the strongest signals, how to showcase them effectively on your resume and in interviews, and why they often matter more than another line on your work experience. ​Whether you’re transitioning into tech or struggling to land interviews, this event will give you practical strategies to highlight your unique value and finally stand out from the crowd.

What BYU Admissions is Looking For

Applying to BYU but unsure what actually moves the needle in admissions? Strong grades matter—but they’re only part of the picture. In What BYU Admissions Is Looking For, you’ll get a clear breakdown of how to position yourself strategically for Brigham Young University. The speaker regularly works 1:1 with applicants navigating competitive admissions, and this session offers rare access to the evaluation frameworks typically shared in private coaching conversations. Who This Is For - High school students planning to apply to BYU - Transfer applicants seeking clarity on positioning - Students with strong academics who want a more compelling application - Applicants unsure how faith, leadership, and extracurriculars fit into their story What You’ll Walk Away With - What BYU weighs most heavily beyond GPA and test scores - How to present leadership, service, and character authentically - The patterns admissions see across successful applicants - The common positioning mistakes I correct in 1:1 sessions - How to align your essays with BYU’s mission and values

Start Where You Are: Investing in the Arts as a Pathway to Venture Capital

You don’t need a fund, a finance background, or a Silicon Valley network to start investing—you just need vision and the courage to begin. In this inspirational session, Tiana Tukes (she/her) shares her journey of investing in creativity and culture as a foundation for a career in venture capital. Beginning with her first investment in photographer Tyler Mitchell in 2018, Tiana explores how supporting artists teaches powerful lessons about risk, storytelling, and conviction—the same instincts that drive great venture investors. Joined by potential special guest De’Havia Stewart, an investor at Serena Williams’ venture firm and Broadway investor (Othello, Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen), the conversation will highlight the many ways to participate in investing—whether that’s in people, art, or startups. Attendees will leave inspired to see that venture capital isn’t a closed world—it’s a creative one. And every investment, no matter how small, can be the start of your journey.

AMA: Insider Tips from 20+ yrs of MBA Admissions & Coaching

Unlock the secrets of MBA admissions with Christine, a seasoned one-of-a-kind expert with 20+ years of admissions experience across three elite MBA programs. This "Ask Me Anything" session is your chance to gain invaluable insights into the application process. Christine's impressive background includes admissions roles at Chicago Booth, London Business School, and Yale School of Management, where she has helped craft MBA classes and understands the nuances of what makes a successful applicant. With a track record of over 400 M7 admits and more than $5 million in scholarship awards secured for her clients, Christine is a one-of-a-kind consultant equipped to guide you through every step of your MBA journey. Join us to explore application strategies, discuss how to make a stand out MBA resume, learn what makes a candidate stand out, and gain insight into how applications are reviewed and admissions decisions are made. Christine's no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach will help you craft an authentic story that highlights your unique strengths and differences. Whether you're just starting your MBA application journey or you're already on your way, join me and leave equipped with insights into the M7 (and beyond) application process.

Supercharge Your Job Search with AI

AI can be your secret advantage in the job search, helping you craft stronger resumes, uncover company insights in minutes, and walk into interviews fully prepared. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to turn AI into your personal career assistant—one that helps you rewrite your resume with impact, uncover insights about companies in minutes, and prepare stories that shine in interviews. You’ll see how to use AI to highlight your transferable skills, reframe experience for a career pivot, tailor your resume for each role, and even turn your best achievements into polished STAR stories. We’ll also explore how to use AI to research company strategy, culture, and recent initiatives, so you walk into interviews informed and confident. Outcomes: You’ll leave with an AI-powered job search workflow: one that helps you write stronger resumes, research faster, and interview smarter. Learning Objectives: *Understand how AI can accelerate and improve the job search process. *Use AI to reframe and tailor resume content for specific roles or industries. *Apply prompt frameworks to research companies and identify key insights. *Collaborate with AI to develop authentic STAR-format interview stories.

Elevate Your Common App: Craft a Powerful Activities List

Are you applying to college and nervous about how to talk about your activities? Join Isamar, a former Stanford Admissions Officer, for this live workshop focused on helping you highlight your story through your activities list. This workshop will help you craft a powerful Common App activities list that showcases your unique interests and accomplishments beyond superficial activity descriptions. Learn 3 strategies to ensure that your application makes a compelling impression on admissions committees, captures your essence, and maximizes your chances of standing out in the admissions process. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your application! Who is leading the workshop? As a former Assistant Director of Admissions at Stanford, Isamar personally reviewed over 7,000 applications. As an admissions consultant, she coached students to gain admission to universities like Yale, Harvard, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, UVA, Pomona, and more. She has supported both US and international students, as well as first-gen students. Isamar’s personalized, empathetic, and strategic approach ensures that your unique strengths and experiences shine through in your application. Her goal is for you to feel that you are applying as your best self, no matter where you’re applying. Isamar is a proud first-generation college graduate with a BA and EdM from Harvard, and an MBA from Oxford.

AMA/Office Hours: Sales "deal desk"

Got a tough deal you're trying to close? Not sure how to handle a tricky objection, or how to structure pricing for your early-stage product? Need help figuring out why a once-hot opportunity has gone cold? Bring your sales questions to this open “Deal Desk” AMA session. Whether you’re a founder doing your own sales, an AE trying to close faster, or a BDR struggling to get responses, this is your space to get unfiltered, tactical guidance from a startup sales coach who’s been in your shoes. I’ve helped dozens of venture-backed startups go from zero to repeatable sales processes, and I’m opening up the floor to help you work through your blockers in real-time. Think of this like having a VP of Sales on speed dial for 60 minutes. About me: I have an MBA from Stanford and was the first sales hire at two venture-backed startups that now have 9 figure valuations (Arc Technologies and Trunk Tools). I'm now a full-time sales coach and consultant to help B2B SaaS startups to scale beyond founder-led sales, turning interested prospects into paying customers. Don't miss this opportunity to gain insights and strategies tailored to your needs.

How to get a Search Fund internship with no PE background

Most candidates aiming for a search fund internship are not underqualified. They’re mis-targeted. They chase prestige instead of fit, spend weeks reaching out to the wrong searchers, and then wonder why nothing moves. I’m Reuben, founder of Parceros Capital. I’ve raised money, built operating plans, and run internship cohorts where I review work, coach output, and decide who’s ready to be trusted with real responsibility. I’ve also helped people land internships at other search funds when it was clear the fit was better elsewhere. That’s part of how I think about this ecosystem: reputation matters, and you never know where one strong reference can take you. This webinar is for undergrads and MBAs who want a real shot or professionals desiring a career switch without a private equity background. I’ll walk you through how search fund internship hiring actually works, what “fit” really means (stage, thesis, geography, working style), and how to position yourself as valuable on day one. The mindset shift is simple: stop leading with what you want to get out of it and start leading with what you can contribute. We’ll also get clear on what interns should do that doesn’t replace paid contractors. Contractors handle specialized execution. Interns create leverage and trust. If you understand that difference, your outreach lands differently. I’ll share a Fit Scorecard you can use to build a smarter target list, plus a practical outreach structure that earns replies. I’ll also do a quick teardown of a common outreach message and show you what I’d change to make it credible. At the end, I’ll share an optional next step for anyone who wants hands-on help: a short 1:1 sprint where we build your best-fit target list, tighten your narrative, and leave you with outreach copy and a proof-of-work plan you can run immediately. If you want to move fast, RSVP and come ready to work.

Non-US Elite MBA Pathways: INSEAD, HKUST & IESE

This session moves beyond school rankings to give you the strategic framework for building a truly global career. Join cross-cultural career coach Caolan Hunter (ex-On, Ogilvy) to learn how to integrate your career, education, and long-term life goals into a coherent international strategy. We will start by exploring the specific pathways offered by elite non-US business schools like INSEAD, HKUST, and IESE, using them as a lens to understand the bigger picture of strategic mobility. By the end of this session, you will stop thinking “US or nothing” and leave with a concrete, strategic shortlist of serious non-US MBA targets aligned with visa reality, your career goals, and your risk tolerance. Learning Objectives: What You Will Learn 1. The Real Global MBA Landscape: Understand the true power centers of business education beyond the United States and how they offer distinct advantages. 2. Visa & Post-Study Work Reality: Decode the practical realities of post-MBA life in Europe and Asia, focusing specifically on post-study work rights, the ease of corporate hiring for international graduates, and viable pathways to long-term residency. 3. Strategic Career Positioning: Learn how hiring logic differs from the US and why the smaller, more international cohorts at these schools can provide stronger access. We’ll explain where non-US MBAs over-perform, particularly in sectors like luxury, consulting, sustainability, finance, and deep tech. Key Outcomes: What You Will Walk Away With 1. A Reframed Worldview: You'll gain a new understanding of INSEAD, HKUST, and IESE not as "alternatives," but as premier, strategic choices for a global career. 2. Visa & Employability Clarity: You'll have clear, actionable insights into the post-MBA visa and employment landscape in Europe and Asia, ensuring your school choice leads to a real career outcome. 3. A Personal Viable Pathway Map: You will leave with the tools to build a personal map connecting your background to the right program and region, aligning your education with your long-term life goals. 4. Strategic Confidence: You will have the confidence and evidence to know that for many career paths, a non-US MBA is a strategic advantage, not a second-tier option.

You vs. You | How to Stop Self Sabotaging

You're not lazy. You're not unmotivated. You're not broken. You're just stuck. And there's a reason for that. You vs. You is for the person who has every reason to be moving forward, but somehow keeps getting in their own way. The one who procrastinates on the very things they care about most. Who burns out chasing goals that never seem to fill the gap. Who knows what they want, but can't figure out why they can't make it happen. That feeling isn't a character flaw. It's self sabotage — and it's running quietly in the background of almost everything you do. In this ebook, you'll finally understand why. You'll learn how 95% of your daily decisions are being made for you by a subconscious that was programmed long before you had any say in it. You'll see exactly how your values, your beliefs, and your deepest fears are shaping your choices and keeping you stuck. And most importantly, you'll walk away with real, practical tools to start changing it. Inside, you'll discover: • Why self sabotage has nothing to do with willpower, and everything to do with your subconscious programming. • The hidden values and faulty beliefs driving your burnout, your procrastination, and your patterns in relationships. • A step-by-step process to identify your self sabotaging behaviors and trace them back to their root cause. • Exercises to reprogram your belief system and finally start making decisions that align with who you actually want to be. This isn't another generic self help book about thinking positive. It's an honest, grounded guide to understanding yourself at a level most people never reach, and using that understanding to start building a life you don't need to escape from. At the end of this book, you'll gain a level of self-awareness that most people spend years in therapy trying to find. Ready to go deeper? Every purchase includes access to a special one-time offer of 50% off your first life coaching session — because reading it is just the beginning. Message me directly on Leland to claim.

How to Run an Efficient Small Business Search

Buying a small business sounds simple until you actually start searching. Suddenly you are juggling deal flow, broker calls, industry research, financial review, diligence, and legal concepts. All while trying to keep your life and job moving. This session is for the person who is ramping into acquisition entrepreneurship and wants real guidance, not a generic accelerator curriculum and not “just ask ChatGPT.” If you are smart, motivated, and serious about buying a business but feel overwhelmed by the volume of decisions and the lack of a clear path, this will click. We will walk through what an efficient search actually looks like in the real world: the phases of search, where people waste time, what progress looks like, and what it realistically takes to get competent. Spoiler: 5 hours a week is usually not enough. Most people underestimate the reps required (think hundreds of hours, not a weekend), and the main goal is to compress the learning curve by focusing on the highest-leverage work. What you will leave with: - A clear picture of the search process end-to-end and what “good” looks like at each stage - The real time commitment and why most searches stall - Practical ways to run search faster and cleaner (systems, workflows, decision filters) - A map of the core skill areas you need to build: deal sourcing, industry analysis, financial fluency, diligence, and negotiation A simple decision framework for your next step: learn it, hire it out, or partner Who this is for: - You want to buy a small business, but you do not want to wander for 12 months figuring it out the hard way - You want more hands-on support than an accelerator, and more signal than generic online content - You are ready to put in the work, but you want a more efficient path and fewer dead ends We will also share a bit of our own search context - what we have tried, what has worked, what has not - and why we believe 1:1 support can meaningfully cut down ramp time when you apply it correctly. If you have been circling ETA and keep thinking “this is a lot,” you are not wrong. Come get a sharper path.