Leland+ Content Library

Breaking into Private Equity Operations

Private equity operations roles offer a unique opportunity to work closely with portfolio companies and drive real value beyond the deal—but breaking in requires a different skill set and story than traditional investing roles. In this session, you’ll learn what PE operations teams actually do, how firms evaluate candidates, and how to position your background in consulting, industry, finance, or startups for these roles.

AMA: What Every Buyer Should Know About Financial Due Diligence & QofE

Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes of financial due diligence? In this AMA-style session, you’ll hear questions answered by an experienced deal professional and Leland coach Patrick M. anything about the process—from understanding Quality of Earnings reports to spotting red flags before you buy. ​This open conversation is designed for aspiring acquirers, search fund entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in the M&A process.

How to Write a Law School Personal Statement That Stands Out [9/23/2026] (Recording)

Admissions committees read thousands of personal statements. Most blur together. This workshop is about writing the one that doesn't. Erin Williams will walk through what actually makes a personal statement memorable: a strong opening, a clear narrative arc, and the kind of specific detail that makes an application feel like it belongs to one real person instead of a template. She'll cover common mistakes (vague openers, recycled "why I want to be a lawyer" narratives, telling instead of showing) and how to fix them. You'll leave with a concrete framework for structuring your statement, plus practical edits you can apply to a draft you're already working on. Bring questions, bring a draft if you have one.

Your Essay Is Your Edge: Standing Out on the Common App [10/28/2026] (Recording)

Most Common App essays blur together because they chase the same safe, impressive topics: the big game, the mission trip, a grandparent's wisdom. Admissions readers scan hundreds of personal statements a season, and the ones that register are specific, built from one exact detail instead of a lesson already spelled out. This workshop looks at why generic framing gets skimmed and what a stronger draft does instead. We'll work through cutting a throat-clearing opening, finding where an essay actually starts, and sharpening voice so it reads like one particular person. Bring a draft or a messy outline. Forty-five minutes won't produce a finished essay, but it's enough for a clear next revision.

The Other 50%: The Mindset That Wins PE Interviews [9/24/2026] (Recording)

This livestream focuses on the often-overlooked mental side of private equity recruiting. Candidates spend significant time preparing technicals, deals, and behavioral questions, but how you manage pressure, confidence, rejection, and the importance you place on any single opportunity can have just as much impact on how you perform. We’ll cover practical frameworks for approaching recruiting with the right mindset, including how to want an opportunity without feeling like you need it, create optionality across recruiting processes, build confidence in what you uniquely bring to the table, reframe interview anxiety as useful energy, and develop a simple pre-interview routine to put yourself in the right state. We’ll also discuss how to separate what you can control from what you can’t, learn from rejection without letting it affect your confidence, and maintain perspective throughout a recruiting process that can often feel highly personal. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with a more resilient approach to recruiting, practical techniques you can use before and during interviews, and a framework for performing with greater confidence regardless of the outcome.

The Other 50%: The Mindset That Wins IB Interviews [9/15/2026] (Recording)

This livestream focuses on the often-overlooked mental side of investment banking recruiting. Candidates spend significant time preparing technicals, deals, and behavioral questions, but how you manage pressure, confidence, rejection, and the importance you place on any single opportunity can have just as much impact on how you perform. We’ll cover practical frameworks for approaching recruiting with the right mindset, including how to want an opportunity without feeling like you need it, create optionality across recruiting processes, build confidence in what you uniquely bring to the table, reframe interview anxiety as useful energy, and develop a simple pre-interview routine to put yourself in the right state. We’ll also discuss how to separate what you can control from what you can’t, learn from rejection without letting it affect your confidence, and maintain perspective throughout a recruiting process that can often feel highly personal. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with a more resilient approach to recruiting, practical techniques you can use before and during interviews, and a framework for performing with greater confidence regardless of the outcome.

Headhunters and Resumes: How to Get Noticed in PE Recruiting

Private equity recruiting is highly selective, and your resume and cover letter need to communicate impact, rigor, and investment judgment quickly. This session is designed for candidates targeting PE roles who want to understand how top applicants position their experience and stand out on paper. You’ll learn how to structure a results-driven resume, highlight deal and transaction experience effectively, and craft a cover letter that clearly signals fit and interest in the firm.

What It Takes to Pass the PE Technical Round

After this session, you will know how to structure a leveraged buyout model under time pressure, articulate an investment thesis that holds up to pushback, and answer the deal experience questions that consistently trip up strong candidates. The focus is on the patterns that separate people who pass from people who stall: where the logic breaks down, what interviewers are actually stress-testing, and how to think through a case you have never seen before.

Using AI to Build a Stronger Private Equity Profile

AI can be a powerful tool for building a stronger private equity profile, but most candidates aren’t sure how to use it in a way that actually adds signal. This session is for aspiring PE candidates who want to leverage AI to sharpen their experience, materials, and overall positioning. You’ll learn how to use AI to refine your resume and deal narratives, deepen your investment thinking, and build differentiated projects that demonstrate real investor judgment.

How to Craft a Standout Resume for Investment Banking

After this session, you will know how to structure an investment banking resume that clears the initial screen and holds the attention of a recruiter who reviews hundreds in a single cycle. The coach will cover how to quantify deal exposure and financial skills without overstating your experience, how to tailor your bullets for bulge bracket versus boutique targets, and how to position non-traditional backgrounds so they read as assets rather than gaps.

How to Stand Out in Private Equity Recruiting - March 2026

Private equity recruiting is intensely competitive, and strong technical skills alone are rarely enough to secure an offer. In this session, you’ll learn how top candidates differentiate themselves through sharper deal narratives, stronger investment judgment, and more strategic networking. We’ll break down what firms are really evaluating at each stage of the process and how to position your background, whether from banking, consulting, or another path, to stand out in a crowded field.

Valuations for Investment Banking

Valuation is the backbone of investment banking interviews and on-the-job analysis, yet many candidates struggle to explain it clearly and confidently. This session breaks down the core valuation methods used in banking, how to think about assumptions and trade-offs, and how to communicate your work the way bankers expect in interviews and live deal discussions. You’ll leave with a stronger conceptual framework for valuation and practical tips to sharpen both your technical accuracy and your delivery.

Intro to Real Estate Private Equity and Headwinds

Real estate private equity offers a unique blend of investing, operations, and market analysis, but today’s environment presents new challenges and opportunities. This session provides an overview of how real estate PE works, including deal structures, value creation levers, and career paths, while also unpacking current headwinds such as interest rates, financing constraints, and shifting demand across asset classes. You’ll gain a clearer understanding of how firms are adapting and what this means for investors and candidates alike.

How to Stand Out to PE Firms

Private equity recruiting is one of the most competitive processes in finance—and standing out requires more than strong technical skills. In this session, you’ll learn how top firms evaluate candidates, how to position your deal experience (or transferable experience) effectively, and how to craft a compelling story that signals judgment, ownership, and investing potential. We’ll cover resume refinement, outreach strategy, interview preparation, and the mindset shifts that distinguish top performers in on-cycle and off-cycle recruiting.

Law School Admissions: What You Can Do When You Are Waitlisted

Join Indrani, former Associate Director of Admissions at Stanford Law School, as she goes over strategy to help deal with the uncertainty of being put on law school waitlists. She will go over: how the process works, what it means when you are waitlisted, moving the needle, Dos and Don'ts, and the waiting game. At the end, there will be ample time for questions and answers! Almost everyone is waitlisted somewhere, and this session will help you manage the situation.

Vibe Coding For Beginners: What It Is and How to Start Today

Vibe coding is one of the most talked-about shifts in tech right now — and for good reason. Non-technical people are building real, functional software by describing what they want in plain language and letting AI do the rest In this 45-minute intro, we'll pull back the curtain on one of the most talked-about shifts in tech right now and show you exactly how non-technical people are using it to build real, functional software without writing a single line of code themselves. You'll walk away with a clear mental model, a live demo, and a concrete starting point. What we'll cover: *What vibe coding is (and why it's different from anything before it) *The three tools shaping the space right now: Loveable, Cursor, and Claude Code *A live demo so you can see it in action, not just hear about it *What you can realistically build, and where you'll still need support *Your actual next step to get started today Who this is for: Total beginners. No coding experience required, just curiosity and an idea you've been waiting to bring to life.

Defining Your MBA Personal Narrative [8/10/2026] (Recording)

After this session, you will know how to identify the central thread that ties your experiences into a cohesive MBA narrative and how to frame your story in a way that resonates across essays, interviews, and recommendations. We will cover how to distinguish a narrative that feels lived-in from one that reads as constructed, how to anchor your "why MBA" to something specific rather than generic ambition, and how to pressure-test your story against the judgment calls admissions committees actually make. Attending live means you can bring your own background and get a direct read on whether your narrative framing is landing the way you intend. The coach works with MBA applicants daily and will be drawing on patterns seen across successful candidates, giving you a rare window into how this thinking actually works in practice.

Positioning for PE and the Buy Side in EMEA

Breaking into private equity and buy-side roles across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa requires a clear understanding of regional recruiting dynamics, fund structures, and candidate expectations. In this session, you’ll learn how EMEA recruiting timelines differ from the US, what firms prioritize in backgrounds and deal experience, and how to position yourself effectively whether you’re coming from banking, consulting, or another pathway. You’ll leave with a practical strategy for networking, technical preparation, and crafting a narrative that resonates with buy-side firms across the region.

How to Capitalize on a Coffee Chat [9/3/2026] (Recording)

Most people send a thank you note and never speak to that person again. The note was never the point. First rounds go to candidates someone inside is pushing, and one conversation almost never does that on its own. Most of the people I know who ended up at JP Morgan ran more than twenty of these. So the work is in what happens after. Write down what stuck the moment you hang up, because it fades faster than you think and the thank you note needs one specific detail in it. Then the ask, which is the last two minutes of the call and the entire reason the next two chats exist. Then the check in, which most people skip, and which is why they are not on anyone's radar in January. The other thing you are collecting is your own answers. The line you use in a February interview is usually something a banker volunteered in September, and you only have it if you wrote it down. What we'll cover: - What to write down the moment the call ends, and why the note needs one specific detail - The thank you email inside twenty four hours, and what actually earns a reply - Ending on the ask, and how to get the introduction made over email instead of just a name - The referral email, and why it is the easiest one you will ever send - Checking in later with something worth sending, and how to still be on a radar in January - How many chats per firm is normal, and why boutiques are different Want to get more out of the chats you are already having? Book a free 15-minute intro and we will talk through your networking situation. Part 6 of Coffee Chat Ready, a six part run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each one stands alone, so jump in anywhere. I'm the founder of OFFERGOBLIN and ex-Centerview tech.

Avoid Burnout During Recruiting Cycles [6/22/2026] (Recording)

Job searching while managing work, family responsibilities, financial pressure, or everyday life can quietly become overwhelming. Many people approach recruiting as an “always on” process — constantly applying, preparing, networking, and second-guessing decisions — until exhaustion starts affecting their focus, confidence, and well-being. In this practical and supportive session, former Amazon Recruiting Leader and Executive Coach Lisa Lawrence shares a structured approach to navigating recruiting cycles without burning out. Drawing from years of experience in hiring, coaching, and leadership, Lisa breaks down how to approach the process more intentionally — with better systems, clearer priorities, and healthier boundaries. You’ll learn how to manage the mental load of job searching alongside existing responsibilities, prepare effectively without falling into endless “grind mode,” communicate your experience with greater clarity, and make more grounded decisions throughout the process. The session also includes simple mindfulness and nervous system regulation practices designed to help you stay focused, resilient, and clear-headed during periods of uncertainty and transition. In this session, we’ll cover: • Why recruiting feels so mentally draining • How to structure your search more sustainably • Setting boundaries while balancing work and job hunting • Smarter approaches to interview preparation and networking • How to communicate your impact and experience clearly • Simple mindfulness tools to reduce overwhelm and improve clarity • Avoiding the “always applying” cycle that leads to burnout