Liam Curley

I help consulting firms articulate what they excel at (visually)

I help three types of experts sharpen their positioning and lead their niche by developing, packaging, and publishing unique insights.

Learn more here - https://www.liamcurley.co.uk/about

Founder

I translate complex services and knowledge into a simple message your prospects can understand, which means your B2B earns more inbound leads and closes more sales.

Founder of The Strategic Student

College is a big investment. I help students get a return on it.

Students invest time, money, and energy into college, but many graduate with uncertainty instead of job offers. Why? Because earning a degree isn't enough to stand out in today's market — you need a strategic approach to identifying and leveraging the right opportunities your tuition buys you access to.

That’s where I step in.

I provide practical advice, 1:1 coaching, and workshops to students so that they can create a purposeful college strategy.

One that turns their degrees into offers. 

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• Weekly Content (Mon | Wed | Fri — Make sure to hit the bell!)
• 1:1 Coaching to College Students and Career Services Staff
• Workshops to College Students and Career Services Staff

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I've partnered with 35+ universities (including UCLA, Cornell University, and UT Dallas) to lead workshops on college strategy, internship / job search tactics, and other career readiness topics. 

And I'd love to partner with you too!

My most popular workshops:

"Leveraging LinkedIn as a College Student"
"Internships that Count" 
"Using AI in Internship and Job Search"
"College by Design" (Ideal for first-year and sophomore students)

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Interested in learning more about my services? 

Check out my website at www.thestrategicstudent.com or DM me "Strategic" and I'll share the full details!

Lasse Palomäki

Your college tuition is like a gym membership.

Paying for it doesn’t make you career ready, just like paying for a gym membership doesn’t make you strong.

What makes you career ready (or strong) is actually using the resources you're paying to have access to.

At the gym it’s the equipment, accountability, and trainers.

In college it’s the involvement opportunities, campus resources, and faculty and staff.

→ Build relationships with your professors
→ Take advantage of free certifications
→ Use your student status to network
→ Seek internships and externships
→ Conduct informational interviews
→ Join / lead student organizations
→ Consult with career coaches
→ Participate in case studies
→ Become a student leader
→ Attend employer treks

The list goes on.

If going to class is the only thing you're doing, you're missing out on 90% of your potential ROI.

You wouldn't pay for a gym membership to use just one piece of equipment, so don't do it with college either.

When it’s time to get on stage and flex your muscles, your audience (= recruiters) can tell how much work you put in.

Lasse Palomaki

I help college students turn their degrees into offers | Founder @ The Strategic Student | Led career workshops to students at 40+ universities | Associate Director of Career Services | Speaker

A common cause for not landing internships:

Self-rejection

I’ve seen many students not apply to roles because…

• ”I don’t meet all the qualifications”
• ”There will be so many better applicants”
• ”I’ve never worked on those kind of projects before”
• “It’s too late now — all the roles are already filled"

These thoughts don’t just discourage you from applying.

They guarantee you won’t get the role.

So let’s flip the script.

• “I can apply even if I don’t meet all the qualifications”
• ”I'll learn to tell my story and what makes me unique”
• ”I'm excited to try new projects and learn new skills”
• “I’ll keep checking — new roles are regularly posted”

Now you’re giving yourself a chance. 

The reality is that they’re going to hire someone. That might as well be you. 

But only if you apply. 

So don’t make the decision on the recruiters’ behalf. Apply and let them decide. 

You might just be surprised with the outcome. 

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PS: First-year students — this applies to you too. Even if you’re not the ideal candidate yet, applying now builds your application skills (e.g., resume building, networking, and storytelling).

An added bonus? 

Reading job descriptions early on gives you insight into the skills/knowledge you need to develop to become a competitive candidate for your target roles down the line.

You’re not just applying for today. You’re preparing for tomorrow.

By the time sophomore or junior year rolls around, you’ll be way ahead of the game.

The most common cover letter mistakes I see: 

(After reading hundreds of student cover letters)

But first a quick note: There’s no single right way to write a cover letter — different formats and approaches can work.

That said, there are certain pitfalls worth avoiding — and these three are a good place to start.

(Each pitfall includes real examples I’ve seen.)

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1. Talking about what the role can do for you, not what you can do for the company.

It’s great that you want to grow and learn — but many students write as if the main goal is their development, not the employer’s needs.

• “I want to build my knowledge in the finance field.”
• “This would help develop my skills in digital marketing.”
• “I believe this internship would help me a lot and launch my career.”

It’s fine to mention your learning goals briefly, but if every sentence revolves around what YOU hope to gain, the focus shifts away from the organization.

Employers aren’t hiring just to help you grow (though that’s part of the dynamic) — they’re hiring because you care about what they do and can help them do it better.

A stronger approach is to explain your interest through the lens of the company’s work (why their mission, clients, or projects excite you) and how your background aligns with that.

For example: “I’m drawn to this role because of your team’s focus on sustainable business practices and green energy initiatives, which aligns with my experience leading a campus initiative to reduce waste in student housing.”

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2. Saying “I feel” without substance.

• “I feel I’d be a great fit for the position.”
• “I feel that I’m a fast learner and good with data.”
• “I feel this would be the perfect opportunity to learn more about marketing.”

Phrases like 'I feel' can weaken your message if they take the place of proof. The better approach is to anchor your confidence in evidence.

For example: “With experience managing social media strategy for two student organizations with 5,000+ combined followers, I’m confident I can support your marketing team’s content calendar.”

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3. Listing skills without showing why they matter for this specific role.

Students often list skills without explaining how they connect to the position or the company’s needs.

• “I have strong communication and teamwork skills.”
• “I’m detail-oriented and organized.”
• “I’m proficient in Excel and Google Sheets.”

Those are fine — but why do they matter here? How do they help the team you’re applying to join? That’s what employers are looking for.

The right way is to show context: link each skill to something that demonstrates its relevance to the role.

For example: “Using Excel, I helped my research team identify data discrepancies and improve our final report’s accuracy — a skill that aligns well with the analytical demands of this internship.””

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Bottom line: Many students write cover letters like a wish list. The ones who get interviews write them like a value proposition.

11 of my favorite informational interview questions: 

(Students in all majors can use these)

Most students have heard of informational interviews. Many have even done a few.

But too often, they default to asking vague, recycled questions that lead to little clarity.

Let’s change that.

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11 of my favorite questions below.

(Don’t use these just because I like them — pick and choose the ones that align with your goals, are relevant to your situation, and that you can act upon.)

— High-ROI questions about the person:

1. What qualities, skills, or routines do you believe have contributed most to your professional success?
2. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced early in your career, and how did you overcome them?

— High-ROI questions about the role:

3. What skills are essential for success in your role and how would a college student start to develop them?
4. How do you measure success in your role?

— High-ROI questions about the organization:

5. When you think about the colleagues you've seen thrive in this organization, what qualities come to mind?
6. How does the organization support employees’ professional development and growth?

— High-ROI questions about the industry:

7. What innovations, technologies, or new laws/regulations are having (or will have) the most significant impact on this industry?
8. How do you stay informed about news, new developments, and trends in this industry?

— Other high-ROI questions:

 9. What skills or knowledge do you think are underrated in life and career but are crucial for success?
10. How do you handle setbacks or failures in your career?

— The one question you should always ask:

11. Based on our conversation, is there anyone else you recommend I should connect with?

— Bonus (ask only if you actually want to reconnect): 

12. Would you mind if I reach out to schedule a follow-up conversation for us in a few weeks’ time?

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Are there other fantastic questions? Sure there are — this list is just a sample. 

(Add your favorites in the comments!)

But whatever you do, do not ask questions you can easily find the answer to through a quick search on Google, LinkedIn, ChatGPT, etc.

• “What roles have you held in your career?”
• “Who are your company’s competitors?”
• “What does your company do?”

These add little value to the conversation and suggest you didn’t do your homework (not a great look in a professional setting).

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PS. Want more informational interview tips for students? 

Check out my full Informational Interview Guide for college students. 

It shows students how to: 

Find and reach out to their target people
↳ LinkedIn and email outreach templates included

Prepare and ask high-impact questions
↳ 50+ example questions included

Lead conversations with confidence 
↳ 10+ page prep workbook included

Leverage gained insights to advance their career
↳ Post-interview reflection prompts included

Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/ekMfM9Ev

Job search isn’t some task you do at the end of college.

It’s a four-year process of building credibility.

It starts when you choose a college.
When you pick a major.
When you join a student org.
When you land an internship.
When you interact with professors.
When you take on a personal project.
When you participate in a case competition.
When you engage alumni in informational interviews.

Those moments are the job search — not the moment of hitting “Apply.”

Because here’s the reality: by the time you hit “Apply,” 90% of the work that moves the needle is already done.

Applications are just the output. The last-mile delivery. The display cabinet of your qualifications.

The inputs are the years of action that came before.

Every skill, project, and experience you build now makes your future application easier to write — and harder to ignore.

And if you never build them, it becomes harder to write — and easier to ignore.

So if you want job search to feel less stressful later, treat it as a long-term process that starts the moment you step on campus.

Because whether you realize it or not, that’s when the process starts. If not for you, then for the students competing for the same roles you want.

No reference, interview, or thank-you note will help you stand out if the foundation isn’t there.

So start building it now. Don’t give others the head start.

Pop quiz for college students.

Try to answer these questions about your target career:

 1. What entry-level roles exist in this field?
 2. What skills are critical for these roles?
 3. What certifications are valued in this field?
 4. What tools or software are commonly used?
 5. What do typical projects and challenges look like?
 6. What does the typical career path look like?
 7. What relevant professional organizations exist?
 8. What trends are shaping this field?
 9. How is success measured in this field?
10. What is the occupational outlook for this career?

How did you do? 

If you struggle to answer these, I encourage you to dive deeper through research, informational interviews, etc. 

Why? 

Because if you want to land your target career, step one is understanding what to expect and what’s required to get there.

Only then can you be purposeful about truly targeting it. 

So figure out answers to these questions, and then do a gap analysis:

• What key skills/knowledge do I already have? 
• What key skills/knowledge am I missing? 

Now you know what you need to work on. 

From there, it's about taking purposeful action to bridge those gaps.

Do this, and you'll be ahead of most of your peers applying to the same roles.

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P.S. Not sure what your target career is yet? Check out my free Career Exploration Guide for students below: 

https://lnkd.in/ekMfM9Ev

(Found under the "Other" section)

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The Battle

Liam Curley

Lasse Palomäki

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The Battle

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Lasse Palomäki

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Lasse Palomäki's LinkedIn Performance

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