Become the engineer who stands out.
STANDOUT: a 3-week winter-break intensive for engineering and technical students who want to communicate confidently, interview effectively, and get noticed by recruiters.
Dec 27 - Jan 17, 2026
⏰ Early Bird Ends December 21 | 🎯 Limited to 12 Students
WHY THIS PROGRAM EXISTS
College teaches you to design, build, and calculate.
It doesn’t teach you how to get hired.
Standout gives you real practice, real feedback, and real-world preparation so you can walk into spring recruiting with skills most students never learn.
WHAT YOU’LL GET
8 live sessions (60 minutes each)
1:1 individual coaching with an ICF-certified leadership coach
Real interview practice with personalized feedback
A supportive small cohort (12 students max)
In-person networking event (Ann Arbor location)
Session recordings
STANDOUT
3-Week Winter Break Intensive | Dec 27 - Jan 17
Is the job market horrible? Yes.
Are you up against unprecedented challenges? Absolutely.
Can you still win? Also yes. Here's how.
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Students based in Michigan:
Studying engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, data science, etc.
Preparing for spring recruiting or upcoming internships
With strong technical skills who tend to struggle in interviews
Feeling anxious about job searching in this competitive market
Tired of losing opportunities to people who "just interview better"
Seeking structured practice and 1:1 coaching
Who want to differentiate themselves in interviews, on teams, and during project work
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A framework for approaching interviewing and how to:
✓ Network authentically (build real connections, not transactional ones)
✓ Explain your technical work to people who don't speak your language
✓ Handle high-pressure moments using techniques from elite athletics training
✓ Reach out to professionals using approaches that actually work
✓ Show up as someone people want to hire from day one -
December 27 - January 17
3 weeks | 8 live sessions
Real-world practiceChoose your cohort:
COHORT A: Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Sessions: 7:00-8:00pm ET
Starts: Friday, December 27
Ends: Friday, January 17
COHORT B: Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
Sessions: 7:00-8:00pm ET (Tue/Thu) | 11:00am-12:00pm ET (Sat)
Starts: Saturday, December 28
Ends: Saturday, January 18
Both cohorts:
One 45-minute individual coaching session (additional coaching support with Premier option)
Joint networking event: Saturday, January 11, 2:00-4:00pm ET
Session recordings
Pick the days that work best for your winter break schedule.
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Parker Tracey — Michigan alum. ICF PCC-certified executive coach. Leadership coach at UM Ford School of Public Policy.
For 25 years, I've worked where technical expertise meets high-stakes decisions:
Congressional offices; Fortune 500 C-suites; Unicorn tech startups managing global teams; defense and national security leadership.
I've also been coaching for 30 years.
Specializing in transitions, I help people take what made them exceptional in one context and translate it into the next.
I coach elite athletes, military officials, scientists, and executives.
The high-performance techniques I use with clients (nervous system regulation, composure under pressure, confidence in high-stakes moments) work for interviews and presentations.
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I've sat on hiring boards—often as the only non-engineer—evaluating candidates for deeply technical roles.
I've watched brilliant people get passed over because they couldn't articulate their value to non-technical decision-makers.I built this program because I'm done watching capable students lose opportunities to individuals who are simply more practiced.
It’s a lie that technical students are “bad” at interviewing or networking. They’re unpracticed. And that's fixable.
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Real-World Networking Event: Practice Before the Stakes Are Real
Saturday, January 11 | 2:00-4:00pm ET
Location: Ann ArborThis isn't a presentation about networking. It's actual practice with real professionals, in an environment where mistakes don't cost you anything.
How it works:
We've invited local professionals—post-docs, entrepreneurs, engineers, and business leaders—to act as recruiters.
You'll practice the entire networking experience: introducing yourself, making small talk, asking meaningful questions, and gracefully entering and exiting conversations.
You'll learn things you can't learn from a video:
How to hold a drink, a plate, and still have a free hand to shake (harder than it sounds)
How to join a conversation that's already happening without feeling awkward
How to exit a conversation politely when it's time to move on
How to navigate "crop circles"—those clusters that form around popular recruiters at career fairs
How to ask questions that make you memorable
The best part? You're able to make mistakes in front of friendly professionals who want you to succeed—not in front of real recruiters at a career fair where it actually matters.
After the event:
Debrief with your cohort. You’ll process what worked, what felt awkward, and how to improve.
Then you'll practice following up with the professionals you met—an essential skill most students skip.
By the time real recruiting events start, you'll have already done this.
You'll know what to expect. And you won't be the one standing awkwardly by the snack table.
~ If there is interest, future events will be added in Detroit and Grand Rapids.
Join Standout and learn how to stand out when 273 people have your same GPA.
Option 1:
Cohort Program
Early Bird
Through Dec 21
$1697
Regular Price
Post-Dec 21
$1997
What You Get:
All 8 live sessions (60 minutes each)
One 45-minute individual coaching session
In-person networking event (Ann Arbor, Detroit, or Grand Rapids options)
Private community for peer support
Session recordings
Limited to 12 students
Perfect for: Students who want structured practice, accountability, and real-world experience
Option 2:
Premium One-On-One
Investment
$4997
Everything in Cohort PLUS:
6 additional private coaching sessions (7 total = 5+ hours of 1:1 time)
Priority scheduling
Coaching support between sessions via email (response within 24 business hours Mon-Fri)
Document review: up to 3 rounds per type (LinkedIn profile, resume, etc.)
Customized interview preparation
Option of early start: December 18 (before cohort begins)
Perfect for: Students who want intensive, personalized coaching and are serious about landing competitive positions
You’ve spent four years and over $250,000 on your degree.
Don’t let the final step—actually landing the job—be the place you fall flat.
WHY WINTER BREAK?
Spring recruiting moves fast.
Career fairs start in January
Interviews ramp up in March
Offers go out by April
You have three weeks to prepare.
While others are sleeping in and binge-watching, you'll be building skills that’ll serve you for decades.
Already have an internship or job lined up?
Perfect. This prepares you to excel from the moment you arrive.
Students who show up on Day 1 with strong communication and leadership skills get noticed immediately.
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
A Safe Place to Practice (And Be Bad at New Things!)
Your first mock interview will be awkward. Your early networking attempts will feel uncomfortable.
That's expected—and exactly why you're here.
This program exists so you can be subpar now, when it doesn’t cost you anything (instead of learning during a hiring process that determines your future).
You'll practice until the mechanics become automatic, so when the stakes are high, you're not thinking about how to answer—you're just answering.
Small Groups, Personal Attention
Limited to 12 students.
I want to know your goals, your challenges, what makes you brilliant.
You're not a number in a massive cohort. You're someone I'm invested in seeing succeed.
Competitive Advantage — Beyond the Career Center
Career centers are excellent for resume reviews, job postings, and employer connections.
They can't teach you to perform under pressure in a 60-minute appointment.
Think of Standout as complementary: They get you the interview. We help you nail it.
Designed for Engineers and Technical Students
Business students routinely make presentations.
Liberal arts students discuss and debate in every class.
Engineers, math, and sciences students solve problem sets individually.
All equally capable.
Different training opportunities.
The students getting offers aren't necessarily smarter or more qualified.
They're more prepared for the parts your program didn't cover.
You can't change the system. But you can learn to compete in it.
STANDOUT
The Real-World Skills Engineering Programs Don’t Teach
Gain the preparation your peers don't have.
Over 3 weeks, you'll develop the skills that separate candidates who get offers from ones who get ghosted.
What This Isn't:
❌ Resume reviews or job board tips - Career centers already do this
❌ Generic unhelpful advice - "Just be confident!" with zero actual techniques
❌ Death by PowerPoint - You won't sit through lectures taking notes
❌ A massive cohort where you're just a number - You won't be student #87
❌ Fake charisma training - No scripts, no "fake it till you make it" BS
❌ Tips from people who've never worked in non-academic settings - Gain perspective from recruiters and those who have coveted jobs
What This Is:
✅ Real practice when the stakes are low - Make your mistakes here, not at the career fair or in an interview
✅ Small groups that feel personal - 12 students max. I'll know your name and your goals
✅ Practice-based, not lecture-based - You'll spend way more time doing than listening
✅ Led by someone who's hired engineers - Learn from both sides of the table
✅ Techniques from elite athlete training - Nervous system regulation, composure under pressure (skills you can practice and use)
✅ Built for technical students - Not generic MBA-style advice
✅ Strategic prep that gives you an edge - You're already capable. This makes you competitive
✅ Learn to show up as yourself - No forced acting or people-pleasing. Just authentic confidence in your strengths
✅ Complements career center offerings - They find opportunities, we help you land them
Think of it this way: Career centers help you find the door.
Standout helps you walk through it with confidence and succeed on the other side.
THE REALITY
What Students Tell Me:
“I've sent 87 applications. I got 2 interviews.”
“Entry-level jobs require 3-5 years’ experience. How do I even get experience?”
“I've got a great GPA, but I don't know how to 'sell myself' in interviews.”
"I'm tired of hearing I need more confidence without being told HOW.”
"I feel like everyone else knows how to do this. Or they have better connections.”
If you’ve said any of these, you're not alone.
HERE'S WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW
If you feel uncomfortable in interviews or networking, that’s normal.
You're doing something you haven't had the chance to practice.
You can't excel at something you've never been taught.
The capability is there. The training hasn't been.
That's what this program fixes.
Not through tricks. Not through "fake it till you make it."
Through real skills. Real practice. Real preparation.
Hi, I’m Parker.
Michigan alum. ICF PCC-certified coach.
Executive leadership coach at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy.
For 25 years, I've advised leaders in the energy and defense sectors.
Working where technical expertise meets high-stakes decisions.
From Congress to Fortune 500 C-suites to Unicorn tech startups.
I've sat on hiring boards—usually as the only non-engineer in the room—evaluating candidates for roles requiring deep technical expertise.
Here's what that means for you: I know what the people hiring you are actually looking for.
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Your education gave you deep technical knowledge and hands-on experience.
You're trained to lead in a technology-driven world.
Real-world leadership requires translation:
Leading cross-functional teams where half the room doesn't speak your language
Presenting to executives who need business impact, not technical specs
Building relationships that turn ideas into funded projects
I've watched brilliant engineers lose out to people who just presented better.
Quiet powerhouses passed over for louder, less capable candidates.
Technical depth losing to surface charm.
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I'm not here to teach you to be someone you're not.
I'm here to teach you how to make your brilliance visible to the people making hiring decisions.
A Unique Edge
I've been coaching for 30 years.
I specialize in transitions—helping people take what made them exceptional in one context and translate it into the next.
I work with leaders in our public policy, climate, tech, and defense sectors.
All are committed to tackling the world's most difficult challenges.
I see the complexity of the world they're operating in—and that you're stepping into.
The challenges ahead require technical excellence AND the ability to lead across disciplines, communicate across divides, and build coalitions around solutions.
You're going to be leading in rooms that matter.
Let's make sure you're equipped for it.
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I'm invested in your success. I want to see you thrive.
Not just land a job—but pull ahead.
Stand out. Become the leader who gets heard, gets recognized, gets promoted. Feels valued.
You've worked too hard to get overlooked because nobody taught you how to communicate with different audiences or network effectively.
We learn by doing.
My programs include live practice, feedback, and coaching.
In a highly supportive and energizing space.
I hope you’ll join us.
