- Thursday9:00 PM ISTSolve like a consultant
- Saturday9:30 AM ETSolve like a consultant
5 TO 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE · JOIN ANY WEEK · 12 WEEKS · APPLICATION ONLY
Land the leadership role your career has been building toward. In 90 days.
The Career Ascent is a 12-week career transition system for professionals with 5 to 20 years of experience. Career clarity, a leadership narrative, a CV and LinkedIn that get you the interview, AI voice mock rounds, and the executive thinking, communication and presence that make the next role stick. Coached by Ashwin, personally. No guesswork, no wasted months, no scrambling the week before the interview.
Ex-Bain · Ex-Deloitte Director · INSEAD MBA · 1,000+ leaders coached
Trusted by thousands of corporate professionals from top firms
- leaders coached
- 1,000+leaders coached
- weeks
- 12weeks
- private 1:1 sessions
- 6private 1:1 sessions
The real problem
Why strong professionals stall at the exact moment they should leap.
Between five and twenty years in, the game changes. You are no longer hired for what you can do. You are hired for how you think, how you communicate, and how you lead when the answer is not obvious. Almost no one is taught that. Almost everyone is judged on it.
01
You apply in volume, not with a system
Dozens of applications, one resume for every role, cold submissions with no referral, and AI-written cover letters that read like everyone else's. The market reads that as noise.
02
You last interviewed as a doer. You will be judged as a leader
People decisions, org design, cross-functional conflict, a fifteen-minute executive screen. It is a judgment exam wearing the costume of an interview, and you have had no reps.
03
Your best thinking never makes it into the room
The analysis is good. The story hides it. No hypothesis, no structure, no action title, so the most senior person in the room never hears the one thing you needed them to remember.
Sound familiar?
- I'm good at my job, but I'm not seen as senior-leader material.
- I've been 'almost ready' for the next role for two years.
- I don't know how to tell my story so a hiring manager sees a leader, not a doer.
- I'm applying everywhere and hearing nothing.
- AI gives me generic output, I'm not getting real leverage from it.
Picture this
The role you've been circling for two years.
Head of Product. Director of Engineering. VP Operations. Chief of Staff. Senior Manager to Director at a company that actually values the work. The people in those seats were not smarter than you. They walked in with a narrative, reps, and a method.
Head of ProductDirector of EngineeringVP OperationsChief of StaffHead of StrategyCountry or Regional Lead
This is not just about finding your next job. It is about stepping up: confronting the doubt that says you're not ready, the fear of leaving a comfortable seat, and the voice that says the bigger role belongs to someone else. The system handles the mechanics. The coaching handles the rest.
The shift
Not just a new job. A different operating level.
Before
- Mass applying with no prioritisation
- One resume for every role, AI-generic cover letters
- Memorised interview answers that collapse under follow-up
- Anxiety about the market and the people you're competing with
- Doing the search alone, with no one to tell you what's actually wrong
After
- Career clarity: the roles, companies and level you're actually going for, and why
- A leadership narrative, CV and LinkedIn a hiring committee can't ignore
- Interview judgment built in AI voice mock rounds and 1:1 deconstruction, scored on a rubric
- A search strategy that runs on referrals and multiple channels, not the apply button
- Executive thinking, communication and presence you keep for the rest of your career
- A coach in the room every week, and a plan for your first 100 days
A real transformation
From hidden thinking to a McKinsey offer.
Tanay came to Ashwin with strong analysis and no way to make it land. Here is the shift, in his own words.
Before
“Before working with Ashwin, I struggled to showcase my true thinking.”
After
“He pulled it out of me and helped me tell the story properly.”
The outcomes
By the end, you'll operate like the leader they hire.
Twelve weeks, six private 1:1 sessions, a live weekly workshop, and a coach in the room. You leave with six capabilities you use in your very next interview and your very next meeting.
Outcome 01
Know exactly which role, level and company you're going for
Career clarity built from your strengths, your values and your evidence, so every hour of the search goes where it counts.
Outcome 02
Frame and structure any ambiguous problem
Break down a messy, open-ended problem the way a top strategy consultant would, and pressure-test your own logic before the room does.
Outcome 03
Communicate so senior leaders listen
Distil complexity into a crystal-clear message that makes executives lean in, engage, and agree, the first time, not the third.
Outcome 04
Hold the room under pressure
Think on your feet and structure a sharp answer in real time when your work is interrogated by the most senior person in the room.
Outcome 05
Walk into any interview with reps behind you
People decisions, org design, cross-functional conflict and executive screens, practised until the follow-ups stop surprising you and your judgment shows.
Outcome 06
Land, negotiate and own your first 100 days
Turn the offer into the right offer, then turn the new role into a promotion trajectory with a plan you built before day one.
By the end, you'll operate like an AI-native leader.
Outcome 01Frame & structure any ambiguous problem
Outcome 02Communicate so senior leaders listen
Outcome 03Build exec-ready slides, fast
The system
Eight phases. One transition.
01
Career clarity
Where you are, where you're going, and why. Your strengths, your values, your evidence, and the target roles and companies worth your next twelve weeks.
02
Executive thinking and problem-solving
Frame an ambiguous problem the way a strategy consultant would: issue trees, hypotheses, the real question behind the question. This is what separates the senior manager from the director in every interview and every meeting.
03
Executive communication and presence
Lead with the answer, build the storyline, hold the room under tough questions. The way you speak is how they decide what level you are.
04
Leadership narrative, CV and LinkedIn
Your story, your impact evidence and your answer bank, engineered before you need them. Then a CV, a LinkedIn profile and a cover letter that put a leader on the page, not a doer.
05
Applications, referrals and multiple channels
A prioritised target list, warm introductions instead of cold submissions, and a search that runs on referrals, recruiters and direct approaches at the same time.
06
Interview preparation
AI voice mock rounds on people decisions, org design, cross-functional conflict and executive screens, each scored on structure, judgment, communication and composure. In your 1:1s we deconstruct the round the way a hiring committee would, then rebuild it.
07
Offer and negotiation
Turn the offer into the right offer: level, scope, compensation and start conditions, negotiated with a plan instead of a hope.
08
Your first 100 days
A plan for the role you land, built before day one, so the transition becomes the start of the next one.
How you're supported
Private 1:1 sessions with Ashwin
Six sessions, scheduled around your calendar and your live search. Your roadmap, your narrative, two mock-round deconstructions, your offer, your first 100 days.
A live workshop every week
Two time slots (IST evening and US-friendly morning) on the six skill themes. Join any week. Every session is recorded.
The platform
Six skill modules, 200+ templates, and AI voice mock rounds with a rubric report after every round, open from day one.
Direct access between sessions
A private channel to Ashwin for the questions that can't wait for the next 1:1.
Goals and accountability
Clear targets for each phase and a weekly check on whether the search is moving. If it isn't, we change the plan, not the goal.
After the offer
A negotiation session, then your first-100-days plan.
Twelve weeks · Six private 1:1s with Ashwin · A live workshop every week · AI voice mock rounds · Recordings and rubric reports for life
The practice engine
Right practice. Right diagnosis. Right feedback.
Interview practice runs on a voice-AI engine built by Ashwin, the same technology behind a case-interview platform used by 1,000+ candidates preparing for the world's most selective firms. It asks, interrupts and follows up like a real panel. Every round is scored, and every round is deconstructed with Ashwin, not left to a report.
UnlimitedAI voice mock rounds
Every roundrubric report
1:1deconstruction with Ashwin
200+templates
Sample rubric report · Round 7 · Org design
Structure82
Judgment78
Communication71
Composure88
Structure · Judgment · Communication · Composure. The same four dimensions a promotion committee scores you on, whether or not they say so.
Live this month
The workshop runs every week. Join any of them.
- Thursday9:00 PM ISTExecutive communication
- Saturday9:30 AM ETExecutive communication
- Thursday9:00 PM ISTYour AI operating system
- Saturday9:30 AM ETYour AI operating system
- Thursday9:00 PM ISTAI-native team leadership
- Saturday9:30 AM ETAI-native team leadership
The skills curriculum
Six modules. The skills that get you hired and promoted.
01
Solve like a consultant
Break any ambiguous problem into a clean, MECE issue tree
02
Executive communication
Turn findings into a storyline a senior leader would defend
03
Your AI operating system
Assemble your own AI operating system for thinking, decks & decisions
04
AI-native team leadership
Solve and present a real problem, live, as the leader in the room
05
Boardroom presence
Hold up under a boardroom-style review, an executive screen, and tough questions
06
The transformation project
You ship a real transformation project in your own role and present it at the quarterly Demo Day.
Live workshops, real problems, direct feedback. You leave thinking, communicating, and leading at a level you can feel.
What's included
Live where it counts. Recorded for life.
6 private 1:1 sessions · 12 live workshops (recordings for life) · AI voice mock rounds · CV, LinkedIn and application documents · 6 skill modules · leadership narrative and story bank · offer and negotiation session · first-100-days plan · 200+ templates · two certifications.
Private 1:1 sessions with Ashwin
6Your roadmap, your leadership narrative, two mock-round deconstructions, your offer and negotiation, your first-100-days plan.
Live workshops
12A live workshop every week, two time slots. Recordings for life.
AI voice mock rounds
UnlimitedPeople decisions, org design, cross-functional conflict, executive screens. A rubric report after every round.
CV, LinkedIn and application documents
ReviewedBuilt with you and reviewed line by line, so the page says leader before you say a word.
Skill modules
6Six course modules unlocked from day one, plus drills on the platform.
Leadership narrative + story bank
BuiltYour narrative, impact evidence and answer bank, engineered before you need them, not improvised in the room.
Direct access between sessions
DirectA private channel to Ashwin between sessions for the questions that can't wait for the next 1:1.
After the offer
100 daysA negotiation session, then a first-100-days plan so the role you land becomes the role you grow in.
Capstone coaching + Demo Day seat
Quarterly Demo DayYou ship a real transformation project in your own role and present it at the quarterly Demo Day.
Templates
200+Issue trees, storylines, one-pagers, CV, narrative and negotiation templates. Yours for life.
See the vault01
AI-Native Practitioner
awarded after your six core modules
02
AI-Native Leader, Certified
awarded when your capstone ships at a Demo Day
Why The Career Ascent
Coached by the founder. Not handed off.
Most career coaching ends at the resume. Most interview prep ends at the answer bank. This ends when you are leading the role you landed.
| The Career Ascent | Typical career coach | Typical interview prep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who coaches you | Ashwin, in every 1:1 | Whoever is assigned | A course, or a junior coach |
| What it builds | The transition and the skills to lead after it | A resume and a LinkedIn profile | Rehearsed answers |
| CV, LinkedIn and applications | Built with you and reviewed line by line | A template and a rewrite | Not covered |
| Interview practice | AI voice mock rounds, rubric-scored, deconstructed 1:1 with Ashwin | A mock interview or two | Question banks |
| Executive thinking and presence | Problem-solving, executive communication, boardroom presence | Not covered | Not covered |
| After the offer | A negotiation session and a first-100-days plan | Ends at the offer | Ends at the offer |
| Admission | By application and diagnostic | Anyone who pays | Anyone who pays |
From the founder
I've sat on both sides of this table.
“I have hired leaders, promoted leaders, and been the one interviewing for the bigger role. The pattern never changed. The people who broke through were not the smartest in the room. They had a method.”
Ashwin Shetty · Ex-Bain · Ex-Deloitte Director · INSEAD MBA · 15+ years driving HR and organisation transformations · Built the AI interview engine you'll practise on · He sits in every 1:1. You will not be handed to a junior coach.
Ex-Bainstrategy & consulting
Ex-Deloitteconsulting director
INSEADMBA
1,000+leaders coached
Results
Real people. Real offers. Every name verifiable.
People Ashwin coached into McKinsey, Bain, BCG, EY-Parthenon and beyond, on exactly the thinking, communication and judgment this program trains. Click any name to verify on LinkedIn.
“The structured thinking and communication Ashwin taught me carried through the entire McKinsey process. It became second nature.”
KarlBusiness AnalystMcKinsey“Ashwin pushed me to lead every answer with a clear hypothesis and deliver it with tight, confident structure. That shift in how I communicated my thinking is what made the difference.”
Niharika SinghalAssociateEY-Parthenon“Ashwin instilled a disciplined approach to setting up quantitative analyses. That one habit changed how I walk into every problem.”
SofieAssociate ConsultantBain“Before working with Ashwin, I struggled to showcase my true thinking. He pulled it out of me and helped me tell the story properly.”
TanayAssociateMcKinsey“Ashwin helped me engage confidently and demonstrate genuine problem-solving instead of reciting a framework.”
PranitConsultantBCG“A great coach who gives valuable feedback and is always willing to go deeper. Sessions never felt generic or rushed.”
Hari PatelConsultantBCGQuestions, answered
Everything you might be wondering.
Still unsure if it is right for you? Email hello@thinklikeapartner.com and ask Ashwin directly.
Who is this actually for?
Professionals with 5 to 20 years of experience, typically 28 to 42, who are ready for a bigger role: a step up to lead, a move to a stronger company, or the promotion that keeps getting deferred. Finance, HR, operations, product, engineering, consulting and beyond. The people handed ambiguous problems and expected to make them land.
Is this interview prep or a leadership program?
Both, deliberately. The transition is one door; the skills are what keep you in the room after you walk through it. You leave with a new role and with executive thinking, communication and presence you use for the rest of your career.
I'm not interviewing right now. Is this premature?
The loop arrives on the market's schedule, not yours: reorgs, flattening, a recruiter's Tuesday message. Leaders who train before they must walk in calm. If you are aiming for an internal promotion, the same narrative, evidence and reps decide it.
How do the AI voice mock rounds work?
You speak with an AI interviewer over voice. It asks, interrupts, and follows up like a real panel. Every round produces a rubric report: structure, judgment, communication, composure. Then we deconstruct the round together in your next 1:1.
Do you help with my CV, LinkedIn and cover letter?
Yes, and it is the fastest part. We build them with you and review them line by line, so the page says leader before you say a word. The slow part, and the part that decides the offer, is the narrative and the interview judgment underneath them.
Is it live or self-paced?
Live. A live workshop every week where you work real problems in real time and get direct feedback, plus a private 1:1 every other week. Every session is recorded, so you never lose a week if life happens.
When do I start?
The week you join. Your 12 weeks are clocked to you, not to a batch.
How much time should I plan for each week?
Around three to four hours: a live 90-minute workshop, a private 1:1 every other week, your AI voice mock rounds, and a short applied exercise on your own search or your own work.
Do I need a consulting background?
No. We teach every framework from first principles, with no jargon for its own sake. People come from strategy, product, finance, HR, operations, engineering and founding teams.
Can you guarantee me a job?
No, and be wary of anyone who does. What we guarantee is the system: clarity, narrative, reps, feedback, and a coach who tells you the truth. Admission is by application because we only take people the system will move.
Will my current employer find out?
No. We never contact employers, never post client names without written consent, and testimonials appear only with explicit approval.
What if I miss a live session?
Every workshop is recorded and posted within hours, and you keep lifetime access to all of it, along with the templates and any future updates.
Do I get a certificate?
Two. AI-Native Practitioner is awarded after your six skill modules. AI-Native Leader, Certified is awarded when your capstone ships at a quarterly Demo Day.
What does it cost?
Investment is discussed on your strategy call, once we both know the program fits. Invoices are provided, and many companies reimburse under L&D.
Who we work with
Three things we look for.
- Highly motivated. You want the bigger role enough to do the work between sessions, not just during them.
- Open to change. You're willing to hear that your CV, your story or your interview answers are the problem, and fix them.
- Coachable. You follow a system built by someone who has run it a thousand times, and you tell us when it isn't working.
A filter, not a pitch
This is not for everyone.
- You have under 5 years of experience. Build your reps first; this program is built for professionals already trusted with real problems and real people.
- You want someone to whisper answers. We build leaders, not scripts.
- You want any job, anywhere, for the visa or the paycheck alone. This is a transition to a bigger role, not a faster application machine.
- You want the certificate without the reps. The transformation is in the live work, not the PDF.
- You expect AI to do the thinking for you. Here, AI amplifies your judgment, it never replaces it.
If the diagnostic says this won't move you, we say so.
Still reading? If you have 5 to 20 years of experience and are ready for the bigger role, this was built for you. Apply for a free strategy call →
How admission works
Three steps, no funnel.
01
Apply
Two minutes. Tell us where you are, where you're going, and why now.
02
Free strategy call
Thirty minutes with Ashwin: your goal, your obstacles, an honest read on fit. If we're not the right fit, we say so and point you somewhere better.
03
Join and start your week one
The Diagnostic maps your twelve weeks. Your program is clocked to you, not to a batch.
Enrollment
Your next role can start this week. The choice is yours.
Apply this week, start this week. A short application, then a free 30-minute strategy call with Ashwin. No checkout, no pressure funnel.
Join any weekQuarterly Demo Day
- 6 private 1:1 sessions with Ashwin
- 12 live workshops (recordings for life)
- AI voice mock rounds, rubric report after every round
- CV, LinkedIn and application documents, reviewed line by line
- 6 skill modules + drills
- Leadership narrative and story bank
- Offer and negotiation session, first-100-days plan
- 200+ templates
- AI-Native Practitioner and AI-Native Leader, Certified
A two-minute application, then a free 30-minute strategy call. No checkout. All sales are final once you enroll; in exchange, a free AI mock round before you pay anything, and a founder who stakes his name on the room.