-Jordan Lee

Elite roles require more than skill; they demand fluency in unspoken rules.

Those rules remain invisible and inaccessible for thousands of high-potential students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.

That’s where one former strategy consultant found his second calling. After helping multiple Fortune 500 companies with strategic projects and mentoring peers along the way, he realized his biggest impact wouldn’t come in the boardroom, but in the breakthroughs he could help others achieve.

His name is Ming Chang. Through his platform, Elevate Career Solutions (Elevate), he wants to help early-career professionals decode elite hiring systems and break down structural barriers at scale.

This isn’t a theory. It’s a structured approach to breaking into competitive fields like consulting. By demystifying complex processes such as case interviews, behavioral questions, and networking, Elevate will help candidates navigate what often feels unfamiliar or intimidating. The goal is simple: rewrite access by turning insider knowledge into actionable steps that lead to job offers.

Strategic Execution in High-Stakes Environments

After business school, Mr. Chang entered the field of management consulting. He quickly gained a reputation for cutting through complexity with precision in high-stakes projects. Yet Mr. Chang’s biggest passion is not in client work but in mentoring team members, job seekers, or college students — formally or informally. In his firm, he organized case competitions, coached team members, and onboarded new recruits. He also loved giving others career advice whether it was to weigh pivotal career moves or navigate a complex political situation at work. He didn’t just solve problems—he helped others grow into their ability to solve them too.

From Consulting to Coaching: Turning Passion into Mission

His next foray is to turn this late night passion into practice.

As he mentored early-career professionals, one frustration among them kept surfacing: a lack of industry-specific and insider-informed guidance for the highly competitive fields. In consulting, for example, recruitment goes far beyond a few rounds of behavioral interviews. It starts with multiple rounds of informal networking interviews long before the hiring cycle even begins, and includes specialized components such as case or group interviews. These are not the focus of general career advisors — and yet without proper guidance, candidates are left guessing how to prepare.

This gap became too large for him to ignore. In 2025, he formed Elevate Career Solutions, a career coaching venture built specifically to close that gap. His solution is to bring structured, industry-specific and personalized coaching to talents that may not have an existing network, the fine polish, or awareness of the process. His program covers everything end-to-end — from story crafting, networking training, interview practices to job readiness.

Scaling with Purpose, Not Just Reach

A recent ATD report found that 82% of employers face critical skills gaps, particularly in areas like problem-solving and critical thinking. Similarly, Springboard’s 2024 survey showed that 63% of company leaders prioritize upskilling, with 43% investing in reskilling to close these gaps. This is why Mr. Chang’s work doesn’t just prepare people for interviews. It helps them understand the landscape and sustain success once on the job.

A key component in Mr. Chang’s methodology is case interview practice. He works with the candidates to solve business cases by introducing case frameworks, guiding towards case solutions, and simulating real-life mock interviews. This practice not only greatly improves interview performance but also strengthens candidates' business acumen, structured thinking, problem solving, and communication skills, all of which are critical to success in elite industries such as consulting or tech product management.

For Elevate, Mr. Chang’s long term goal is to scale through university partnerships, virtual coaching, and training more coaches in his methodology. These tools allow the platform to expand nationally, reaching students in Texas, New York, and California in the early years without losing the relational depth that defines its effectiveness.

Credibility Rooted in Experience

Peers and mentees cite Mr. Chang’s commitment to others’ growth as a defining trait. Xu Han, Director of Enterprise Strategy at AMN Healthcare, recalls that Mr. Chang’s mentorship during their MBA years “ripples across the careers of a dozen classmates who now hold leadership roles.” That impact continues to multiply.

Underrepresented candidates often lack access to content, nuanced coaching, and credible role models that turn ambition into traction. Mr. Chang’s aim is to fill that void with deep experience and structured support. In another reflection, Samir, a student who practiced case interview with Mr. Chang, said, “The real value? It’s the belief he builds in people in the way that he breaks down seemingly overwhelming case problems into simple steps for you.”

Closing the Gap, One Career at a Time

Over the next few years, Elevate plans to reach thousands. But for Mr. Chang, success is measured one candidate at a time, and every time someone walks out of an interview thinking, I deserve that seat.

But the mission remains deeply human.

“I’ve seen what happens when someone realizes they belong in rooms they never thought they’d enter,” Mr. Chang says. “We’re not just preparing students for interviews, we’re reshaping how opportunity is defined, and who gets to define themselves within it.”

With the goal of building a coach network and a mission rooted in workplace diversity, Elevate is rewriting access rules, one candidate, one framework, one job at a time. Looking ahead, Mr. Chang sees Elevate growing from just another coaching company into a nationwide movement toward an industry-specific coaching model.

About the Author

Jordan Lee is a professional writer focused on career development, entrepreneurship, and executive storytelling. With experience crafting narratives for founders and innovators, Jordan helps elevate mission-driven voices shaping the future of work.