About the Founder
Steve J. Ngoumnai — Career Coach and Former Engineering Leader
Steve J. Ngoumnai founded Askia after years on the hiring side — reviewing thousands of resumes, conducting interviews at every level, and making compensation decisions for roles from $80K individual contributors to $300K+ executives in tech and healthcare.
He built Askia to give senior professionals access to the hiring-side perspective that most career coaches have never had. The coaching is calibrated to what actually moves decisions — not what sounds good in a framework.
- Former engineering leader — hiring-side experience at the Director and VP level
- Reviewed thousands of resumes across tech, finance, and healthcare
- 147+ professionals coached across all career levels
- Average outcome: first interview within 21 days
- 89% of clients land offers within 60 days
- $47K average salary increase in compensation engagements
- 4.9/5 average client rating
Background and experience
Before founding Askia, Steve led engineering teams and held hiring authority across multiple organizations in tech and healthcare. In that role, he was on the other side of every touchpoint job seekers care about: reading resumes in bulk, conducting behavioral and technical interviews, calibrating interview feedback, and making final offers.
That experience gave him a clear picture of the gap between what job seekers believe matters and what actually drives hiring decisions. Most candidates are evaluated on their materials before a human ever speaks to them. Most interview candidates lose not on qualifications but on how they frame their experience. Most compensation negotiators leave money on the table not because they lack leverage but because they do not know they have it.
Askia is built on closing those gaps — with coaching calibrated to what Steve saw move decisions from the other side of the table.
What makes Askia different
- Hiring-side perspective — Steve has been in the room where hiring decisions are made at the Director, VP, and C-suite level. Most career coaches have not.
- Level-specific calibration — Coaching is different for a software engineer targeting L5 at a FAANG company than for a VP targeting a $250K role at a growth-stage company. Steve works at both levels with specific calibration for each.
- Results tracked, not estimated — 21 days average to first interview, 89% offer rate within 60 days, and $47K average salary increase come from actual client outcomes — not estimated ranges.
- No templates for their own sake — Every engagement starts with what the specific client needs, not a packaged process applied uniformly.
Who Steve coaches
Askia works with professionals across career levels and industries, with the deepest concentration in tech, finance, and healthcare.
Software engineers, data scientists, and senior ICs at L5–L7 level targeting $150K–$250K roles at FAANG, growth startups, and enterprise tech companies.
First-time managers and Directors of Engineering targeting their next leadership step — including the specific challenge of moving from functional leader to organizational executive.
Senior leaders targeting $200K–$350K+ executive roles — VP Engineering, CTO, CPO, CFO — where positioning at the organizational level is the primary differentiator between candidates.
Experienced professionals navigating the re-entry market after a company sale, acquisition, wind-down, or reduction in force — rebuilding narrative and market signal from a position of strength.
Professionals making a deliberate cross-functional or cross-industry move — repositioning existing experience for a different role type or sector without starting over from zero.
Finance, operations, strategy, and business professionals targeting $100K–$200K+ roles in tech-adjacent companies, investment firms, and enterprise organizations.
Published guides and research
Steve publishes guides, frameworks, and original research across career strategy, salary negotiation, and job search. These are written from the hiring side — calibrated to what actually drives decisions, not what sounds intuitive from the candidate side.
- Job Search Statistics 2026 — Original data from 147+ coached professionals
- How to Negotiate Salary — Complete guide with scripts and frameworks
- Executive Career Coaching — VP, SVP, and C-suite coaching approach
- Tell Me About Yourself — Framework with level-calibrated examples
- The Hidden Job Market — How 40–60% of $150K+ roles are filled before posting
Media and expert commentary
Steve is available for expert commentary on salary negotiation, job search strategy, executive hiring, and the $100K–$350K professional labor market. He responds to reporter queries within 24 hours.
For media inquiries, data requests, or interview requests, visit the press and media page or contact directly at support@askia.tech.
Location: Houston, TX
Serving clients: Nationwide (remote)
Contact: support@askia.tech
Work with Steve directly
Every Askia engagement is with Steve — not a junior coach or an assigned associate. Book a free strategy call to assess where you are and what it takes to get where you want to go.
