One Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety Applications. Eighty-Three Assessments. Ten Interviews. Zero Hires.

Ramesh Ravishankar, co-founder of Chennai-based AI startup Highperformr.ai, posted the numbers on LinkedIn as a lament. “1,290 people applied. Eighty-three completed the assessment. Twenty-three passed. Ten reached an interview. Zero were hired.” The ex-Google executive blamed a lack of follow-through: “Almost nobody wants to prove they can do the work.” The internet saw a different story. The assessment-to-application conversion rate was 6%. Candidates who cleared every stage still declined interviews when they learned relocation was required — even though Ravishankar confirmed the company offers relocation support. Commenters noted that if only 6% of applicants are willing to complete your screening, the screening is the problem, not the applicants. Ravishankar later agreed on one point: “If we ask candidates to complete an assessment, we have a responsibility to review it and close the loop.” The role remains unfilled.