How Indago Research Cut Candidate Interviews by 70% With AI-Powered Assessments

For a boutique research firm serving some of the most demanding clients in finance, hiring the right analyst isn't just an HR task — it's a business-critical decision. Indago Research needed people who could hit the ground running on M&A research and deal support, but the traditional hiring process wasn't surfacing that signal.

Resumes consumed hours of review time and revealed very little about what actually mattered: a candidate's motivation, analytical ability, and readiness to add value from day one. The team relied on manual keyword searches to sift through applications — a slow, imprecise method that left them screening 10 to 15 candidates just to find the 3 or 4 worth interviewing.

They explored other assessment tools, but the options on the market came with steep price tags and high minimums — a non-starter for a focused firm that hires selectively.

Indago Research needed a way to evaluate candidates that went deeper than what any resume could show — and to do it without breaking the budget. Cohesyve's AI-generated assessments, customized to each job description and backed by a proctored testing environment, were the answer.

The team was up and running within a single day. Rather than manually parsing through applications, they could now send targeted assessments that tested for the specific analytical and research skills their roles demanded.

The impact on the team's workflow was immediate. The process became more objective, more targeted, and significantly faster — replacing guesswork with data-driven decisions about who deserved a conversation.

The numbers tell a clear story. Where Indago Research once had to speak with 10 to 15 candidates per role, they now narrow the field to just 3 or 4 — the ones they genuinely want to meet. That's a 70% reduction in interviews without sacrificing quality. If anything, quality went up.

The shift also cut down on bad hires, a particularly costly mistake for a small firm where every team member carries significant weight. And candidates noticed the difference too — the structured, professional assessment process signaled that Indago means business, strengthening their employer brand in a competitive talent market.