Resume lies rampant: startup hirint aims to verify talent
The confession is becoming increasingly commonplace: job applicants are embellishing, even fabricating, their qualifications. A sobering 2023 ResumeLab report, based on nearly 2,000 US interviews, confirms the widespread practice, with a staggering 70% of workers admitting to stretching the truth on their resumes. And the deception intensifies when face-to-face with recruiters – a full 80% inflate their accomplishments.
Enter hirint: beyond the pandemic's online shift
Amid this escalating crisis of credibility, Spanish startup Hirint, founded and led by Javier Cañizares, is emerging as a potential solution. The company operates on a dual mission: to rigorously assess candidates for open positions and, crucially, to evaluate existing talent within organizations, informing promotions and development plans. The shift towards online testing, accelerated by the pandemic, has fundamentally altered the landscape of pre-employment screening. Gone are the days of near-mandatory in-person assessments; the majority of evaluations now occur remotely. Hirint has engineered a suite of technologies to combat the rise of remote resume fraud, including real-time monitoring for unauthorized browser tabs during exams and identity verification protocols.
But the proliferation of AI tools, while assisting recruiters, also presents new avenues for deception. Human resources departments are undergoing a significant transformation, evolving from administrative cost centers to strategic drivers of employee well-being and career growth. Cañizares, speaking to Business Insider España, emphasizes this shift, noting that Hirint’s clients – companies averaging over 300 employees – are experiencing this evolution firsthand, though adoption is progressing more slowly in Spain’s predominantly SME-driven economy.
From a million euros to three million assessments
Hirint’s annual recurring revenue currently hovers around €1 million, supported by a team of 22 individuals, including three psychologists specializing in psychometrics and one dedicated to AI. A diverse clientele, including KPMG, Grupo San José, Balearia, Infojobs, Dia, Grupo Eulen, Manpower, and the University of Navarra, demonstrates the platform's broad appeal. The company boasts a geographic footprint spanning Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Central American nations, servicing over 400 businesses and conducting more than three million assessments to date. A €700,000 investment round closed in 2025 fuels further expansion.
Long before the current AI boom, Cañizares recognized the importance of 'soft skills' in evaluating candidates and employees. Hirint’s 'LibreIA' platform consolidates over 50 assessments. The rise of artificial intelligence has only amplified the value of these uniquely human attributes, as they are inherently resistant to automation — unlike, say, programming or legal research. As Cañizares succinctly puts it, “Today you have to do A, but it’s very likely that tomorrow you have to do B.” This underscores the importance of assessing adaptability, leadership, proactivity, and communication skills.
The platform empowers recruiters to customize tests, focusing on a selection of 34 core competencies. Questions can be modified, and scoring weights adjusted to align with specific hiring criteria. Assessments are typically delivered via email or WhatsApp, with results – translated and contextualized – delivered within seconds. Mobile device usage accounts for 70% of test completion, with a remarkable 96% of candidates finishing the assessments, which generally take between 5 and 7 minutes (though Excel tests can extend to 20). Hirint’s focus lies squarely on middle management and below, a deliberately targeted niche.
Looking ahead: interactive tests and an ai copilot
Hirint’s future roadmap centers on integrating AI into two key areas. First, the development of interactive tests extending beyond simple multiple-choice formats, incorporating text, audio, and video elements with enhanced self-correction capabilities. Second, the creation of an AI 'copilot' to assist recruiters in interpreting assessment reports, functioning as a digital psychologist to provide deeper insights. Leveraging its expansive database, Hirint also aims to refine test calibration, creating a benchmark for candidate performance against peers at other companies. The talent verification landscape is evolving rapidly, and Hirint is positioning itself to be the vanguard.
The numbers speak for themselves: 70% of workers admit to lying on their resumes. The question isn’t whether dishonesty exists, but whether companies can effectively detect and mitigate it. Hirint’s wager is that rigorous, AI-powered assessment, combined with a renewed focus on human skills, can restore a measure of integrity to the hiring process.