Landing an internship at an AI startup is a dream for many students and young professionals. But according to one founder, the biggest challenge is no longer finding applicants, it is finding people who actually follow through.
In a LinkedIn post, Ramesh Ravishankar, Co-founder and Chief GTM Officer at Highperformr.ai, shared the numbers from his company’s recent internship hiring process. What looked like overwhelming interest on paper quickly turned into a lesson about commitment.
THE NUMBERS THAT TELL A DIFFERENT STORY
The company received 1,290 applications for internship roles.
But, as Ravishankar revealed, only 83 candidates attempted the assessment, 23 cleared it, 10 reached the interview stage, and none has cleared the interviews so far.
He summed it up in one striking line: “Read that again. 1,290 people raised their hand. 83 actually showed up when it was time to do the work. That’s 6%.”
According to him, the drop-off did not stop there.
Some candidates who passed the assessment never appeared for interviews. Others backed out after learning they would have to relocate, while some simply stopped responding altogether.
‘EVERYONE WANTS THE JOB, FEW WANT THE WORK’
For Ravishankar, the issue goes beyond recruitment numbers.
“Everyone wants to work at an AI startup. Almost nobody wants to prove they can do the work,” he wrote.
He argued that many young professionals have started confusing visibility with real effort. While applying for a role or adding “AI/ML enthusiast” to a profile is easy, he believes the real challenge begins when candidates have to complete assessments, relocate or consistently put in the work.
As he put it, “The application is easy… But the assessment? The relocation? The actual grind of showing up every day and building something nobody will applaud you for? That’s where 94% disappear.”
WHAT THE COMPANY REALLY LOOKS FOR
Ravishankar also questioned whether career conversations today place too much importance on titles instead of learning.
He wrote, “We’ve built a culture where young professionals are encouraged to become thought leaders before they’ve had a chance to become thoughtful workers.”
The founder said the 83 candidates who completed the assessment revealed more about themselves than the rest of the applicant pool.
“We don’t hire for resumes. We hire for slope. Is this person smart? Do they give a damn? Will they attempt something hard even when nobody’s watching?” he wrote, adding, “You can teach the craft. You can’t teach give-a-damn.”
His post ends by asking employers a simple question: “What’s the hardest filter you’ve added to your hiring process? And did it change who you ended up hiring?”
– Ends
