How Elly helped Elly surface hidden talent at scale, enabling Abe Weiser to find the right hires faster

The Problem

As the Head of Search and Talent Acquisition at Elly, Abe Weiser is responsible for building high-performing teams across technical and business functions. With more than a decade of experience scaling recruiting at high-growth startups, he is no stranger to high volume and fast-moving pipelines.

But a recent hiring sprint pushed even his limits.

For two engineering roles, Elly received more than 2,000 applicants, far more than any recruiter could realistically screen in a traditional process.

“There was no world where I could read every resume and talk to every person.”

Even with his experience, the “maybe pile” remained a consistent challenge. Candidates who might be great, especially those with unconventional backgrounds or unclear resumes, often ended up stuck in limbo simply because there were not enough hours in the day.

Before using Elly’s AI Interviewer, Abe had to prioritize the most obvious fits.

“I would get through 50 or 100 resumes until I found 10 to 15 strong candidates. The rest just would not be considered.”

He needed a fair and efficient way to surface more complete candidate profiles without adding more manual interviews or sacrificing the candidate experience.

The Solution

Abe turned on Elly’s AI Interviewer, giving every applicant the opportunity to share more than what was written on their resume.

Setup was instant.

“I posted the job in Greenhouse, opened the role in Elly, toggled the interviewer on, and that was it. A few clicks and candidates could start interviewing at scale.”

The real value was the quality of insight he gained.

Each candidate received a structured conversation with Elly, complete with consistent questions, natural follow ups, and a format that allowed Abe to hear far more than a resume could ever reveal:

• Communication style
• Product understanding
• Clarity of thought
• Technical reasoning
• Enthusiasm for the role

Elly didn’t remove Abe from the process. It amplified his judgment.

“Elly never replaces the recruiter. It gives me more data points so I can make better decisions. I still control the whole pipeline.”

With administrative questions handled upfront, Abe could spend live time digging deeper into skills, mindset, and culture fit.

This also surfaced a candidate he might never have discovered otherwise.

The Results

One engineer stood out, not on paper but in conversation.

Her resume alone would have placed her in the “maybe later” category.

“I was not sure from her resume if she had the right experience. Normally she would be a maybe, and I would get to it when I had time, if I had time.”

She completed the AI interview, and when Abe watched it, one detail caught his attention. She clearly understood the product and even referenced how Elly dogfoods its own tools.

“Hearing her talk about our product showed a level of understanding I never would have seen on paper.”

That clarity moved her immediately from maybe to yes.

Abe scheduled a call.
She moved through the process quickly.
She became one of Elly’s two engineering hires.

“Elly surfaced a candidate I would have missed. Now she is on the team contributing from day one.”

Beyond this single hire, the broader benefits were impossible to ignore:

• Every candidate had a voice beyond the resume
• Abe gained deeper insight earlier without more manual hours
• The process became more equitable, especially for candidates with nontraditional backgrounds
• Candidates felt heard and respected
• Hiring decisions were faster and more confident, supported by richer signal

The hiring process became more human, not less.

And, as a bonus, the product team got plenty of real-time feedback from the one person who never holds back.

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