The company
Financial work demands evidence, not surface-level answers
Axial Consulting is an Austin-based business consulting and services firm. Its team advises founders, investors, and family businesses across M&A, business valuations, investor readiness, financial modeling, FP&A, investment research, and sustainability.
In May 2026, Axial began hiring for two Corporate Finance Advisory tracks: Associate, ACA Route, and Analyst and Associate, Undergraduate and MBA Route. The team needed enough depth and rigor to identify candidates who could handle demanding financial work, not simply interview well.
The challenge
More applicants, more time zones, and the same senior team
Axial's traditional process relied on manually scheduled phone and in-office interviews. With 150 applicants, coordinating calendars across time zones and repeating the same technical screening consumed senior hours and made consistent evaluation harder.
Axial did not want efficiency to come at the cost of candidate experience. The goal was to evaluate every candidate against the same technical standard while preserving meaningful human interaction for the decisions where it mattered most.
“We never stripped away the human side of the recruitment process, despite adding AI, because each candidate's story deserved to be heard and acknowledged.”
The solution
A structured technical interview that candidates could complete anywhere
Axial introduced InterviewFlowAI as its first technical interview. Candidates received an invitation to complete an AI video interview built around a comprehensive, custom-designed set of finance questions. InterviewFlowAI then produced recordings, transcripts, summaries, scores, and consistent reports for the team to review.
- 01
Human application review
Director of Delivery Nida Naguib, CFA, ACCA reviewed CVs and conducted the initial screening calls.
- 02
InterviewFlowAI technical screen
Candidates completed the same role-relevant video interview on their own schedule, removing calendar and time-zone constraints.
- 03
Practical assessment
Shortlisted candidates built a valuation model and investor deck, with senior candidates completing an additional on-site task.
- 04
Human panel interview
Finalists met Axial's team in person for a 30-minute panel conversation before hiring decisions were made.
The candidate experience
Formal enough to matter, conversational enough to feel comfortable
“I loved the interface. The way the questions are delivered is not aggressive, and it's comfortable and clear. I do feel like it's a formal interview, but at the same time, it's like just a casual conversation. I also love that some of the questions are based on my work background. It makes me feel like they really reviewed my resume.”
“The interview process was very smooth, structured, and clear. The interviewers were professional and engaging, making it a great candidate experience overall. Keep up the good work!”
The results
More than 41 hours returned to the team
Of the 150 candidates who applied, 130 completed their InterviewFlowAI interview, an 87% completion rate. Automating the technical interview saved more than 2,500 minutes of screening time while giving Axial consistent reports for every completed interview.
Axial ultimately hired two candidates and added another six strong candidates to its talent bench. The process combined scalable, consistent technical evaluation with human judgment at the beginning and end of the journey.
From Axial Consulting
The hiring process, shared by the team
Managing Partner Musa Khan Durrani shared how Axial redesigned its hiring season to add rigor, save senior time, and keep people at the center of each decision.
Frequently asked questions
Axial Consulting and InterviewFlowAI
How did Axial Consulting use InterviewFlowAI?
Axial Consulting used InterviewFlowAI for its first technical interview. Candidates completed a role-specific AI video interview on their own schedule, and Axial reviewed the recordings, transcripts, summaries, scores, and structured evaluation reports before advancing candidates.
How many candidates completed an InterviewFlowAI interview?
Axial Consulting received 150 applications, and 130 candidates completed an InterviewFlowAI video interview. That produced an 87% interview completion rate during the 2026 hiring campaign.
How much screening time did Axial Consulting save?
Axial Consulting saved more than 2,500 minutes of screening time by replacing repetitive technical screening calls with structured AI video interviews. That returned more than 41 hours to the team.
Which roles did Axial Consulting screen with InterviewFlowAI?
Axial Consulting screened candidates for Corporate Finance Advisory roles across its Associate ACA Route and its Analyst and Associate Undergraduate and MBA Route.
Did InterviewFlowAI replace human interviewers at Axial Consulting?
No. InterviewFlowAI handled the first technical interview, while Axial retained human CV review, practical assignments, on-site assessments for senior candidates, and a final 30-minute panel interview before making hiring decisions.