Our Story

Our founders, Mike Russiello, Bill Lake, and Shoa Appelman, have a history of product innovation in the employment testing industry. In 1998, Mike and Bill left computer services firm EDS (now HP) to start Brainbench, an employment testing company. Brainbench pioneered several head-turning innovations including online computer-adaptive testing, virtual test centers, online skills certification testing, multi-dimensional pre-hire testing, and corporate skills benchmarking.

Brainbench grew rapidly. Shoa joined in 2004, and the company was acquired in 2006 by a private equity firm. Post-acquisition, Mike and Bill remained as senior managers for several years.

In 2009, the team launched ClicFlic Interactive Videos, Inc. as a simulation technology and services company. The company created interactive, simulation-based eLearning programs, and assessments for large corporations and government agencies.

It soon became clear there was significant demand for high quality pre-employment assessments. So, after several years of product development, the company changed its name to HR Avatar and re-entered the employment assessment industry in 2015.

Since then, HR Avatar has grown steadily and now serves over 1,000 of customers in more than 50 countries. Equally notable, the founders have continued their tradition of industry-changing innovation, including:

• 2015 - 'Day in the Life' animated simulation-based, job-specific assessments.
• 2015 - Automated writing analysis using artificial intelligence (AI).
• 2016 - Optional Candidate Career Interest Inventory for Candidates FREE post-test.
• 2016 - Phone-based spoken language assessments incorporating AI-driven 'Voice Vibes' analysis.
• 2017 - Remote Proctoring using image capture and AI-driven facial recognition for unproctored testing.
• 2017 - Web-based spoken language assessments incorporated AI-driven 'Voice Vibes' analysis.
• 2017 - Candidate feedback reports designed for selection instruments.
• 2018 - Virtual Video Interviews - fully-integrated with traditional assessments.
• 2018 - Build your own video interview with AI-driven voice analysis and personality evaluation.
• 2019 - Virtual Chat-based Customer Service assessments with AI-driven scenarios.
• 2019 - Live Video Interviewing with AI-driven voice analysis and personality evaluation.
• 2020 - Premium Remote Test Proctoring with video monitoring, recording, AI, and a locked-down web browser.
• 2020 - Automated Reference Checks and Multi-rater Employee Feedback Surveys.
• 2021 - Candidate-based pricing that bundles everything you need for one candidate into one price.