How to run a sales case study interview now that candidates use AI

A candidate sends you their 30-60-90 day plan. Twelve slides, clean charts, a sharp pitch of your own product back to you.

It took them two minutes.

The short answer: stop sending the case study 72 hours ahead. Book a 90 to 120 minute block, send the prompt when it starts, give the candidate 45 minutes on camera to prepare (AI allowed), then make them present and grill them on every slide. For junior roles, pay them to do the real job for a day. For senior roles, put them face to face with your exec team.

The case study used to be the big step

For years, the case study was the most important step in sales hiring.

After one, two or three interviews, you'd ask the candidate to prepare a presentation. A restitution of everything they'd learned about you, and how they'd go about the role. Usually a 30-60-90 day plan on how they'd start generating business, then a pitch of your own solution.

You'd send the prompt 72 hours before the call. They'd come back with a deck.

AI broke it

Today, anyone can pump out that document in two minutes and still look sharp.

So where does that leave us? Some of our clients have become extremely creative. Two trends are taking over, plus one old one coming back.

1. The live-prep case study

Here's how it runs:

• One scheduled block of an hour and a half to two hours.
• The prompt arrives when the block starts. Nothing goes out 72 hours early.
• 45 minutes to prepare, camera on. They can use AI.
• Then the restitution: they present, and you ask questions.

What you're watching is how they handle pressure, and whether they have ideas of their own. Of course we want them using AI in their day to day. We also want to know what they think.

Let me tell you a quick story. We've had candidates join those calls with a presentation that looked fantastic. Then the hiring manager started probing the actual content. Within minutes it was obvious they had no clue what was on their own slides.

Boom. Red flag. Call is off.

The rule for candidates is simple: if you present something, expect questions on anything sitting on that screen.

2. Paid real work

One client was hiring very junior Account Executives, mostly Business Development Representatives from their industry moving up.

Their case study: if you're so good at prospecting, book us three meetings. Or take a whole day and prospect for us. We'll pay you, and we'll judge you on your results.

I was a little hesitant when they told me. Turns out every candidate loved it. Some people who weren't the best fit on paper stood out, and put their money where their mouth is.

It works best for junior SMB roles, where a good rep can book a meeting within the hour. And it's a test AI can't fake. For a longer version of the same idea, see the paid two-week trial.

3. Face to face is back

It was already a thing. It's becoming the norm for mid and senior roles.

Our clients put candidates in a room with the exec team. A whole morning or afternoon, a lunch, a dinner. There's only so much you get through a camera.

Face to face, you know exactly who's in front of you. You feel the energy. You feel how your prospects and clients will feel around them.

The three formats at a glance

Format	Best for	What it tests	Time
Live-prep case study	Account Executives, Sales Leaders	Pressure, original thinking, depth behind the slides	90 to 120 minutes
Paid real work	Junior SMB Account Executives, Business Development Representatives	Prospecting results, hustle	1 day, paid
Face to face with the exec team	Mid and senior roles	Energy, presence, how clients will experience them	Half a day, a lunch or a dinner

Where AI belongs in the process

I'm the first one to vouch for what AI can solve. We're AI forward, and so are our clients.

But look at the loop we built. Companies use AI to write the job description. An ATS full of AI then scores an AI-written resume against AI-written criteria. Nobody in that chain has met anybody.

Sales is about connection. Salespeople are storytellers, and the human brain is wired for stories. There's only so much AI people will accept in a sales hiring process before it stops feeling human.

So use AI for formatting. Make it look good. Then bring your own point of view. Opinions are going to become the norm.

Anyone can prompt a deck. Few can defend one with your VP Sales leaning across the table asking why.

Talk soon!✌️

FAQ

How should I run a case study interview now that candidates use AI?

Book a 90 to 120 minute block, send the prompt when it starts, give the candidate 45 minutes on camera to prepare with AI allowed, then have them present and question them on every slide.

Is the take-home 30-60-90 day plan still useful?

Much less. AI produces a polished one in two minutes. What matters now is whether the candidate can defend it under questions.

What is a paid real-work trial in sales hiring?

For junior SMB roles, the candidate books meetings or prospects for a full paid day and is judged on results. Candidates tend to like it, and people weaker on paper can stand out.