Evaluating a sales candidate is one of the most difficult aspects of recruiting.  After all, part of the role is to be engaging, polished, and to build relationships.  So, how can you differentiate between candidates?  One very useful, pragmatic tool to assess sales competency during the interview process are case studies. But, timing and design are important.

When to Use Case Studies

Case studies are best used during the final stages of the interview process, once candidates have passed interviews for relevant functional and industry experience and motivation. At this point, case studies serve as a simulation tool to evaluate how a candidate thinks and communicates, their sales process, deal structuring, and comfort with complexity and ambiguity, among other factors.

For roles that involve solution selling, long sales cycles, or enterprise clients, case studies can reveal more than a resume or standard behavioral questions ever could. Case studies are particularly useful for:

• Mid- to senior-level roles, where consultative selling and strategic thinking are expected

• New business or hunter roles, to test how candidates would approach new prospects

• Complex sales environments, where understanding stakeholder mapping, pricing strategy, and competitive positioning is critical

Best Practices for Designing Effective Case Studies

1. Keep It Relevant: Design the case study around your actual sales environment. If you sell SaaS to CFOs at midmarket companies, the scenario should reflect that. Avoid generic B2B situations that won’t mirror the candidate’s day-to-day challenges.

2. Balance Structure and Flexibility: Provide enough background so the candidate isn’t guessing (e.g., product overview, target customer, goals), but leave space for interpretation. A good case invites creativity, reveals thought processes, and shows how candidates handle ambiguity.

3. Evaluate Process, Not Just Answers: The value lies in how candidates structure their approach – discovery questions, value propositions, handling objections, or navigating internal politics. Don’t just score them on a perfect pitch.

4. Be Clear on Expectations: Tell the candidate what you're looking for: a 15-minute pitch, a prospecting plan, or a mock discovery call. Define the format – presentation, live role play, or written plan – so they can prepare appropriately.

5. Use a Consistent Rubric: Evaluate all candidates against the same criteria, e.g., communication, strategic thinking, product understanding, and sales methodology. This ensures fairness and better comparisons.

Used thoughtfully, case studies can provide excellent insight into a sales candidate’s real-world capabilities. When paired with structured interviews and reference checks, they help reduce hiring risk and lead to better performance on the job.