Effective Work Samples for Evaluating AI-Assisted Performance Review Skills

Performance reviews are critical touchpoints in the employee lifecycle, providing valuable feedback, documenting performance, and setting the stage for professional development. With the emergence of AI tools, organizations now have the opportunity to enhance the quality, consistency, and efficiency of their performance review processes. However, finding candidates who can effectively leverage AI for performance reviews requires careful evaluation of both their HR knowledge and their ability to work with AI tools.

The intersection of human resources expertise and AI technology creates a unique skill set that can be challenging to assess through traditional interviews alone. Candidates may claim proficiency with AI tools or performance management, but without seeing them in action, it's difficult to gauge their true capabilities. Work samples provide a window into how candidates approach real-world scenarios, revealing their thought processes, technical abilities, and judgment when using AI to generate performance feedback.

Effective AI-assisted performance review generation requires balancing technology with human insight. The ideal practitioner must understand performance management principles, maintain appropriate tone and empathy, and know when to rely on AI and when human judgment should prevail. Through carefully designed work samples, you can observe how candidates navigate these complexities and make decisions that impact employee experiences.

The following exercises are designed to evaluate candidates' abilities to leverage AI tools for performance reviews while maintaining quality, fairness, and effectiveness. These activities simulate real-world scenarios that professionals in this field encounter, providing valuable insights into which candidates will excel in roles requiring AI-assisted performance review skills.

Activity #1: Performance Review Enhancement with AI

This activity assesses the candidate's ability to take an existing performance review draft and enhance it using AI tools. It evaluates their judgment in determining what aspects of the review can be improved, their skill in crafting effective AI prompts, and their ability to maintain the appropriate tone and substance while leveraging technology.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a sample performance review draft that contains some common issues: vague feedback, lack of specific examples, inconsistent tone, or areas that could benefit from more constructive language.
• Provide access to an AI tool (like ChatGPT, Claude, or your company's preferred AI platform) that the candidate can use during the exercise.
• Allow 30-45 minutes for this exercise.
• Prepare evaluation criteria focusing on: improvement in clarity, addition of specific examples, maintenance of appropriate tone, and effective use of AI as a tool rather than a replacement for human judgment.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided performance review draft and identify areas that could be improved.
• Use the available AI tool to enhance the review, focusing on making feedback more specific, actionable, and constructive.
• Be prepared to explain your process, including how you decided which aspects to modify and what prompts you used with the AI tool.
• Submit both your enhanced review and a brief explanation of your approach and the changes you made.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After reviewing the candidate's submission, provide feedback on one aspect they handled particularly well (e.g., "Your addition of specific examples strengthened the review significantly").
• Offer one area for improvement (e.g., "The tone in the development areas section could be more constructive").
• Give the candidate 10-15 minutes to revise the identified section based on your feedback, observing how they incorporate guidance and adapt their approach.

Activity #2: AI Prompt Engineering for Different Review Scenarios

This activity tests the candidate's ability to craft effective AI prompts for various performance review scenarios. It evaluates their understanding of different performance contexts, their skill in communicating requirements to AI systems, and their ability to generate prompts that produce useful, appropriate outputs.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare 3-4 different performance review scenarios, such as:
• A high performer being groomed for promotion
• An employee with technical strengths but communication challenges
• A team member with declining performance
• A new hire completing their probationary period
• Provide access to an AI tool for the candidate to test their prompts.
• Allow 30-40 minutes for this exercise.
• Evaluate based on the relevance, specificity, and effectiveness of the prompts created.

Directions for the Candidate:

• For each scenario provided, craft an AI prompt that would help generate an appropriate performance review section.
• Your prompts should include relevant context, guidance on tone, and specific elements you want the AI to include or emphasize.
• Test each prompt with the provided AI tool and refine as needed to get the desired output.
• Document both your prompts and the resulting AI outputs, along with brief notes on why you structured each prompt as you did.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Highlight one prompt that was particularly effective, explaining why it worked well.
• Identify one prompt that could be improved, explaining what elements were missing or could be refined.
• Ask the candidate to revise the identified prompt based on your feedback and test the new version, discussing the differences in the output.

Activity #3: Performance Review Process Planning

This activity evaluates the candidate's ability to design a comprehensive AI-assisted performance review process. It tests their strategic thinking, understanding of performance management best practices, and ability to effectively integrate AI tools into existing HR processes.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide a brief description of a fictional company (size, industry, current review process challenges).
• Include any constraints or requirements (e.g., compliance needs, budget limitations, timeline).
• Allow 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
• Evaluate based on practicality, comprehensiveness, effective AI integration, and attention to potential challenges.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Design a process for implementing AI-assisted performance reviews at the described organization.
• Your plan should include:
• Key phases and timeline for implementation
• Specific AI tools or capabilities needed
• Training requirements for managers and HR staff
• Quality control measures to ensure appropriate AI use
• Methods to measure success and ROI
• Create a one-page visual representation of your proposed process (flowchart, timeline, or other format).
• Prepare a brief written explanation of your approach and rationale.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide positive feedback on one aspect of the plan that demonstrates strong strategic thinking or practical implementation knowledge.
• Identify one area where the plan could be strengthened or where a potential challenge wasn't adequately addressed.
• Ask the candidate to spend 15 minutes revising that portion of their plan, observing how they incorporate feedback and problem-solve.

Activity #4: Difficult Feedback Role Play

This activity assesses the candidate's ability to use AI-generated content appropriately when delivering challenging feedback. It evaluates their judgment, communication skills, and ability to maintain the human element in performance discussions while leveraging AI assistance.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a scenario involving difficult performance feedback (e.g., declining performance, interpersonal issues, or missed targets).
• Generate an AI-assisted performance review document for this scenario that the candidate will use.
• Assign a staff member to role-play as the employee receiving feedback.
• Allow 10 minutes for the candidate to review materials and 15-20 minutes for the role play.
• Evaluate based on communication effectiveness, appropriate use of the AI-generated content, empathy, and ability to make the feedback constructive.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided performance review document and scenario information.
• Prepare to conduct a feedback session using the AI-generated review as your guide.
• During the role play, deliver the feedback in a way that is clear, constructive, and maintains a human connection.
• Be prepared to answer questions or address concerns from the employee.
• Your goal is to ensure the employee understands the feedback and has a clear path forward for improvement.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one aspect of the delivery that was particularly effective (e.g., "Your ability to personalize the AI-generated feedback showed strong emotional intelligence").
• Offer one suggestion for improvement (e.g., "Consider providing more specific examples when discussing development areas").
• Give the candidate an opportunity to redo a portion of the conversation implementing your feedback, observing how they adapt their approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time should we allocate for these work samples?

Each activity requires 30-60 minutes to complete, plus time for feedback and discussion. Plan for at least 2-3 hours if conducting all four exercises, or select the 1-2 most relevant to your specific needs if time is limited.

Should we provide access to specific AI tools for these exercises?

Yes, ideally candidates should have access to the same AI tools they would use in the role. If your organization uses specific AI platforms for HR functions, provide access to those. Otherwise, general AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude are suitable alternatives.

How can we ensure candidates aren't just relying entirely on AI during these exercises?

The exercises are designed to evaluate how candidates work with AI, not just the output they produce. Focus evaluation on their process explanations, prompt crafting, judgment in editing AI outputs, and ability to add human context and empathy where needed.

What if a candidate has limited experience with AI tools but strong HR expertise?

Consider providing a brief orientation to the AI tools before beginning the exercises. You might also place more weight on their HR knowledge and adaptability than on their current AI proficiency, especially if you're willing to provide training on the technical aspects.

How should we evaluate the quality of AI prompts in Activity #2?

Look for prompts that: 1) Provide clear context about the employee and situation, 2) Specify the desired tone and level of detail, 3) Request specific elements like examples or action items, and 4) Include guidance on what to avoid. The effectiveness of the resulting AI output is also a key indicator.

Can these exercises be conducted remotely?

Yes, all of these activities can be adapted for remote assessment. For the role play, use video conferencing, and for the other exercises, use shared documents or screen sharing to observe the candidate's process and review their work.

AI-assisted performance review generation represents a powerful evolution in HR practices, combining human insight with technological efficiency. By using these work samples, you can identify candidates who not only understand performance management principles but can also effectively leverage AI tools to create more consistent, thoughtful, and impactful reviews. The right talent in this area can transform your organization's approach to performance management, saving time while improving quality and employee experience.

For more resources to enhance your hiring process, explore Yardstick's suite of AI-powered tools, including AI job descriptions, AI interview question generator, and AI interview guide generator.

Build a complete interview guide for evaluating AI-assisted performance review skills by signing up for a free Yardstick account