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Enterprise AI adoption is a complex, multifaceted challenge that requires a unique blend of technical knowledge, business acumen, change management expertise, and strategic thinking. Organizations seeking professionals who can successfully lead AI transformation initiatives need evaluation methods that go beyond traditional interviews to assess these specialized capabilities.
The most effective AI strategists demonstrate not only theoretical understanding but practical skills in identifying high-value use cases, developing realistic implementation roadmaps, managing stakeholder expectations, and addressing ethical considerations. Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in these areas, as past experiences may not directly translate to your organization's specific AI maturity and challenges.
Work samples provide a window into how candidates approach real-world AI adoption scenarios, revealing their thought processes, prioritization skills, and ability to navigate the technical and organizational complexities of enterprise AI implementation. By observing candidates tackle realistic challenges, you can better predict their effectiveness in driving AI initiatives within your specific organizational context.
The following work samples are designed to evaluate key competencies required for successful enterprise AI adoption strategy. Each exercise simulates a different aspect of the AI implementation journey, from opportunity identification to change management. By incorporating these activities into your interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' capabilities and make more informed hiring decisions for this critical role.
Activity #1: AI Opportunity Assessment
This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to identify, analyze, and prioritize AI opportunities within an enterprise context. Successful AI strategists must be able to connect business challenges with appropriate AI solutions, assess technical feasibility, and prioritize initiatives based on business value and implementation complexity.
Directions for the Company:
- Prepare a brief (1-2 page) description of a fictional or anonymized company, including industry, size, current technology landscape, business challenges, and strategic objectives.
- Include basic information about the company's data assets, current analytics capabilities, and any previous AI initiatives.
- Allocate 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
- Provide the candidate with the company description at least 24 hours before the interview.
- Have a whiteboard or digital collaboration tool available during the interview.
Directions for the Candidate:
- Review the provided company description before the interview.
- During the interview, identify 3-5 potential AI use cases that address the company's business challenges or strategic objectives.
- For each use case, briefly outline:
- The business problem it addresses
- The proposed AI solution
- Required data and technology components
- Expected business impact
- Implementation complexity
- Create a 2x2 matrix plotting the identified opportunities based on business value and implementation feasibility.
- Be prepared to explain your rationale for prioritization and discuss potential implementation challenges.
Feedback Mechanism:
- After the presentation, the interviewer should provide feedback on one strength (e.g., "I appreciated how you considered data availability in your feasibility assessment") and one area for improvement (e.g., "I'd like to see more consideration of organizational readiness factors").
- Give the candidate 5-10 minutes to revise their prioritization based on the feedback, explaining how they would adjust their approach.
Activity #2: AI Implementation Roadmap
This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to develop a strategic, phased approach to implementing AI initiatives across an enterprise. It tests their understanding of organizational change management, technical dependencies, and how to balance quick wins with long-term transformation.
Directions for the Company:
- Select one AI use case (either from a predefined list or from the candidate's suggestions in Activity #1).
- Prepare a brief description of the use case, including business objectives, current state, and any constraints.
- Provide information about the organization's AI maturity level and relevant stakeholders.
- Allocate 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
- Have a digital collaboration tool or whiteboard available.
Directions for the Candidate:
- Review the AI use case and organizational context.
- Develop a 12-18 month implementation roadmap for the AI initiative that includes:
- Key phases and milestones
- Required resources (people, technology, data)
- Stakeholder engagement strategy
- Success metrics and measurement approach
- Risk mitigation strategies
- Create a visual timeline representation of the roadmap.
- Be prepared to explain your rationale for the sequencing of activities and how you would adjust the plan if certain constraints changed.
Feedback Mechanism:
- The interviewer should provide feedback on one strength (e.g., "Your approach to stakeholder engagement was comprehensive") and one area for improvement (e.g., "The timeline for data preparation seems optimistic given the described challenges").
- Ask the candidate to revise one specific aspect of their roadmap based on the feedback, explaining their adjustments and reasoning.
Activity #3: Stakeholder Resistance Simulation
This role-play exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to navigate resistance to AI adoption and effectively communicate the value proposition to different stakeholders. It tests communication skills, empathy, and the ability to address concerns about AI implementation.
Directions for the Company:
- Prepare 2-3 stakeholder personas with different concerns about AI adoption (e.g., a skeptical business unit leader concerned about ROI, a technical leader worried about integration with legacy systems, an employee representative concerned about job displacement).
- For each persona, create a brief description of their role, priorities, and specific concerns.
- Select 1-2 interviewers to play these stakeholder roles.
- Brief the role-players on how to authentically represent the stakeholder concerns.
- Allocate 30-45 minutes for this exercise.
Directions for the Candidate:
- Review the stakeholder personas and their concerns about an AI initiative.
- Prepare to conduct a stakeholder meeting to address concerns and build support for the AI initiative.
- During the role-play:
- Clearly articulate the value proposition of the AI initiative
- Address specific stakeholder concerns with empathy and clarity
- Adapt your communication style to different stakeholders
- Propose concrete next steps to address concerns and move forward
- Be prepared to handle unexpected objections or questions.
Feedback Mechanism:
- After the role-play, the interviewers should provide feedback on one strength (e.g., "You effectively translated technical concepts into business value") and one area for improvement (e.g., "You could have acknowledged the job displacement concerns more directly").
- Give the candidate 5-10 minutes to reflect on the feedback and demonstrate how they would handle a specific interaction differently.
Activity #4: AI Ethics and Governance Framework
This exercise evaluates a candidate's understanding of responsible AI implementation and their ability to develop governance frameworks that balance innovation with risk management. It tests awareness of ethical considerations, regulatory requirements, and practical governance approaches.
Directions for the Company:
- Prepare a description of an AI use case that involves potential ethical considerations (e.g., an AI system for employee performance evaluation, customer segmentation, or automated decision-making).
- Include relevant information about the industry context, data sources, and intended use.
- Provide any applicable regulatory considerations.
- Allocate 45-60 minutes for this exercise.
- Have a digital collaboration tool or whiteboard available.
Directions for the Candidate:
- Review the AI use case and identify potential ethical risks and considerations.
- Develop a governance framework for responsible implementation that includes:
- Key ethical principles and guidelines
- Governance roles and responsibilities
- Risk assessment and mitigation approaches
- Testing and validation procedures
- Monitoring and ongoing evaluation mechanisms
- Create a visual representation of the governance framework.
- Be prepared to explain how the framework addresses specific ethical concerns while enabling innovation.
Feedback Mechanism:
- The interviewer should provide feedback on one strength (e.g., "Your framework effectively balanced innovation with appropriate safeguards") and one area for improvement (e.g., "The monitoring mechanisms could be more specific about what metrics to track").
- Ask the candidate to elaborate on how they would address the improvement area, providing more specific details or adjusting their approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should we allocate for these work samples in our interview process?
Each exercise is designed to take 45-60 minutes, including time for setup, execution, feedback, and candidate response to feedback. If you're incorporating multiple exercises, consider spreading them across different interview sessions or selecting the 1-2 most relevant to your organization's current AI adoption challenges.
Should we provide these exercises to candidates in advance?
For Activities #1 and #2, providing the company context and use case information 24 hours in advance allows candidates to prepare thoughtful responses. Activities #3 and #4 can be provided with minimal advance notice, as they test more adaptive skills. The key is consistency—whatever approach you choose, apply it uniformly across all candidates.
How should we evaluate candidates who have experience in different industries?
Focus on the candidate's approach and reasoning rather than specific industry knowledge. Strong candidates will ask clarifying questions about the industry context and adapt their strategies accordingly. Consider providing additional industry context for candidates coming from different backgrounds to ensure a fair evaluation.
What if our organization is just beginning its AI journey?
These exercises are valuable regardless of your organization's AI maturity. For early-stage organizations, pay particular attention to how candidates approach foundational elements like data readiness assessment, organizational change management, and building initial capabilities. You might modify Activity #2 to focus on developing a capability-building roadmap rather than implementing a specific use case.
How can we ensure these exercises don't favor candidates from large enterprises with mature AI programs?
When evaluating responses, focus on the candidate's reasoning and approach rather than specific tools or methodologies they reference. Strong candidates will adapt their strategies to your organization's size and maturity. Consider explicitly stating your organization's context and constraints to ensure candidates can tailor their responses appropriately.
Can these exercises be conducted remotely?
Yes, all these exercises can be adapted for remote interviews using digital collaboration tools like Miro, Mural, or even shared documents. For the stakeholder role-play, video conferencing works well. Ensure candidates have access to and familiarity with the required tools before the interview.
Enterprise AI adoption requires strategic thinkers who can navigate both technical and organizational complexities. By incorporating these work samples into your interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into candidates' abilities to drive successful AI initiatives within your organization. Remember that the most effective AI strategists combine technical understanding with business acumen, change management expertise, and ethical awareness.
For more resources to enhance your hiring process, explore Yardstick's suite of AI-powered tools, including our AI Job Descriptions, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator.
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