Strategy & Leadership · Leadership
Hiring an AI Sales Engineer in 2026
Sourcing, screening, interview loop, and the work samples that actually predict performance.
12 min
Outcomes
- Run a screening call that filters in under 30 minutes
- Design a work sample that mirrors the job
- Avoid the three most common hiring traps
Work sample beats panel
A two-hour take-home where the candidate drafts an RFP response and a PoC plan from a redacted brief outperforms any number of behavioral interviews.
Run a work sample on yourself
- Take the latest take-home brief you would send a candidate.
- Time-box yourself to two hours.
- Score your own output against the rubric.