I highly recommend using a case study as part of your interview process for your next hire. I have several clients that have used case studies, and have found them really effective in screening and hiring for supply chain and logistics.

Using a case study allows interviewers to assess problem solving, analytical skills, software skills, ability to present a compelling business case, as well as attention to detail. If you give the candidate a time limit and/or present their recommendations to a panel, you can even assess their ability to manage time and work under pressure.

How to create a case study? Simply pull some data from a recent problem your team was facing, and give it to the candidate as a problem for them to solve. Ask them to do some basic analysis, and see what recommendations they come up with.

Give the candidate whatever tools they need to perform the job. Often it’s just a laptop with Excel, but many hiring managers will also ask the jobseeker to present their findings in PowerPoint.

This tactic works well across most roles in supply chain. For transportation, perhaps give the candidate some information on carrier scorecards or a routing problem for them to solve. For warehousing, you might pull a KPI report for them to review. For demand planning or inventory planning, simply pull up some data for them to analyze.

If you’re a hiring manager, have you ever used a case study as part of your hiring process? If you’re a job-seeker, have you ever been asked to complete a case study in a job interview?