Score the skills before you fall for a demo. An AI Implementation Specialist needs proof of a workflow that ran in production, judgment about what not to automate, and writing a teammate can follow. Use the checklist below in the interview. Ask the one question in the row. The longer bank of 21 questions, and a two-hour paid test, is in interview questions for an AI automation specialist.
We vet before we introduce a full-time AI Implementation Specialist. You should still score this sheet yourself. The seat starts at $2,500 a month, can start in 14 days, and includes a 1-week trial. If you are not sure you need the seat, take the AI automation scorecard and then book a strategy call.
What belongs on the skills checklist?
Eight lines are enough. A certificate is not one of them. Set the pass mark before the call, score each line 1 to 5, and use the same sheet for every candidate.
| Skill | A 5 looks like this | Ask this |
|---|---|---|
| Production proof | Names a trigger, a system, and a person besides themselves who used it | What ran in production for at least a month, and who else touched it? |
| Failure | Describes something that broke, how they noticed, and the change they shipped | What was the last workflow you had to turn off or roll back? |
| Tool choice | Picks one of Zapier, Make, or n8n and says why the others were wrong for that job | Which tool would you refuse for our first workflow, and why? |
| Model judgment | Knows when a rule is enough and when a ChatGPT or Claude call is worth the spend | Which step in our process should stay a rule? |
| Human review | Will not send, pay, or change a contract without a named person | What would you refuse to let this workflow do on its own? |
| CRM hygiene | Writes to fields your team already uses and can explain a bad stage change | How would you test a CRM update on old records before it touches live deals? |
| Cost control | Puts a cap on tasks or API calls and knows who reads the bill | How do you stop a loop from spending overnight? |
| Handover | Leaves a runbook a non-builder can follow, in your accounts | If you were out Monday, what would we open first? |
A 1 is a course demo, a slogan about time saved, or a request for your admin password before they have described the process. Do not average a 1 on production proof up to a hire. That line is a gate. The other lines can be a 3 if the gate is a 5 and you are willing to coach.
The responsibilities behind these skills are in what an AI implementation specialist does. Worked versions of the inbox, CRM, and meeting-notes rows are in example workflows.
How do you run the interview without wasting the hour?
Send the checklist to the candidate the day before, with the pass mark left off. Spend the hour on rows 1, 2, 5, and 8. Those four predict the rest. If production proof is thin, stop. You do not need a tour of logos.
Take notes in their words. “The HubSpot lifecycle stage” is evidence. “The AI” is not. Ask who else used the workflow. If the answer is “just me, for the course,” score production proof as a 1 even if the story is polished.
Then pay for a short test on your process if they cleared the gate. The two-hour brief in the 21-question article is the right size. Do not ask them to build your system for free. Do not hand them production passwords for a test.
Score the sheet the same day, before you talk to the next candidate. Changing the pass mark after you like someone is how a weak hire gets through.
What should you not put on the checklist?
Leave these off. They feel rigorous and they do not predict the work.
- A computer-science degree, unless you are hiring an engineer to build your product. This seat connects tools you already pay for.
- A named certification in a model vendor. The vendors rename the badges. A workflow you can interrogate does not expire the same way.
- A promise of hours saved. They do not know your baseline. A candidate who offers a percentage unasked is guessing.
- Fluency in every tool on a logo slide. You want one automation tool they can operate, one model they can constrain, and your CRM.
- A personal agency they will not shut down. The workflows have to live in your accounts, under a named user, with a second person who can pause them.
Price is a separate conversation. A US automation engineer and a project consultant sit in different ranges from this seat. Those comparisons, with the public sources dated in the article, are in the cost guide. Do not use this checklist to negotiate a salary you have not defined.
How does this fit a full-time hire?
The checklist is the bar. The employment shape is separate. A freelancer can clear the checklist and still be the wrong buy if you have a backlog that continues after the first build. A full-time person is the wrong buy if you have one workflow and no owner inside the company. That choice is specialist vs consultant vs agency.
If you hire through us, you still use the sheet on the introduction. We accept only the top 2% of applicants, and that does not replace your questions about failures, account ownership, and human review. Most other roles we place start at $1,800 a month. This one starts at $2,500 because the work is the workflows, not general admin.
Industry versions of the same seat, without a second checklist, are written for e-commerce, agencies, and SaaS. The skills do not change. The first workflow does.
Frequently asked questions
What skills should an AI implementation specialist have?
Production proof, a failure they can explain, a reason for picking Zapier, Make, or n8n, judgment about rules versus a model, a human review step, careful CRM writes, a spend cap, and a handover your team can follow.
How many interview questions do I need?
One per skill is enough for the first hour. Use the longer set of 21 when you want a second pass, and pay for a short test before you hire.
What is an automatic no?
No production story, a promise of time saved you did not ask for, or a request for admin access before they have described the process.
Does a portfolio site replace the checklist?
No. A portfolio shows what they want you to see. The checklist asks what broke and who else used it.
Do I still need this if Rekruuto vets the candidate?
Yes. Vetting gets you the introduction. The checklist is how you decide the match. There is a 1-week trial if you want to see the work before you continue.
Book a call
Bring the sheet to a strategy call if you would rather not source alone. We will use it on the AI Implementation Specialist introduction. Take the AI automation scorecard first if the open question is whether the work repeats, not whether the person can build.