Should You Still Be Doing Unpaid Product Case Studies in 2025?

It’s 10 PM and I just finished another case study. Tomorrow I’m presenting a different one to another company. And honestly? I’m starting to question whether this is even worth it anymore.

Look, I actually enjoy case studies. I love digging into different business models, identifying problems, and thinking through solutions. That stuff is genuinely fun for me. But as we head into 2025, I’m asking myself a serious question: Should we still be accepting unpaid case studies as a normal part of the job search process?

The answer, increasingly, feels like no.

Once you hit hour three, four, five of unpaid work analyzing real business challenges that companies would pay Bain or McKinsey thousands of dollars to solve, it stops being an assessment and starts feeling like exploitation. The market has changed, the tools have evolved, and the power dynamics are different than they were even two years ago.

So here’s what I’ve realized: It might be time to stop playing this game entirely.

The Math That Doesn’t Add Up

Let me paint you a picture of what modern job searching actually looks like. I’m currently applying to 200+ roles, hoping to land maybe 1–2 offers. That’s just the reality right now. Application-to-offer conversion rates are brutal, sitting somewhere around 1–2% for most of us.

Now multiply that by case studies. I’ve had two due within 48 hours of each other this week. Each one took me about 5 hours when you factor in research, analysis, formatting, and making it actually presentable. Companies always say “this should take 2 hours” but that’s never accurate once you start digging in.

Do the math with me: 30 case studies across a job search, 5 hours each, at my consulting rate of roughly $80/hour. That’s $12,000 in donated labor per job search. Twelve thousand dollars of free strategic work that I’m giving away because companies have convinced us this is “normal.”

Back in 2021–2022, when the market was genuinely a seller’s market, I could walk away from processes like this. I had multiple offers and felt confident saying “no thanks” to extensive unpaid work. But most of the time, it’s not a seller’s market. Right now, we’re desperate. Companies know we’ll do the work because what choice do we have?

What We’re Actually Giving Away

Here’s what really bothers me about this whole thing: I just spent hours analyzing a company’s actual growth strategy, researching their competitive landscape, developing actionable recommendations. That’s not a skills test. That’s a consulting engagement.

I’ve been on the other side of this too. I’ve sat in hiring meetings going through stacks of case studies, looking at all these different approaches and ideas. And yeah, you might pull an insight or two from them. The fact that this is even a consideration feels wrong to me. We’re literally harvesting free strategic input from people who are just trying to get jobs.

Companies frame this as “evaluating your skills” but let’s be honest about what’s happening. When they ask you to analyze “a business prompt that typically is pretty accurate to the business,” they’re not testing hypothetical problem-solving. They’re getting real analysis on real problems that they’d normally pay consultants thousands of dollars to address.

The worst part? Most companies don’t even pay for this work. I’ve asked around, and almost nobody gets compensated for case studies. It’s just expected that you’ll donate your time and expertise because it’s “part of the interview process.”

The Inequality Problem

Here’s something that really gets to me: these assignments don’t just waste time, they systematically exclude people who can’t afford to donate their labor. When you require 4–6 hours of unpaid work, you’re automatically filtering out:

• Parents with caregiving responsibilities
• People working multiple jobs to make ends meet
• Anyone without reliable internet or computer access
• Candidates who literally cannot afford to work for free

This isn’t measuring product management skills. This is measuring who has privilege and disposable time. Companies talk about wanting diverse talent while implementing hiring practices that exclude diverse candidates based on their ability to do free work.

I know people who are incredibly talented product managers who’ve stopped applying to roles that require extensive case studies because they simply can’t afford the time investment. We’re not creating a meritocracy here. We’re creating barriers.

The AI Reality Changes Everything

Here’s what’s really shifted since 2021: AI tools have completely disrupted what case studies actually measure. When I can use ChatGPT or Claude to help with research, generate frameworks, and even draft sections of my presentation, what exactly is being evaluated?

Am I being tested on my product intuition? My ability to prompt AI effectively? My willingness to spend 5 hours polishing a presentation? The playing field isn’t level anymore when some candidates are leveraging AI heavily and others aren’t.

The fundamental assumption that justified case studies the idea that everyone starts with the same blank slate has collapsed. Some people have premium AI subscriptions, others don’t. Some have unlimited time to iterate, others are squeezing this in between jobs and kids. We’re not measuring skills anymore. We’re measuring circumstances.

There Are Better Ways

The frustrating thing is that there are absolutely better ways to evaluate product talent that don’t require hours of unpaid work.

Give me a whiteboard and a business challenge. Let’s work through it together for 30–45 minutes. You’ll see how I ask questions, structure problems, and think through solutions in real time. This is way more representative of how I’d actually work on your team than some polished presentation I crafted alone over a weekend.

Or have me walk through a project I’ve already completed. Let me tell you about the decisions I made, the constraints I dealt with, the results I achieved. You’ll learn more about my capabilities from discussing real work I’ve done than from any artificial scenario you create.

The companies that figure out how to assess skills efficiently are going to get the best talent. The ones that keep demanding free consulting work disguised as “assessments” will get whoever can afford to work for free.

So Should You Still Be Doing Them?

Here’s the honest answer: it depends.

I hate that this is my conclusion after all this analysis, but the reality is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Your decision should factor in a few key things:

How desperate are you? If you’re unemployed with bills piling up, the calculus is different than if you’re currently employed and casually looking. I get it. Sometimes you don’t have the luxury of taking a principled stand.

How badly do you want this specific company? If it’s your dream role at your dream company, maybe that 5-hour case study is worth it. But if it’s just another application in your stack of 200, maybe not.

What’s your current market position? If you’re senior with a strong network and multiple opportunities, you can afford to be selective. If you’re early career or transitioning into product, you might need to play the game differently.

How much time can you actually afford? If you’re a parent with two jobs, that 5-hour commitment hits differently than if you’re single with flexible hours.

The frustrating truth is that individual resistance only works if you have alternatives. But here’s what I think we can all do: stop pretending this is normal or reasonable. When you do complete a case study, ask for feedback. Push back on timeline estimates. Propose alternatives when possible.

And maybe, just maybe, if enough of us start having these conversations, companies will realize they need to evolve their approach.

My Personal Line in the Sand

For me, I’m drawing some boundaries. I’m not doing case studies that take more than 2 hours. If a company insists on more extensive work, I’m asking about compensation or proposing alternatives. And I’m being upfront about my concerns rather than just quietly complying.

Will this cost me some opportunities? Probably. But I’d rather work for companies that respect my time and expertise from the start.

The best product people know their worth. The question is whether we’re willing to act like it.