The Fractional CRO Hiring Mandate
What independent operators learn from both sides of the interview table
When you step in with a client as an independent GTM operator or a fractional CRO seat, you often inherit a very tough situation. Of course that’s the job but knowing that’s the job doesn’t make it easier.
You are asked to rebuild a revenue engine, but you do not always control everything. You are expected to drive growth, fix broken systems, and often hire the very people who will outlast you.
The hiring part is always the most interesting and often the most challenging. I have been the interviewee who sat through seven rounds for a role I never got. I have been the corporate hiring manager trying to separate confidence from competence. And now I am the Fractional CRO who has to find builders fast and hire people who will replace me and and be there long after I am gone.
You would think hiring would become easier with more and more technology. But I am not sure it has. Hiring great people is just as hard as it was 10 years ago in my opinion. Whether you are a full-time CRO, CMO, Founder of operator of any stripe or an independent operator acting as the hiring manager to help your client build a team, the challenges are similar.
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Let me break down what I have learnt over the years.
1. Story first. Scope second. Process third.
Strong people choose strong stories. Before job descriptions or scorecards, I sit down with the CEO or senior hiring executive and write seven lines:
Why we exist
The problem we solve
Who we solve it for
What winning the next twelve months looks like
What this person will own in month one and how that will evolve
How we behave when things get hard and how we celebrate and reward
Targets / quotas and how we built them and why we feel they are achievable
That becomes the backbone of every posting, interview loop, and onboarding plan.
in the past, I have been told yout“own growth.” It sounded cool. But it meant absolutely nothing. Clarity is a recruiting advantage.
2. Speak like a human and go warm before cold
Jargon repels the very people you want on your team. Smart people are turned off by cliches and trending words. Rewrite every posting in plain simple English.
I remember being a candidate and feeling drawn to companies that spoke clearly and simply. People are attracted to candor and simplicity. If your brand is smaller this is how you win.
You can use the the LinkedIn job board as a marketing tool but focus on your network.
BIG NOTE HERE: If you are a CRO or CMO worth your salt, you have a network to find great people. If you can’t source some good hires you probably have no business calling your self a good CRO or CMO.
I ask the CEO to record a two-minute video explaining the mission and telling the company story and then send it to to ten trusted champions in my go-to-network and ask each for two referrals.
Human first hiring. It sounds crazy to say that but so many companies do not do this well anymore.
3. Use video to filter for energy, clarity, and curiosity
Resumes list dates and accomplishments but anyone can write anything. Video shows us the human. It shows us communication skills and presence. I ask every candidate to record a video answering a few prompts
Tell me your story
Why does the problem we solve excite you
Why are you a fit for us
What is one question you would ask our customers next week
BTW - If they won’t do the video. Disqualified.
Then I score each on energy, clarity, and curiosity from one to five. You know who to prioritize inside thirty seconds.
As a former candidate, the exercise forced me to prepare. As a Fractional CRO hiring a team, it saves hours.
4. Interview on data, not vibes
I have seen candidates get pushed through because someone said “she had great energy.” The deal board paid for that.
Use data-driven hiring and assign two competencies to each interviewer with fixed questions and a simple one to five score. Average the scores, set a bar, and only hire someone who is much better than the average.
I like to get 3-4 interviewers to take different competency areas but then I go through all of them with each short-listed candidate.
Use the Google and Amazon hiring method and do NOT hire if anyone on the interview team disagrees.
Need a template for a data-driven hiring scorecard? Message me.
5. Tell the messy bits before they sign
Share everything. Full stop.
Transparency builds trust and increases retention rate. Share runway, quota math, win rate, tech stack, and the top three risks you see today.
Tell them the honest truth about what you love about the company and what you don’t like. They will appreciate your honesty and it has a significantly greater chance of attracting them versus repelling them.
A-players get excited when they see the full field and tourists opt out.
If you don’t want to be honest about the business, you should really ask yourself why and look in the mirror.
6. Treat candidate experience like brand experience
Do not ever ghost someone - this is their life, respect it.
You were in this position once as well. Set a 48-hour response rule inside the hiring pod. After every interview, send a thank you, and repeat the next step you promised.
It takes five minutes. It pays for itself in reputation. I have been on the receiving end of silence, and I still remember the companies that did it.
Some red flags that say pass when hiring
The candidate has fuzzy quota math or is unsure of their past KPIs and success metrics
Candidates who are focused on the title
Candidates who take too long to respond
Candidates who are difficult to schedule time with
Candidates who don’t send a thank you note
Candidates who don’t do the research
My experience is that people show up as they are. If they are not doing these things when it matters (to get a job they supposedly want), they are likely to never do it.
Hire based on actions not the just the words out of their mouth.
P.S Get sh!t done 😎
Why GTM or GTFO Exists: The GTM is bar is low - big talkers, best practices and bullshit. Being elite is your moat. Do the work that matters and get sh!t done.
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