The Connective Good Blog
Recruiting VP of Global Solutions Marketing
I’m doing a really fun new search, for a VP of Global Solutions Marketing for a high-growth SaaS company. This role is about putting the MARKET into Marketing -- it's a bit like being a general manager, driving growth in key solutions areas. Details below.
read moreWhy CMOs Of Growth-Stage Companies Can Have Short Tenures
"This candidate spent a year in their last job, 18 months at the job before that, and 9 months at the role before that. Too risky. Bring me someone with longer tenures." This is the most common objection I hear from CEOs when discussing candidates for CMO roles. While...
read moreRecruiting VP of Global Product Marketing
I’m excited to announce a new search, for a VP of Global Product Marketing for a high-growth global SaaS company that recently IPOed. This is a great fit for a veteran product marketing executive who has a heritage of transforming the product marketing function,...
read moreRecruiting VP of Marketing, SaaS DevOps Company in Boston Area
I’m excited to announce a new search, for a VP of Marketing for a high-growth global SaaS company in the red-hot DevOps space. The position will be based in the Boston area. Details below.
read moreHow To Find Your Product/Market Fit In A Tight CMO Job Market… And De-Risk Yourself To A CEO
I've spent the better part of this past decade recruiting marketing leaders. Most of this time has been in a talent-scarce market, and the balance of power in recruiting was often on the side of candidates. Now the market is tilting and the balance of power is more on...
read moreNew Season Of The Get: The Marketing Talent Podcast
I'm excited to share that The Get podcast, the marketing talent podcast hosted by yours truly, has wrapped up its second season. It's ready for you to binge. If you are looking to feel productive, get inspired, and learn, tune in. The Get explores how B2B SaaS...
read moreRecruiting EVP of Marketing, SaaS Fintech Company in Nashville
I’m excited to announce a new search, for an EVP of Marketing for a high-growth SaaS fintech company in the Nashville area. For this search we are focusing on candidates who live in Nashville -- or who will relocate. Details below.
read moreIf you’re lucky enough to hire now, get it right
If the recent survey of the Revenue Collective is to be believed, the hiring scene is a bit bleak now. There is a lot of 'wait and see' on the part of hiring leaders. But the good news is there is still some hiring. If you are recruiting, count yourself lucky! Here...
read moreNew eBook: Winning As A Marketing Leader
Once a marketing leader is in place, that person needs to draw a straight line from overall business strategy to marketing strategy to marketing org design to hiring and leading. It sounds simple, but it can be challenging. I collaborated with my pals at Drift and The...
read moreThe 9 things I see CEOs and CMOs talking about in 2020
Here's what I foresee CEOs and CMOs talking about behind closed doors this year. Think of it as a guide to help marketing leaders situate, stay, and soar. Take a scan - let me know which is your favorite. These trends, predictions, and signals come from my searches...
read moreMeet ‘The Get’, the new marketing talent podcast
Excited to share with you my newest project... Meet The Get, the new marketing talent podcast. My days are chock-full of talking to marketing leaders one-on-one. It's fun to swim around in the tribulations, trends, and triumphs of today’s top marketers. And at the end...
read moreAdweek Webinar – The 4 Essential Elements of Data-Driven Marketing: What You Need to Know in 2020
How have the best data-driven marketers evolved for success in 2020? I enjoyed discussing this with a panel of pals. Check it out here.
read moreRecruiting SVP of Marketing, SaaS Company in DC Area
Happy new year! I'm excited to announce a new search, for an SVP of Marketing for a high-growth SaaS company in the DC area serving the unique franchise industry. Details below.
read moreDo you treat your candidates like guests? Or like intruders?
One of my clients is a guy named Kyle. He's been a CEO many times over. Every time he meets a CMO candidate, Kyle tells the candidate the same thing: "If Erica brought you to me, that means you are qualified for the role. So my job is simply to sell you on it." Kyle...
read moreRecruiting a Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, Boston Area
This is a very cool one! I've been retained by a SaaS company which serves the unique public safety ecosystem to recruit a Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer. Details below. Infographic design credit: Lisa Finch
read moreRecruiting a VP of Global Demand Gen, Digital, & Field Marketing
I’ve been retained by a SaaS company which makes enterprise IT easy for SMBs to recruit a VP of Global Demand Generation, Digital, & Field Marketing. What a meaty role, with global scope, at a company that is on the up. I'm talking with demand gen leaders with...
read moreCMO Hiring: The 12 Tradeoffs You Will Face
Anticipating tradeoffs when hiring your marketing leader will save you time and energy You've probably heard this before. You've probably even said it yourself. Hiring a great marketing leader is like finding a unicorn. It's elusive and challenging to find 'the one.'...
read moreRecruiting a CMO, SaaS MarTech Company
Who’s the strongest B2B SaaS marketing leader you know -- someone who has scaled a marketing function for a growth-stage company? I’ve just been retained to recruit a Chief Marketing Officer for a SaaS company with a mission of bringing confidence to the world's...
read moreRecruiting a VP of Brand, Content, & Communications
Who's the best B2B brand & marketing communications leader you know? I've just been retained to recruit a VP of Brand, Content & Communications for a human capital SaaS company with a mission of helping SMBs create great places to work. Here's an infographic...
read moreYour Playbook For Figuring Out Cultural Fit… WITHOUT the Dreaded Beer Test
Picture it: A search for a VP of Marketing for a growing global company in a smoking hot category. We define the role, evaluate hundreds of candidates, and emerge with a star candidate. This candidate has relevant experience in the industry. She is excited about the...
read moreHow to Pick an Executive Search Partner Like a Pro
I've noticed something. When people call to ask me about doing a search for them, they are often grasping for questions to ask. It's understandable. A search partner is an unusual mix: Part brand ambassador: Your search partner will have hundreds of conversations on...
read morePodcast: Executive Recruiting for Marketing
It was fun to join the hosts of the MarTech Advisor "Talking Stack" podcast to discuss executive recruiting for marketing and martech roles. Some highlights: If you want to hire a great marketing leader, you have to think like one The 5 things to align to hire a...
read moreAnnouncing a Completed Search: USAFacts Head of Marketing
I am excited to announce a new placement: Lisa Conquergood joins USAFacts in Seattle to lead marketing. USAFacts is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic initiative, started by Steve Ballmer, with the goal of making government data more accessible and understandable to all...
read morePodcast: Challenges and Realities of Recruiting Modern Marketers
Recently I was invited to discuss "Challenges and Realities of Recruiting Modern Marketers" on the Good Morning Marketing Podcast. Thanks to the team at Zee Jay Digital for inviting me. Some topics we discussed Fads versus fundamentals (in marketing skillsets) Why...
read moreThree Recruiting Instincts That the Best CEOs and CMOs Have Developed
I just bought a new car. Whoo hoo! When I was first picturing the new wheels, I didn't realize how uncomfortable the buying process would be. After all, I regularly lead searches and negotiate deals many times this size on behalf of companies. I thought, I got this!...
read moreLatest trends with hiring leaders in marketing: A peek behind the curtain
"What are the latest trends with hiring marketing leaders?" I get this question a lot. And it's one of my favorite things to discuss. (Right up there with "What makes 'This Is Us' such a good show?" and "Would getting a dog be, on balance, more of a joy or a...
read moreThe State of Executive Recruiting in MarTech – Interview with Stensul
Curious about what to expect when you recruit at the marketing/tech intersection, and how martech professionals can keep up-skilling? Check out this interview I did with Stensul's Sarah Linney on The State of Executive Recruiting in MarTech.
read moreRecruiting a Head of Marketing & Communications, Seattle
The Connective Good is doing a retained search for a Head of Marketing & Communications for a non-profit civic initiative in Seattle. This job is about putting unbiased facts on government spending and outcomes into the hands of citizens, the media, and other...
read moreIt’s Not You, It’s Me: When Your Dream Candidate Breaks Up With You
You’ve worked hard to narrow down a pool of candidates. You make an offer to 'the one.' Then the unthinkable happens. Your dream candidate says "no." Fair? No. Shocking? Yep. As disappointing as being dumped in a romantic relationship? Maybe. Six Ways to Get Back on...
read moreAnnouncing a completed search – Zipcar VP of Marketing & Sales
I am delighted to announce The Connective Good's latest placement: Sherrill Zack Kaplan joins Zipcar as VP, Marketing & Sales. Sherrill was previously VP, Digital Marketing & Innovation, for Dunkin' Brands. The backstory: Zipcar, the leading car-sharing...
read moreAre You a Marketing Standout or Strikeout? Nine Tips to Help You Stand Out
MarketingProfs just published a piece I co-wrote with the illustrious Anand Thaker, called "Are You a Marketing Standout or Strikeout? Nine Tips to Help You Stand Out." Check it out for tips on how to ferret out the top candidates... or how to be that top candidate....
read moreHow to tell if someone is REALLY ready to join an early-stage company
"I really want to switch to a smaller company." This is something I hear a lot from candidates for marketing leadership roles. Perhaps you have too. How do you know whether the person: Is really ready and could make a great hire for a smaller startup or scale-up? OR:...
read moreWhat I learned from recruiting an SVP of Customer Success for a high-growth martech company
I am elated to announce The Connective Good's latest placement: Diane Gordon joins BlueConic in Boston as the SVP of Customer Success. Diane was previously the Chief Customer Officer for Brainshark and the Chief Customer Officer for Bullhorn. The backstory: BlueConic,...
read moreRecruiting a VP of Marketing (B2C and B2B), Boston
The Connective Good just started a retained search for a VP of Marketing for the world's best-known car-sharing company, based in Boston. Infographic below with details. Our dream candidate has experience: Stewarding a well-known consumer brand Driving acquisition,...
read moreRecruiting a Director of Product Marketing, Boston
The Connective Good is doing a search for a Director of Product Marketing at a cybersecurity company in Boston with a global presence and an 80% CAGR. Infographic below with details. Email to share your interest or recommend a colleague. Thanks to Lisa Finch, visual...
read moreRecruiting a VP of Customer Success, Boston MarTech Company
The Connective Good just started a retained search for a VP of Customer Success for a marketing technology company in Boston. Infographic below with details. Our dream candidate is someone who has: Led, grown, and scaled a customer success organization in a SaaS...
read more10 Obsessions of a Modern B2B Marketing Leader… And How To Hire One
People often ask me what they should look for when they hire their first (or their most recent) B2B marketing leader. I recently discussed this topic with Ashley Minogue at OpenView. Check out her summary here.
read moreRecruiting a VP of Marketing Data & Technology, Seattle
The Connective Good just got retained to recruit a VP of Marketing Data & Technology for a 7000+ person SaaS software company based in Seattle. This is a meaty role! The ideal fit has: Experience (re)building B2B martech stacks to support significant scale...
read moreRecruiting a VP of Client & Team Engagement, NYC
The Connective Good is doing a retained search for a VP of Client and Team Engagement for a marketing analytics company in NYC. The ideal fit is someone who: Has a marketing background Is conversant in analytics/statistics/quantitative research Inspires individuals...
read moreHow to have ‘cultural fit’ conversations that actually work
Picture this: You interview a candidate named Lee for a VP of Marketing role. Lee is extroverted. Articulate. Engaging. Lee even grew up in the same town as you. You had a blast talking about which of the high school teachers are still there. You walk out, and say to...
read moreRecruiting a VP of Marketing, Boston
The Connective Good is doing a search for a VP of Marketing for a growing and global marketing technology company. The role is based in Boston, and has a heavy emphasis on driving demand. This new leader will: Build a scalable demand engine Drive traffic and...
read moreHiring the right programmatic marketing talent: What you need to know
Many companies have already made the switch from traditional ad buying to programmatic marketing. And now more and more companies are taking programmatic over from their agencies, bringing it in-house. Which raises some questions: What do you need to know about...
read moreThe 7 Questions That Will Take Your Reference Calls From Routine To Revealing
What question do you always ask when checking references for someone you're considering hiring? Let's say you're going to hire a modern marketing leader, someone who will be paid around 250k a year. And let's say you anticipate them staying for 3 years. That's a spend...
read moreShould you hire a marketing leader from outside your industry? Identifying Successful Sector Switchers
I was talking with a chief marketer last week. He wants help recruiting a digital marketing leader. He said, "I'd like someone from outside my industry. When you do a search, how do you tell if someone can switch sectors successfully?" What I thought to myself: Sounds...
read moreRecruiting a Director of Marketing Technology, Denver
The Connective Good just started a search for a Director of Marketing Technology for a top digital health company serving 30 million consumers a month. The role is based in Denver. This new leader will: Dream up and deliver new programs to re-engage consumers and...
read moreInterview Guide For Testing a Marketing Leader’s Tech Chops
[This guide originally appeared on ChiefMarTec: 32 questions you should ask when you interview a martech leader ] Remember the story of the Otis elevator repair guy? As the story goes, if your elevator stops working, you call the guy. He comes over, taps on your...
read moreDoes Your Dream Candidate Have Values That Match Yours?
I write to share something with you: a cool way to evaluate if your dream candidate has leadership values that are a match with your organization. You may want to adopt this exercise in your own recruiting. Recently I was retained by the Chief Brand Technologist (yes...
read moreNew Career Advice Column
I'm excited to announce that I've started a new career advice column, called "Ask the MarTech Recruiter". This column will appear weekly on the ChiefMarTec.com blog, edited by the esteemed Scott Brinker of MarTech fame. The first column addresses how to interview for...
read moreNine Things You Must Do To Hire “The One” This Quarter
Did you know that January to March is the busiest season of the year for recruiting? That means one thing: If you are looking to recruit a top marketer by March 31, you will be competing with many other companies. If you're like most of the people I've worked with,...
read moreVP of Marketing, Marketing Analytics Company, NYC – Infographic
The Connective Good just started a search for a VP of Marketing for a global marketing analytics company based in NYC. This new leader will: Set marketing strategy and lead execution, building marketing from the ground up Craft positioning to differentiate the...
read moreVP of Marketing, Pacific Northwest – Infographic
The Connective Good just started a search for a new VP of Marketing in the Pacific Northwest. This new leader will: Modernize marketing and contribute to an overall digital transformation for a beloved brand Drive customer acquisition, personalization, and engagement...
read moreThese 9 marketing chiefs reveal what they’re looking for when they hire
There's one thing I love to ask people. I ask it at cocktail parties. In business meetings. At the dentist's office. "What's your favorite interview question? And how can you tell if someone will be a good fit for your team?" I jot down the juiciest questions and add...
read moreVP of Marketing, Boston – Infographic
The Connective Good just started a search for a new VP of Marketing in Boston. This new leader will: Chart the growth path for a global company of 100 people that's growing 50% each year Build the brand, the demand, and the marketing band Bring a background in B2B...
read moreWhat You Need To Know If You’re Going To Hire A Great Marketing Leader By 2017… Or If You’re Going To Be That Hire
If you want to hire a great marketing leader before 2017, then please join me next Wednesday. I'll be speaking on "What You Need To Know If You're Going To Hire A Great Marketing Leader Now… Or If You're Going To Be That Hire." This is a whirlwind tour on: what's...
read moreBuilding An Advisory Board? Some Starting Do’s and Don’ts
I've recently done work with CEOs to recruit Advisory boards in the marketing tech and marketing services spaces. If you are looking to recruit Advisors for your business, this will be 100% relevant to you. If you're looking to be an Advisor to an organization at some...
read moreHow I Attract More Female Candidates For Executive Searches
"…And we'd like you to introduce us to plenty of women candidates." I've heard these words a lot, as the leader of an executive search practice. Often, clients want a diverse slate of candidates. This can be a tall order when recruiting senior analytical marketers and...
read more5 Types of Management Intelligence: A Cheat Sheet
Have you ever met someone and written them off as a dim bulb, until you saw them in a different setting and realized how smart they are at something else? For instance, someone who wouldn't be described as book smart, but is great at relating with others? Or the PhD...
read more17 Things Marketing Technologists Want You to Know…Before You Try to Recruit Them (SlideShare)
Are you involved in hiring hybrid marketing/tech talent this year? Many companies want to recruit more of these so-called unicorns. But most of them admit privately that they know very little about how to find – and keep – a marketing technologist. Until now. Recently...
read moreRecruit Your Next Marketing Quant, With Some Help From An Indian Taxi Driver
I learned an important lesson about recruiting from an Indian driver-for-hire named Ramesh. The year was 2005, and I was criss-crossing India with colleagues on a business trip, studying India's rural postal system. We set off to meet various officials, often driving...
read moreAsk Yourself These 8 Questions Before Accepting That Job Offer, and Other Career Advice
This blog is focused on practical tips for recruiting analytical marketing talent. But every once in a while I capture some of the tips I commonly give when coaching candidates for my searches. Fast Company published two of my pieces recently... enjoy! Ask Yourself...
read moreThe Four Things That Matter Most When You Hire A Recruiter
Happy New Year from The Connective Good! I asked you last month to share your experiences with hiring retained recruiters. Many of you responded -- thank you. Here's what you've been sharing: 1. You are most likely to decide to do a retained search when your network...
read moreThe Talent Land Grab In Marketing Technology: How To Win
Pop quiz time: What percentage of new hires come from posting job ads on LinkedIn? (Hint: It may be much lower than you'd think.) Answer: Just 3%. Yikes! This stat comes from a Career Xroads survey of 50 companies who collectively hired thousands of new employees in...
read moreRecruiting a VP of Research in San Francisco
Hi all, I've just been retained to recruit a VP of Research in San Francisco. This is a very cool role with a company I've worked with quite a bit. It's a good fit for someone who wants to reinvent industry research, be a thought leader at the intersection of tech and...
read moreWhat Real Estate Purchasing In A Tight Market Teaches Us About Recruiting
Six months. That's how long my husband and I spent hunting this year for a condo in our fair city of Cambridge, Massachusetts. After so much waiting and hoping, we were getting downright antsy. Finally we saw a contender! It ticked all of our boxes -- a study for me...
read moreHow a 15-Person Company Uses Marketing Automation to Build a Scalable Recruiting System
Interview with Paul Roetzer, Founder and CEO of PR 20/20 Today we do a Q&A on applying inbound marketing approaches to recruiting. Here's an interview I did with Paul Roetzer, Founder & CEO of PR 20/20, a firm in Cleveland that specializes in inbound marketing...
read moreGoing Feral: Are Independents Too Wild To Hire?
"Once you've been an entrepreneur, you're pretty much unemployable." --Dharmesh Shah, Co-Founder and CTO, HubSpot, speaking at the recent MarTech conference "If you've been on your own for too long, people think you've gone feral!" --A friend of mine who is looking to...
read moreHow My Friend At Meetup Attracts Talent While He Sleeps
Recently I emailed my friend Andres, who works at Meetup. A moment later, I received this out-of-office message from him: I thought, "What a great idea!" Andres is using his out of office response as a marketing tool, to: Showcase the sabbatical perk at Meetup Point...
read moreYour 90 Day Plan For Advancing Your Marketing Analytics Capability
Landing talent. Building momentum. Scaling. If you are building an analytical marketing capability, these three challenges can keep you up at night. Today I introduce you to someone who has written the book on these topics: Cesar Brea. I've interviewed Cesar about his...
read moreThe Case For Recruiting Like A Satisficer, Not An Optimizer
Optimization is great for some things, but can cost us when selecting new talent. Please meet my purple couch. A custom-made, velvety soft, 1920s style, pucker-backed, purple couch. I went on a frustratingly long journey to find this couch. It started with me wanting...
read moreHow Leak-Proof Is Your Recruiting?
Is your recruiting leaky? You can patch those leaks -- with either a quick fix or a full renovation -- to stand out from your competition and attract more top candidates. With a recruiting project, you start with a landscape of possible talent, and narrow it down to...
read moreDifferentiating Diamonds From Duds: How To Surface Your Next Client-Facing Star
At age 18, I spent the summer scooping ice cream at a Cape Cod institution called Nick and Dick’s. Little did I know at the time that this job would be great training for my later career. My manager at Nick and Dick’s was a guy named Rick. Rick at Nick and Dick’s. Go...
read moreRecruiting a Director of Trends & Insights NYC
The Connective Good is currently working on a search for a Director of Trends & Insights for a startup consulting division of a media empire in NYC. This infographic below describes the role. (Thanks to the wonderfully talented Lisa Finch who designs these...
read moreWhat House Hunting Teaches Us About Headhunting……And About Compensating Quant Marketers
Greetings from Cape Cod, where I arrived last night for Christmas. Within minutes I hopped on the couch and snuggled in next to my mom. It was time for our ritual marathon of watching HGTV – the purveyor of gems like “House Hunters” and “Love It Or List It.” Not...
read moreDoes Your Recruiting Speed Or Splutter? See How You Stack Up
My new husband, age 41, is learning how to drive. We have been practicing together every morning. Which means that I clutch the armrest in utter terror in Boston rush-hour traffic, while gritting my teeth and forcing my voice to be calm, saying, “Next time, let’s...
read moreFive Steps To A More Predictive Recruiting Process: Going Beyond Interviews…To Assessments
Have you ever hired a carpenter? My guess is if you did, you probably didn’t vet that person by saying, “Tell me about a time when you solved a challenging problem.” Instead, you probably said something like, “I have this room that I want to make bigger, but my...
read moreHow To Vet A Potential Recruiting Partner For Your Needs: Turning Up Great Candidates Without Turning Them Away
Over cocktails with my friend J. last week, she mentioned her challenges finding Java programmers for her team. She had tried to partner with several recruiters. But the candidate pipeline she was seeing was as thin as a rail. She needed one recruiter whom she could...
read moreGet Along Or Get Appreciated? A Tool For Candid Cultural Fit Conversations
Do you remember the best conference you ever attended? My most memorable conference was a Sonoma boondoggle, er, rather, leadership retreat hosted by Monitor’s Global Business Network. (May Monitor rest in peace.) At the conference, the organizers watched small...
read moreIs This Analytical Marketing Person Any Good? Interviewing With The BATS Framework
Recently I awoke at 2 am to a very odd ‘whoosh’ sound in my bedroom. Whoosh, silence. Whoosh, silence. I tried to ignore it but the whoosh continued. Struggling awake, I realized that there was a bat in the bedroom! I did the natural thing for 2013: Grabbed an...
read moreGet It Right Or Get It Done? A Framework For Figuring Out That Elusive Cultural Fit
A Tale Of Two Parties My idea of a party used to be grabbing some chips and salsa and decompressing with friends. I’d spend a maximum of 30 minutes preparing. Then I met my lovely fiancé, Matthias. He has evolved our parties to an art form. He simply will not stand...
read moreFive Tips For Making Your Job Descriptions Attract The Talent You Need
How you can attract more top talent and compete with the big name players -- in half a day I was on the phone with a designer who I'd hired to come up with a logo and brand identity for my recruiting practice. “It has to be VERY professional,” I warned over and over,...
read more