Stop Applying, Start Showing Up: A Fintech CMO's Search Story

• Total search time: 7 months

• Lead source: Local networking group (Crew, a fintech industry org)
• Job landed time (1st contact to offer): ~20 days
• Interview count: 8 (mix of virtual and in-person)

Search Approach

• Resisted LinkedIn. Despite the temptation to mass-apply, stayed disciplined about direct outreach and warm network contacts only.
• Followed the 6x6 framework. Focused target list on companies similar in size, industry, structure, and growth stage to previous roles, especially where former colleagues had landed in senior positions.
• Local network was the decisive factor. Atlanta-based events, where target CMOs were present, generated visibility that inbound sourcing never did.
• "Any local event where I knew the CMO of Honeywell was coming, I needed to be there."
• LinkedIn optimization mattered. A personal brand audit (via Qnary) led to restructuring the profile around a featured post, surface-level thought leadership credentials, and clear content pillars—results followed almost immediately.

How the Role Was Found

• The role was never posted. The CHRO found the candidate through a membership announcement in Crew and reached out directly.
• "January, February, March were horribly dead. Then in April, everything clicked—four roles, all through my network."

Negotiation

• Package was strong enough that negotiation was minimal.

Lessons Learned

• Local beats LinkedIn. External recruiters produced nothing. Local industry events produced the job.
• Read the playbook more than once. "It's so comprehensive that one reading, you can't get to it. Continuously look at it: What are you missing? What will you try next week?"
• End every conversation with an offer. "What can I do for you?" landed a fractional engagement mid-search that kept skills sharp and eliminated desperation.
• AI courses build confidence. A 2.5-week Harvard agentic AI course didn't just add skills; it changed the tone of interviews. "My level of confidence talking about AI went through the roof."
• AI fluency is becoming a hiring filter. Interviewed with an ERP CEO actively trying to reduce a 70-person team to 20 via agents. "He wanted somebody who’d already done it."