CMO INDEX — FRACTIONAL CMO HIRING BRIEF AND SCORECARD
Updated 1 October 2026
Guide: https://www.cmoindex.com/blog/fractional-cmo-search-guide/

An editorial template, not a validated hiring test or a public ranking.
Download and fill in your own copy. CMO Index does not collect your answers.

YOUR HIRING BRIEF
Business, buyer, markets and sales process:
Problem and supporting evidence:
Baseline results, data gaps and previous attempts:
Current team, execution resources and decision maker:
Decisions the CMO should own / out of scope:
Leadership budget (currency and period):
Separate execution, advertising and tools budget:
Meeting overlap, language, location or onsite needs:
Review date and decisions or deliverables required:

CANDIDATE SCORECARD — duplicate this section for each candidate
Candidate name / profile URL:
Discussion date:

Mark must-have criteria BEFORE interviews. Use the same questions for everyone.
Scores: 0 = does not meet; 1 = partly meets; 2 = meets with supporting evidence.
Leave unknown/unverified criteria blank and record what still needs checking.
Do not use a total to override a failed must-have. There is no universal pass score.

1. RELEVANT BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
Ask: What comparable business have you worked with, and what was your role?
Evidence: Buyer, sales cycle, team size, responsibilities and reference if available.
Priority (must-have / helpful):
Score (0 / 1 / 2 / blank if unknown):
Evidence and notes:
Still to verify:

2. DIAGNOSIS BEFORE CHANNELS
Ask: What would you investigate before recommending activity?
Evidence: Discovery plan, data needed and assumptions to test.
Priority:
Score:
Evidence and notes:
Still to verify:

3. LEADERSHIP AND EXECUTION
Ask: What will you own, and what must our team or agency deliver?
Evidence: Named people responsible, decision rights and resource requirements.
Priority:
Score:
Evidence and notes:
Still to verify:

4. MEASUREMENT AND JUDGEMENT
Ask: Which results would you track, and what can you attribute to your work?
Evidence: Baseline, metrics, review period and limits of attribution.
Priority:
Score:
Evidence and notes:
Still to verify:

5. WORKING RELATIONSHIP
Ask: How do you handle disagreement with a founder, sales leader or agency?
Evidence: Concrete example, communication routine and escalation approach.
Priority:
Score:
Evidence and notes:
Still to verify:

6. CAPACITY AND CONTINUITY
Ask: What time is committed, and what happens when you are unavailable?
Evidence: Meeting overlap, response expectations, start date and backup arrangements.
Priority:
Score:
Evidence and notes:
Still to verify:

7. COMMERCIAL SCOPE
Ask: What is included, excluded and charged separately?
Evidence: Written proposal, fee basis, currency and additional resource costs.
Priority:
Score:
Evidence and notes:
Still to verify:

8. HANDOVER
Ask: How will our team continue the work when the engagement ends?
Evidence: Documentation, ownership of work, access handover and unresolved tasks.
Priority:
Score:
Evidence and notes:
Still to verify:

REFERENCE CONVERSATION — arrange with the candidate and referee's agreement
What problem were you trying to solve?
Which decisions and work did the candidate actually own?
What changed, over what period, and what else influenced it?
How did they handle a plan that did not work?
Would you hire them for this kind of problem again, and why?

DECISION
Must-haves met / failed / still unknown:
Unresolved evidence and next checks:
Comparable scope, total resources and fee basis:
Reason for selecting or declining:

FIRST-MONTH REVIEW — agree timing to suit your business
Diagnosis and assumptions: person responsible / due date / status
Baseline and metric definitions: person responsible / due date / status
Prioritized plan and execution resources: person responsible / due date / status
Review meeting and continue/change/stop decisions: date / decision maker

METHOD
Consistent questions and criteria draw on CIPD selection guidance:
https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/selection-factsheet/
The practical prompts and scoring scale are CMO Index editorial suggestions.
References support other evidence; they do not replace it.
Do not share confidential customer data when seeking examples.