Hiring Hot Takes from a Three-Time Exit CMO, Mary Yang

Episode Summary:

Mary Yang has been a CMO in cybersecurity for 6 years, helped 3 companies exit, and now works on a fractional basis with founders and teams she wants to work with. On this CyberCMO Confidential episode, the three of them get into a discussion on hiring.

Mary skips the job description entirely. She puts out feelers, has a dozen conversations, and figures out who she wants before she ever writes the role. What she is really screening for is curiosity and drive, the stuff that is hard to fake and harder to teach.

She also tells the story of the one time she ignored her gut and what it cost her.

Chapters:

[02:50] Meet Mary Yang: A CMO's Journey

[06:05] Hiring Philosophy: The Importance of Fit

[08:34] Vibe Coding: A Unique Approach to Recruiting

[11:13] Lessons Learned from Hiring Mistakes

[13:49] Interview Techniques: Drawing Out Candidates' Stories

[16:35] Navigating AI in Hiring Practices

[19:15] Curiosity and Continuous Learning in Candidates

[21:49] Fun and Games

About Mary:

Mary Yang is a fractional CMO with over 20 years of marketing experience, most recently in cybersecurity. She has led marketing at LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, Syxsense, and SquareX, helping each company through strategic exits and acquisitions to ZeroFOX, Absolute Security, and Zscaler, respectively. She now works with high-growth SaaS and cybersecurity startups in a fractional and advisory capacity.

Links & Resources:

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, recommended by Mary

• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is mentioned by Mary as a personal favorite

• Follow Mary Yang on LinkedIn

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• Gianna Whitver on LinkedIn

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