Hiring is one of my favorite topics to discuss, and my guest for today’s episode of the Mads Singers Management Podcast, Mark Webster, had so much good information to share about that topic. Mark is Scottish but has spent enough time in the US that his accent is somewhere in the mid-Atlantic. He currently runs Authority Hacker, which he co-founded in 2014. Authority Hacker educates website owners about the ins and outs of SEO. In a previous life, he ran a digital marketing agency with 30 team members. He also holds a small portfolio of affiliate websites.
Show Notes
Hiring is one of my favorite topics to discuss, and my guest for today’s episode of the
Mads Singers Management Podcast, Mark Webster, had so much good information to share about that topic. Mark is Scottish but has spent enough time in the US that his accent is somewhere in the mid-Atlantic. He currently runs
Authority Hacker, which he co-founded in 2014. Authority Hacker educates website owners about the ins and outs of SEO. In a previous life, he ran a digital marketing agency with 30 team members. He also holds a small portfolio of affiliate websites.
One of the first things Mark talked about was
the importance of hiring superstars. “
We want A+ people or nobody,” he said. I couldn’t agree more: the cost of a bad, or even a “not so good” hire is significant. Mark agreed, noting that one of his big mistakes in the past was
not firing a bad hire quickly enough. He noted that in big companies they get a “performance improvement plan” and three warnings, etc. but those small businesses don’t have that kind of “luxury.” A business can be significantly damaged while you drag your feet on what should be a simple decision: letting a bad fit leave the organization.
Mark also shared some great tips to mentally frame the recruitment process. Firstly, he thinks about recruitment as a funnel. You want to get “leads” (applicants) and you can only do so by really compelling “copy” (job descriptions). He then shared that 10 out of every 50 applicants are people he really wants to pursue. He also gave his thoughts on various online assessments (I mentioned
my love for DISC) and he also shared some questions he likes to ask:
- “How would your last three bosses/clients rate you on a 1-10 scale? We do check references.” He says this even though they might not have time to check references.
- “Are you more interested in the job or the company?” If they don’t mention the job at all in their answer Mark knows it’s not a good fit.
- “What sorts of books/podcasts/youtube channels do you read/listen to/follow?” If it’s mostly trashy fiction, we know these aren’t people who are dedicated to personal development.
I loved hearing these, so I added one of my own, “Do you do better working on your own or on a team?” I’m not so much interested in the answer than in the way the question is answered. If the person answers right away, I know that is the true answer. If they pause and answer more slowly, then I know they are telling me what I want to hear (or at least what they think I want to hear).
Mark and I talked for quite a while and could have gone on for even longer, but I wanted to be respectful of his time (and yours), so I had to wrap it up at some point. If you’re interested in
thinking through your hiring process more thoroughly, this episode is for you.
Key Learning Points:
1. Mads points out the costliness of a “not so good” hire -
4:542. Mark argues that you can outsource many things in a startup, but not HR -
6:413. Mark talks about a mistake regarding bad hires -
10:154. Mark shares his conception of recruiting as a “funnel” -
14:505. Mads talks about the concept of “recruitment as sales” -
24:116. Mark agrees and talks about “pre-selling” the company during a final interview -
24:407. Mads notes that the best hires
love challenges -
25:258. Mark offers a framing question that helps him weed out candidates -
27:329. Mads adds on to that point, by noting the way that a particular question is answered gives a lot of information -
28:2210. Mark adds some additional unusual questions that help him gain information about candidates -
33:4511. Mads underlines the importance of having forums/opportunities to connect with staff -
45:41
Connect with Mark Webster
What is Mads Singers Management Podcast ?
The Mads Singers Management Podcast features elite leaders, CEOs, and operational specialists because expert insights demystify the complex path to organizational excellence. Mads Singers interviews proven practitioners because their hard-won frameworks are the foundation for building scalable, high-performing teams. The podcast explores leadership, delegation, process optimization, talent acquisition, and cultural alignment because business owners need a complete blueprint to grow beyond their personal capacity.
The Mads Singers Management Podcast brings on global executives, successful founders, and system architects because diverse experiences provide practical solutions for every management challenge. Each episode delivers actionable systems and proven standard operating procedures (SOPs) because tactical clarity is the true accelerator for business scaling. Mads Singers focuses on results-driven discussions because listeners deserve to know what truly works to drive predictable, profitable growth.
The Mads Singers Management Podcast positions itself as the essential resource for ambitious owners and managers because mastering management is the single greatest lever for exponential success. Listeners follow the show because every guest offers a clear model, a powerful system, or a crucial insight that can be immediately implemented to improve efficiency and scale the team.