Minute With Mallon: Hiring Just Got Easier!
Welcome to Minute with Mallon!
Something I Taught:
Last week, I worked with two company leaders who needed to hire a new project manager so they can focus on their higher-priority responsibilities.
I walked them through a hiring process I developed years ago that has helped many companies make better hires. Perhaps this will help you or someone you know now or in the future!
This process helps you consistently hire what I call 'A-Players'—the top 10% of available talent for any given role. Traditional interview methods don’t even come close to producing similar results.
One of the components that helps make this process so effective is screening interviews.
A screening interview by phone is a quick, focused conversation designed to determine whether a candidate is worth moving forward in the hiring process. It’s not about making a hiring decision — it’s about eliminating bad fits early.
It's incredible the amount of time you will save!
These short, approximately 10-minute interviews allow you to quickly wade through the many to get to the best.
Here are 10 potential questions I’ve used that you may want to use also:
How much experience do you have in (name of position?)
Why are you looking for a new job?
Where are you in your job search?
When could you start working?
Are you currently employed?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
How much would you like to earn in this position?
Are there specific benefits that are important to you?
Where do you live?
What attracted you to this industry?
And here are some red flags to watch out for:
● Being Unprepared
The candidate doesn’t know much about the company or role.
● Vague Answers
No clear examples or accomplishments.
● Poor Communicator
Disorganized, rambles, or talks over you.
● Negative Attitude
Badmouths former employers or coworkers.
● No Career Focus
Applying randomly with no real interest.
● Logistics Don’t Fit
Wrong pay range, schedule, or location.
● Resume Gaps or Inflated Claims
Job-hopping or sketchy history without explanation.
If you’ve never used phone screening interviews before, try it with your next hire. Just 10 minutes on the phone can save you hours down the line. Start with 3–5 candidates and use a few of the questions above — I think you’ll be surprised how quickly the right (and wrong) ones start to stand out!
Something to Ponder:
If it’s a matter of style, swim with the current. If it’s a matter of principle, stand like a rock.
Thomas Jefferson
Something I Learned:
In the insightful book, "Good to Great," Jim Collins describes two different types of leaders:
Level Four Leaders: These leaders make it all about themselves. When there is success, they want to be the center of attention. If there are problems, they shift focus to the miserable teams they are surrounded by.
Level Five Leaders: When things are going great, they talk about the company and the other executives, and they deflect discussion about their own contributions. They are quiet, humble, modest, reserved, shy, self-effacing, etc.
Why is this so important? Because Jim Collins found that Level 5 Leadership is the key ingredient that turns a good company into a great one — and sustains that greatness over time.
Collins and his team found that every single company that made the leap from good to great had a Level 5 Leader at the helm. These leaders weren’t flashy or ego-driven — they were quietly determined and focused on the success of the company, not themselves. Without that blend of humility and fierce resolve, greatness simply didn’t happen or last.
In short:
No Level 5 Leader, no lasting greatness.
Which are you striving to be?
Which does your team think you are?
Something I Saw:
Rincon, Puerto Rico
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Hope you have an incredible week!
Robert
