DISC in Recruitment

It is a fact of life that, especially in times of economic hardship, job vacancies attract large numbers of potential candidates. Application rates can often run into the dozens or even hundreds, far more than can be practically interviewed. Of course, most organisations solve this problem by drawing up a shortlist of the most promising candidates for a post, and interviewing only the members of this list.

With so many applications for a single position, however, producing this shortlist can itself be a time-consuming and difficult task. Standard application forms and curricula vitæ rarely convey enough information, in themselves, to make a solid decision about a particular candidate's suitability for a post.

Because DISC results can be produced from a paper questionnaire, it is possible to include such a questionnaire when mailing application forms. The contents of these questionnaires allow a picture of the styles of applicants to be built up relatively quickly. These results can then be compared against a pre-defined 'ideal' profile for the job, expediting the shortlisting process.

It is important to note that in shortlisting, as in all its applications, DISC is merely a useful aid. To draw up a complete shortlist from styles alone is not practically possible, because DISC has no way of addressing other important issues, such as qualifications and previous experience.

The Interview

The ultimate use of these DISC results, whether they're collected online or directly from the candidate during their assessment, is to aid the interviewer during the interview itself. It can do this in two ways.

First, the DISC interpretation of a candidate's profile can bring to the surface potential factors that would not emerge in the course of a normal interview, both in terms of advantages and disadvantages. These areas can be probed by the interviewer to assess their relevance with reference to the job in question. Discus can help in this area by assessing work factors specific to a role as part of a Job Match, and even by offering tailored behavioural interview questions.

Second, DISC can help to improve communication within the interview. This is a more subtle and less tangible benefit, but it can have a significant impact on the progress of the discussion. By making themselves aware of an interviewee's motivating factors, the skilful interviewer can encourage them to reveal information, and help to relieve the understandable pressure of an interview situation and so ease communication.

Some interviewers actually discuss a candidate's DISC report with them during the interview, while others prefer to use the information as a basis for their own questions. Ultimately a decision about whether to use the DISC report directly in the interview is a matter for the interviewer's own preference. For those who wish to do so, the Discus Feedback Report provides a DISC assessment in a useful and digestible format.

This is an edited extract taken from the Understanding DISC guide. You can find the full article as part of the complete guide on the Discus Online site:

• Understanding DISC: Applications: Recruitment