The best way to predict the future is to analyse the past. The same holds good with human behaviour. Past behaviour is the most accurate predictor of how the same person would behave in the current scenario or the future. Of course, the environment may have a role to play here. Having said that when hiring for a new role in organisations, most of us base our decisions on what the candidate has to say about their past experiences.
But what we fail to acknowledge here is that we may well be biased in our judgement of people. One easy way to check if we are biased is to take a look at past data and see if we have hired similar people. We may also be making a lot of assumptions which in turn may be creating a lot of perceptual errors. It could also be that we hire within our comfort zones and refuse to budge which again could result in poor hires. How do we get past our own personal bias or help others who are into recruitment get past theirs? Using a behavioural assessment tool like the DiSC Assessments as a support tool for understanding a candidate better can reduce the bias to a certain extent. However please note that the DiSC Assessments can be used only as an add-on tool and should not be the only criteria for selection.
Where can the DiSC Assessments be used in hiring?
- The Everything DiSC Workplace Profile and the DiSC Classic 2.0 can help the recruiter reaffirm if the candidate is like what they present themselves. For eg. let’s assume that a candidate claims to be extremely good with people, but turns out to be low on people orientation in the assessment. The recruiter may want to conduct another round of interviews or probe deeper into the people centricity of the person to understand how the mismatch has come.
- The Everything DiSC Workplace Profile, DiSC Classic 2.0 or the Everything DiSC Management Profile can be used to understand how adaptable or flexible the candidate is and how open they are to moving from their comfort zone. For eg. If the role requires the candidate to take up additional responsibilities, the assessments can reveal how open he or she is to it.
- The Everything DiSC tools can also be used to determine the challenges that the candidate is likely to face in a job that he or she is being considered for. This can be used to design on boarding programs that will help them bridge these challenges.
- For roles that require team playing abilities, the Team Dimensions report can be generated for the person, thereby assigning responsibilities that he or she will do best in a team. This can ensure that the new hires contribute best to their teams and are better accepted.
- DiSC Classic 2.0 and Everything DiSC Workplace Profile can be used to provide additional data points on the person’s behavioural choices for designing tailor made interview questions
The Comparison Reports from the Everything DiSC individual reports can be used to compare two close contenders to the same position to determine who will be a better fit for the role. - The DiSC model does not measure a skill or aptitude that a role requires but is a description of an individual’s behavioural priorities or preferred working style. Though the tool has a plethora of applications in the hiring process it is important to use it responsibly.
Enroll for the Hiring Expert Certification to know more on how to use DiSC Assessments for the right hiring decision.
