How DISC Can Help You Hire Smarter-And Where It Stops
Hiring the right people isn’t just about finding a good resume. If you’re a leader or manager, you know how much personality and communication style matter to your team’s success. In Hicksville, and whether you’re heading to Bethpage for a client meeting or taking the train from Bellmore, you want to build a team that works well together, gets results, and handles challenges with respect. That’s where DISC training and the DISC assessment come in. But it’s important to know both what DISC can do for your hiring process-and what it can’t.
DISC: A Simple Way to Understand People
DISC is a personality assessment that helps you understand how someone communicates, solves problems, and interacts with others. It breaks down behavior into four main types: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). Each style brings something unique to the table, and knowing a candidate’s DISC profile can make your hiring and onboarding smoother.
- D (Dominance): Direct, results-oriented, likes a challenge
- I (Influence): Outgoing, enthusiastic, enjoys working with people
- S (Steadiness): Reliable, patient, values teamwork and stability
- C (Conscientiousness): Analytical, detail-oriented, cares about quality
If you’re interviewing someone from nearby Seaford or having coffee with a candidate from Massapequa, DISC gives you a quick snapshot of how they might fit with your current team.
Takeaway: Use DISC to understand how a person might handle communication, deadlines, and teamwork day-to-day.
What DISC Can Tell You About a Candidate
DISC shines when you need to see how a person might behave on the job. If your office in Hicksville is anything like others in Nassau County, you’ve probably noticed how some people love to take charge, while others keep everyone steady when things get stressful. DISC makes these strengths visible.
- Communication style: Will this person talk things out or keep it brief?
- Team fit: Are you adding a collaborator or a trailblazer?
- Motivations: Does this candidate like structure, or do they enjoy shaking things up?
- Preferred work environment: Some thrive in fast-paced settings, others want predictability.
If you’re hiring someone who might commute from Levittown or Plainview, knowing their DISC profile helps you support their transition and help them settle in quickly.
Tip: After using a DISC assessment, discuss the results with your candidate. See how their profile matches their own view of their strengths.
Where DISC Stops: What It Can’t Tell You
DISC is a powerful tool, but it’s not a crystal ball. It doesn’t measure skills, experience, or passion for the work. It can’t tell you if someone will be your next top salesperson or solve problems better than anyone else on your floor.
- Skill level: DISC can’t tell if someone can code, write, or sell.
- Values: It doesn’t judge honesty, integrity, or work ethic.
- Job fit: DISC shows how someone might behave, not if they’ll love the specific tasks of your open role.
On top of that, using DISC for hiring in isolation-without interviews or skill assessments-won’t get you the talent you need. It’s a piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.
Takeaway: Combine DISC with interviews, reference checks, and real-world tasks for a complete hiring process.
How to Use DISC in Your Next Hire
Ready to use DISC in your hiring process? Here’s a quick guide you can use whether you’re expanding your team in your Hicksville office or hiring someone who commutes from Syosset, Freeport, or Garden City:
- Have candidates take a DISC assessment before your final interview.
- Review their DISC profile and compare it to your current team’s styles.
- Ask questions about how they use their strengths at work.
- Pair DISC insights with practical job simulations or skill tests.
- Share results with your team and get their input on fit.
Next step: Try adding one DISC-based interview question the next time you screen a candidate. Watch how it opens up your conversation.
Final Thought: Put DISC in Context
You want to hire people who bring out the best in each other-whether they’re from around the block or making the trip from Garden City or Freeport every day. DISC makes it easier to see how someone will mesh with your team. Just remember, it’s not the whole story. Use it as a tool, not a test, and you’ll build a stronger team, one hire at a time.
Action item: Review your current hiring steps and see where DISC can add value. Your next great team member could be just a conversation-and a DISC assessment-away.