Hiring is hard. You are trying to find the right skills, the right attitude, and the right fit for your team, all while racing the clock and competing with other opportunities. It is no wonder so many leaders look for shortcuts.

Assessments like DISC can be incredibly helpful when you use them in the right way. At Fast Slow Motion, we use DISC as a tool for understanding people more fully, not as a pass-or-fail test. Too many companies misuse assessments and end up with rigid labels, unfair filters, or bad assumptions. That is not just ineffective, it is unfair to candidates.

Here is how we approach DISC in hiring and how we avoid the traps.

Mistake 1: Treating DISC as a Pass/Fail Test

The biggest mistake is using DISC as a filter. If you have ever heard someone say, “We are not going to hire this person because they are an S” or “We only want high D candidates,” that is the problem.

At Fast Slow Motion, we do not use DISC or motivators as hiring benchmarks. We believe anyone can succeed when they are self-aware of their talents and strengths. For us, assessments are not gatekeepers. They are conversation tools that help us understand people and help people understand themselves.

Mistake 2: Forgetting That People Are Blends

Another common mistake is oversimplifying. Very few people are a pure “D” or “I” or “S” or “C.” Most people are blends of multiple styles, and the richness is in the mix. If you only look at the letter, you miss the nuance that makes someone unique.

When we use DISC, we look at the whole profile, not just a single letter. That gives us a more accurate picture of how someone communicates and how they might fit within a team. You can see how this compares to other personality tests in our post on why DISC works better in business applications.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Motivators

DISC shows how someone behaves. Motivators explain why. Ignoring motivators in hiring means you risk putting someone into a role that does not align with what drives them. That leads to frustration, disengagement, and higher turnover.

Our approach is to use motivators as a conversation starter. We ask candidates what energizes them, what drains them, and where they feel most effective. These insights help us and the candidate think about where they can thrive. For more on this, see our post on the hidden cost of ignoring motivators in your team.

How FSM Uses DISC in Hiring

So how do we use DISC in hiring? We use it to:

• Gain insight into how a candidate communicates and collaborates
• Spot areas where the team may need balance
• Help the candidate build self-awareness that will serve them beyond the role
• Start meaningful conversations about fit and growth

We always pair DISC with structured interviews, reference checks, and other selection tools. For us, DISC is one piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.

If you want to see DISC in action in everyday team situations, check out our behavioral insight examples blog.

Where to Learn More

Hiring is not about finding a perfect personality type. It is about building a team of people who understand themselves, respect each other, and work together toward shared goals. Tools like DISC help us do that, but only when used in the right way.

To go deeper, listen to Dr. Michael Abelson’s perspective on hiring and leadership in The Fast Slow Motion Podcast.
And if you want to learn more about validated DISC and motivator assessments, visit The Abelson Group.