Psychometric assessment
Recruitment tests: safeguard your hires with PAPI and DISC
Hiring the wrong person can be costly — lost time, reduced performance and higher churn. So how do you de-risk hiring decisions? Recruitment tests such as PAPI and DISC help organisations look beyond the CV and interview. They assess personality, behaviours and underlying drivers in a structured way. With Actual Talent, these tools become true decision levers: we help you choose the right assessment, interpret the results, and fold objective data into your HR process. The outcome: safer, faster hiring that’s better aligned to your strategic needs.
What is a recruitment test?
A recruitment test is a structured tool used to evaluate a candidate’s aptitudes, personality and skills. Used alongside the CV and interview, it goes beyond first impressions and provides objective information to support better hiring decisions.
Where they fit in the process
Assessments sit within the selection process to help recruiters compare candidates against common, measurable criteria. They provide a robust basis for checking the fit between a candidate’s profile, the competencies required for the role and your organisational culture.
Why recruiters use them
- Reduce bias: limit the influence of personal impressions during interviews.
- Objective insights: deliver concrete, evidence-based reports to support the final choice.
The most common types
- Personality tests: such as PAPI or DISC, to analyse workplace behaviour and style.
- Aptitude tests: logical, verbal, numerical or broader cognitive ability, tailored to a role.
- Technical tests: job-specific or technical competencies.
PAPI and DISC: cornerstone personality assessments
PAPI : measure behaviours and motivations
PAPI (Personality and Preference Inventory) explores how a candidate operates at work. It highlights core motivations, working style and preferences for tasks and relationships. PAPI considers two axes: expressed needs (what motivates the candidate) and role behaviours (how they act). It pairs well with a STAR interview and enables an in-depth view of needs and motivations in a professional context. A detailed written report supports decision-making, including motivational fit, often crucial for success in role. It examines sociability, stress management, rule orientation, cultural alignment and even offers management tips from day one.
DISC: identify behavioural profiles
DISC is built on four dimensions — Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness. It quickly surfaces a candidate’s behavioural style, strengths and watch-outs. It is especially useful for tailoring management, improving communication and building stronger team cohesion.
Two complementary lenses
Combining PAPI and DISC gives a rounded view of a candidate’s professional profile:
- PAPI illuminates motivations and preferred ways of working.
- DISC reveals observable behaviour and impact in interactions.
Used together, they’re a powerful lever for better hiring, better management and talent development.
Why use recruitment tests in your organisation?
Using tools like PAPI and DISC enables more objective decisions, tailored to your needs. They add precise, decision-ready information that complements the CV and interview for a clearer view of a candidate’s capabilities.
De-risk selection
Assessments provide objective evidence that reduces bias from subjective impressions. You select people on measurable, reliable indicators.
Spot strengths and development areas
Personality assessments highlight both strengths and growth areas. You can anticipate onboarding and plan development from the outset.
Improve the candidate experience
When well explained, tests increase transparency. Candidates receive clear, constructive feedback, boosting engagement from day one.
Lift team performance
Hiring the right people for each role reduces turnover and strengthens cohesion. Assessments become a lever for collective performance and workplace satisfaction.
What does a PAPI or DISC assessment involve?
Assessments fit smoothly into your selection workflow. They are quick to administer, giving candidates a smooth experience and recruiters actionable results. PAPI is delivered as an online questionnaire (around 20–30 minutes), exploring workplace behaviours, motivations and work style. A mandatory one-hour feedback session follows to triangulate raw scores with role context. DISC is shorter (10–15 minutes) and identifies broad behavioural trends across the four DISC styles. In practice, candidates respond to statements or situational prompts based on their usual preferences or reactions.
Benefits for recruiters and candidates
For recruiters, these tools provide objective information that reduces bias from interviews alone. They enable a more precise evaluation of behavioural competencies and potential — improving job fit, reducing hiring errors and lowering turnover.
For candidates, the assessment is a chance to showcase personality and working style. Reports provide clear visibility of strengths and growth areas, and support a more transparent dialogue with the hiring team. This enhances the candidate experience, adds meaning to the selection process and builds commitment to the offered role.
In practice, PAPI or DISC can help you hire a manager who energises teams, spot a results-driven sales profile, or plan internal mobility with a targeted development pathway.
Data protection, fairness and test quality (UK)
Assessments like PAPI and DISC involve personal data and, in some cases, special category data. Use must comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, including clear candidate information about purpose, what is collected, how it will be used, and retention. Candidates should receive fair processing information and be told who will access their results.
A one-hour PAPI feedback session is mandatory to ensure transparency and to place results in the context of the role rather than scores alone.
Fair, responsible use also means aligning with Equality Act 2010 principles — avoiding discrimination, using validated tools, and ensuring tests are relevant to the job and applied consistently. PAPI and DISC are built on recognised psychometric methods and are regularly updated to keep results reliable, coherent and actionable for both recruiters and candidates.
Using these tools within a clear, lawful and respectful framework safeguards candidates, strengthens trust and de-risks decisions for employers.
Why choose Actual Talent for your assessments?
Implementing assessments isn’t just about sending a questionnaire. It’s a rigorous process that must be well governed and integrated into your broader talent strategy.
With Actual Talent, you get end-to-end support:
Recognised expertise: our consultants are trained in PAPI and DISC and apply them across contexts (hiring, internal mobility, career development).
Proven methodology: we set clear objectives with you, select the right tools and ensure a smooth, transparent experience for candidates and hiring teams.
Actionable outcomes: beyond scores, we deliver deep analysis and concrete recommendations to inform decisions.
Integrated approach: assessments are embedded in a wider framework for competency evaluation and talent management.
Les consultants PAPI Actual Talent sont mobilisables à Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes, Valence, Barcelone, Lisbonne, La Défense, nombreux hors-sites et France entière.
Ready to secure your hires with the right tools?
With Actual Talent, you get proven assessments such as PAPI and DISC, embedded in a complete evaluation approach. We support you at every step — from test selection to feedback and integration in your HR process.
Contact our experts today to implement a solution tailored to your needs and turn hiring into lasting success.
