Looking for work? Study reveals your mindset could be hampering your search

Searching for a job can be arduous, particularly amid economic and technological change.

- Lauren A. Keating Peter A. Heslin

A significant obstacle many job seekers face lies in their own restrictive beliefs about securing employment. These sometimes unconscious assumptions can hinder them from fully embracing effective strategies and opportunities in their job search.

Mindsets about human plasticity

People tend to hold implicit beliefs about the plasticity of their abilities, commonly referred to as mindsets. A fixed mindset assumes that abilities are static – success in certain areas like math or music is thereby attributed to inherent talent, while failure signals an immutable weakness.

By contrast, a growth mindset presumes that abilities are malleable and are developed via a concerted effort over time. From the view of a growth mindset, success reflects the process of having worked hard to develop one’s capabilities, while failure signifies a need for more effort or better strategies to hone the required skills – a perspective that offers a more inspiring view, emphasising the potential for personal growth and the motivation to strive for it.

Most people are unaware of their mindsets or their impact. Yet four decades of research reveal that these simple beliefs about human plasticity have a huge impact on people’s thoughts, feelings and actions, particularly in the face of challenges.

Namely, fixed compared to growth mindsets often lead to defeatist thinking, excessive worrying and premature abandonment of goals.