Our limiting beliefs about our ability to adapt can be an obstacle to seeking new professional challenges.
The job search can be arduous, especially in the context of economic and technological changes. A significant obstacle that many job seekers face lies in their own restrictive beliefs about obtaining employment. These sometimes unconscious assumptions can prevent them from adopting effective strategies and opportunities in their job search.
Mentalities about human plasticity
People tend to have implicit beliefs about the plasticity of their abilities, usually called mindsets. One fixed mindset assumes that capabilities are static – success in certain areas, such as mathematics or music, is thus attributed to inherent talent, while failure signals an immutable weakness.
In contrast, a growth mindset It assumes that capabilities are malleable and that they are developed through concerted effort over time. From the perspective of a growth mindset, success reflects the process of having worked hard to develop your skills, while failure signifies the need for more effort or better strategies to perfect the necessary skills – a perspective that offers a most inspiring visionhighlighting the potential for personal growth and the motivation to achieve 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, especially in the face of challenges.
Namely, fixed mindsets, compared to growth mindsets, often lead to defeatist thoughtsexcessive worries and premature abandonment of objectives.
With few exceptions (e.g., Heslin et al.,), most of this research has been conducted in academic settings with school-aged children, focusing on the educational challenges they face inside and outside the classroom. The objective was to carry out a field investigation to explore how mentalities of working-age adults potentially affected their approach to job search challenges.
Mindsets about job search skills
A new investigation involved in-depth interviews with staff at an Australian industry skills board that has been disbanded. Faced with the urgent need to find a new job, these individuals provided information about your beliefs about their job search skills, in the areas of networking, negotiation and interviewing.
Fixed mindsets: a focus on what I inherently cannot do
They found that when job seekers had a fixed mindset about their ability to network, negotiate or interview, they routinely blamed their presumably static personality for not being “the kind of person” who is inherently “good” at a certain aspect of the job search. One participant lamented, “I think my introversion will always get in the way,” citing it as a permanent barrier to networking and negotiation.
These mindsets have also led to oversimplified and discouraging representations of job search tasks. THE networkingfor example, was described by one individual as being similar to “a schoolyard full of strangers and waiting for someone to want to play with our ball.” This perspective discouraged meaningful engagement with the multifaceted process of networkingincluding interacting on social media, following up with contacts, or offering resources to others.
Job seekers with fixed mindsets often labeled themselves in ways that reinforced their limitations, saying things like: “I’m not a salesman”, to explain his difficulty in networking. These self-imposed labels often constituted barriers to trying new job search strategies.
Growth mindset: a focus on what I could potentially do
In contrast, job seekers with a growth mindset approached challenges with optimism and adaptability. They recognized that they learned from their colleagues, for example by observing managers negotiate effectively, and saw their age and experience as assets rather than liabilities.
Labels continued to be used, but in a positive way, highlighting the potential for development – for example, “I’m a trainer… it’s all about learning”.
Interestingly, although labels have often been associated with fixed mindsets, the results suggest that people with a growth mindset also use them, but in a way that helps them see themselves as adaptive learners.
Job seekers with a growth mindset have also found value in reflection on negative experiences. For example, some shared stories of failed interviews that became learning opportunities, thus contributing to their success.
Mindsets during the job search: what can job seekers do?
If you recognize a fixed mindset in your job search approach, don’t despair. Mentalities, although stable, are not immutable. Strategies from books and research can help shift a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Reflecting on past experiences in which you overcame challenges can also reinforce your ability to develop.
Working with a career counselor or accountability partner can help dismantle limiting beliefsencouraging you to adopt a growth mindset. Even in the new study, no one demonstrated a fixed mindset across all job search capabilities.
For example, some demonstrated a growth mindset in the interview, but a fixed or even mixed mindset in the interview. networking. Taking advantage of your growth mindset in one area can inspire you to approach other areas with a more growth-oriented perspective as well.
