The study, conducted by Lauren Keating, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Psychology at emlyon business school, and Peter Heslin, Professor of Management at UNSW Sydney, examined the different types of mindsets held by people, and how these affected their perception of job search challenges when being made redundant.

They found that jobseekers with a ‘growth mindset’ were more open-minded about how their age and experience could help them in their job search, compared to jobseekers with a  ‘fixed mindset’ who believed that their static personality would hold them back from networking and negotiating effectively. Moreover, these people tended to label themselves in pejorative ways, implying that their job search abilities were rigid, while those with a ‘growth mindset’ used labels that highlighted the changeable nature of their job search abilities.

This is because people with a ‘growth mindset’ believe that, though some skills may not come naturally, many skills can be developed further with training, practice, and the right resources. However, those that have a ‘fixed mindset’ believe their skillsets can often not be changed, and that many of their skills are determined by their personality traits and are not able to be developed no matter how hard they try.

In order to examine the differences in mindsets, the researchers interviewed over 20 employees working in a government-funded organisation which was going through a phase of defunding, causing redundancies at the company.

The researchers interviewed participants about their own skillsets specifically regarding networking, interviewing, negotiating and job searching. Then participants joined a workshop on cover letter and résumé writing, vacancy searching, and interviewing, as well as networking and negotiating.

After this, the researchers then conducted qualitative interviews with participants about the challenges they felt they were facing in the job search phase, and if and how they thought they could overcome these challenges.

“In a rapidly evolving job landscape, especially in sectors like tech where we are seeing huge layoffs, it’s not just the skills you currently possess that define your potential—it’s the belief that you can continuously develop them.”, says Professor Keating. “A growth mindset turns every setback, even layoffs, into an opportunity for reinvention and learning. In the face of competition, it’s the ability to adapt, learn, and evolve that will set job seekers apart.”

The researchers say that those with a ‘fixed mindset’ were much more likely to attribute their skillsets and abilities to their personality rather than to something they had learned. Whilst ‘growth mindset’ jobseekers were much more likely to talk about how they can learn from others in the workplace and develop skills they need to improve, focusing on lifelong learning.

The researchers say that a ‘growth mindset’ can not only be beneficial when employees are looking for new jobs, but also when they are in the organisation too, as this mindset can help employees to develop more skills that are beneficial to the company.

Therefore, it can be beneficial for organisations to inculcate growth mindsets in their workforce, by, for example, creating workshops for their staff focused on identifying where their fixed mindset has potentially held them back, as well as developing their growth mindset. Such investments could help improve employees’ skillsets and, in turn, benefit the organisation as a whole.

*This research was published in the journal, Applied Psychology.