Proactive personality and the job search outcomes: the mediating role of networking behaviour

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between proactive personality and job search outcomes through network size, job search clarity, and networking behavior by surveying a sample of 773 university graduates. The results revealed that proactive personality has direct and indirect effects on job seeker's job search networking behaviour and number of job interviews and job offers. Additionally, the results also indicated that people displaying high proactivity traits tend to expand their social network size and having a clear job search goal, which results in increasing their networking behaviour and job search outcomes. Our findings are discussed in terms of the understanding mechanism linking a distal variable, proactive personality, to job search results.