Proactive Personality as a Predictor of Career Adaptability and Career Growth Potential: A View From Conservation of Resources Theory

Abstract

In the present study, we offered a new account for the development of career adaptability and the realization of career growth potential based on conservation of resources (COR) theory. Using data collected from 903 university students in China, we examined how and when proactive personality influences students’ career adaptability and career growth potential by introducing emotional exhaustion as a mediator as well as friend support and teacher individualized consideration as boundary conditions. Specifically, the results confirmed a positive effect of proactive personality on career adaptability, with this relationship mediated by emotional exhaustion. In addition, results suggested a positive effect of proactive personality on career growth potential, with this relationship mediated by emotional exhaustion and career adaptability. Moreover, results showed that in-school social support (i.e., friend support and teacher individualized consideration) served as moderators in the relationship between proactive personality and emotional exhaustion, such that the negative effect of proactive personality on emotional exhaustion was strengthened when students received high levels of social support. Theoretical implications of career adaptability research and COR theory and practical implications for promoting adaptability resources and career growth in university are provided.

Risk or Return? The Effect of Face Consciousness Influences on the Career Construction of Chinese Rural Dwellers in Urban Areas

“…Career construction requires career adaptability, meaning being ready to cope with uncertainties from unpredictable shifts in their job and working conditions ( Savickas, 1997 ). Many studies have argued the antecedents and consequences of career adaptability in predicting positive career-related outcomes ( Jiang, 2017 ; Zhuang et al, 2018 ; Gao et al, 2019 ; Ayala et al, 2020 ; Mei et al, 2021 ; Wang et al, 2021 ). As Obschonka et al (2018) have indicated career adaptability is important in responding to the uncertain environment in one’s occupational development.…”

Proactive Personality and Career Adaptability: The Mediating Role of Career Pessimism

“…Furthermore, when we consider career adaptability as a proactive behavior (Reference), the fact that career adaptability contains proactive components suggests that career adaptability and proactive personality may be related. Alike, Wang et al (2021) stated that proactive personality has a positive effect on career adaptability and however emotional exhaustion plays a mediating role in this effect. Specifically, proactive personality emphasizes the active side of individuals in life, and career adaptability is linked to the fact that individuals actively direct their careers even in changing conditions.…”

“…Braunstein-Bercovitz et al (2012) found that pessimism plays a mediating role in the relationship among anxious attachment and career indecision. Wang et al (2021) stressed proactive personality has a positive effect on career adaptability also emotional exhaustion plays a mediating role in this effect. Li (2019) investigated the relationship between proactive personality and career adaptability in a study of individuals studying at the university level.…”

“…Some studies have shown that career adaptability is related career anxiety (Boo, Wang & Kim, 2021;Gadassi, Gati & Wagman-Rolnick, 2013;Shin & Lee, 2019), stress (Zhuang, Jiang & Chen, 2021), and work stress (Fiori, Bollmann & Rossier, 2015;Maggiori et al, 2013), dysfunctional career thoughts (Sides, 2021) and career-choice pessimism (Shin & Lee, 2017). In addition to these studies, there are study findings showing that emotional exhaustion mediates the relationship among proactive personality and career adaptability (Wang et al, 2021). As seen, studies suggest that there may be some relationship between the career adaptability of negative emotion and behavior traits and pessimistic views about the world of work.…”

“…In this sense, we think that it is important to consider the relationship between career pessimism, which is among the difficulties of emotional and personality-related career decision making, and proactive personalities. Notwithstanding the prominent emphasis of proactive personalities in career life, studies on the principal mechanisms by which proactivity influences career adaptability and career-related outcomes is yet limited (Wang et al, 2021). Hereby, it is notable to conduct studies examining the relationship among proactive personality and career outcomes (Özdemir, 2019;Seibert, Crant & Kraimer, 1999).…”