Beyond impacting workplace culture, developing and implementing a growth mindset is an important tool for recruiters. As an industry, we promote growth and innovation in hiring but often fall back into old habits when trying to match candidates into a rigid job description. Growth mindset can help us move beyond those fixed notions of skills and capabilities.
What exactly is a growth mindset?
According to Carol Dweck, the psychology researcher who first introduced growth mindset, it describes “individuals who believe their talents can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and input from others.”
Why does it matter for recruiters?
Approaching our roles with a growth mindset will impact our communication as recruiters – from job descriptions to interviews with candidates, and conversations with hiring managers. In changing our communication, we open our organizations to a wider candidate pool and promote inclusivity of diverse backgrounds.
A recent article from Textio shares some examples of growth mindset communication versus fixed mindset language. There are likely a few of the fixed mindset terms still lingering in your organization’s job descriptions, so be sure to give the article a read.
How can I learn more?
Join us on November 16th for a CXR Lecture on Growth Mindset with Rod Ben Zeev. Using both the research of Stanford University’s Carol Dweck, and his own work on innovation and leadership with hundreds of organizations worldwide, Rod will guide us to feel the advantages of the growth mindset, and to develop tactics to be in the zone more effectively.
