Proactive, boundaryless, and confident graduates entering the labour market: does need for cognitive closure play a role as a moderator?

Abstract

The transition from university to work is a crucial and delicate stage for graduates, as it involves an important change of role. Previous studies have shown that proactive personality, boundaryless mind-set and career self-efficacy are key variables for successful labour market integration/entry. This research analyzes the involvement of other individual variables that can both favor and hinder this process such as the need for cognitive closure. Specifically the aim of this work is to examine the moderating role of need for cognitive closure in the indirect association between proactive personality and career self-efficacy through boundaryless mind-set in a sample of 762 adults enrolled at the University or recently graduated therein. Results showed that career self-efficacy was positively predicted by proactive personality and boundaryless mind-set. Although a significant indirect effect was present thus confirming first hypothesis, it did not vary depending on the levels of need for cognitive closure proving that need for cognitive closure did not act as a moderator of this indirect association, hence not supporting second hypothesis. These findings were discussed in relation to the complexity of the choices to be made by students in transition and the nature of the information processing process needed for those choices.