OCCUPATION AND HEALTH ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (10): 1408-1413.

• Treatise • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Relationship between grit and job search behavior of university graduates

FANG Lina1,2, SONG Lili1,2, WANG Yong3()   

  1. 1 Institute of PsychologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100101, China
    2 Department of PsychologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing 100049, China
    3 School of PsychologyUniversity of International RelationsBeijing 100091, China
  • Received:2025-07-25 Revised:2025-08-11 Online:2026-05-15 Published:2026-06-02
  • Contact: WANG Yong
  • About author:WANG Yong,E-mail:wangy@uir.edu.cn

Abstract:

Objective To explore the relationship between grit and job search behavior among university graduates,as well as the mechanisms through which career and talent development self-efficacy and school career support influence this relationship.Methods From November to December 2024,a questionnaire survey was conducted among fresh graduates with a bachelor's degree from a university in Fujian Province using instruments including a general demographic questionnaire,grit scale,career and talent development self-efficacy scale,school career support scale,and the job search behavior scale. Results The average score of grit among university graduates was (3.24±0.43)points,the average score of school career support was (3.46±0.73)points,the average score of career and talent development self-efficacy was (4.59±0.81)points,and the average score of job search behavior was (3.31±0.68)points. The grit was significantly positively correlated with both career and talent development self-efficacy (r=0.515,P<0.05) and job search behavior(r=0.303,P<0.05) among university graduates,and the career and talent development self-efficacy was significantly positively correlated with job search behavior(r=0.496,P<0.05).The mediation effect model test indicated that the career and talent development self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between grit and job search behavior,with the effect of 0.233.The moderated mediation model revealed that the interaction of grit and school career support significantly negatively predicted career and talent development self-efficacy(β=-0.067,P<0.05),which in turn influenced the job search behavior of university graduates. Conclusion The grit influences the job search behavior of university graduates by enhancing their career and talent development self-efficacy.This effect is particularly pronounced when school career support is relatively lower,as grit more significantly predicts career and talent development self-efficacy,which in turn impacts the job search behavior of university graduates. The university graduates should pay attention to developing their grit qualities,accumulate energy from within,and thus form proactive and effective job seeking strategies.

Key words: Grit, Career and talent development self-efficacy, School career support, Job search behavior, University graduates

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