Investigating Motivational Influences on Job Seeking Skills’ Impact on Employability and Employee Performance: The Precursor Role of Entrepreneurial Attitude

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the increasing importance of an entrepreneurial attitude in relation to employability and employee performance among graduate-level business students in Saudi Arabia. With an emphasis on job-seeking skills as the moderator and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as a mediator, it looks at how these variables interact to condition the employability outcomes of the business graduates. 320 graduate-level business students from various degrees, including finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship, participated in the study’s cross-sectional survey. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data, and SmartPLS was used for analysis to take into account both direct and indirect associations. The positive direct relationship between entrepreneurial attitude and job-seeking skills. In terms of the mediation, job-seeking skills have a significant relationship with entrepreneurial attitude, employability, and employee performance. Specifically, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation have a positive and significant impact on job seeking skills, employability, and employee performance. It contributes to the body of literature already published in relation to the comprehensive model of employability by highlighting motivation and entrepreneurial attitudes as significant factors that contribute to graduate employability. It is also providing policymakers, businesses, and educators with useful guidance on how to improve graduate programs and promote an all-encompassing approach to preparing students for the dynamic workforce.