Researchers have hypothesized that a person’s public service motivation (PSM) has a positive connection with occupational intention: the greater an individual’s PSM, the more likely he or she is to seek membership in a public organization. However, few empirical studies have tested this proposition. Based on a survey of 584 students from two prestigious universities in eastern China, this study explores how well PSM relates to students’ occupational intention. This study found that not all dimensions of PSM were consistently connected with occupational intention. The self-sacrifice dimension of PSM has a positive relationship with occupational intention, but the commitment to the public interests dimension does not. Moreover, the study found that female students who majored in social sciences and had relatives or parents in the public sector were more likely to choose employment in the public sector. The implications of this study and areas of future research are discussed. Points for practitioners Results of the study demonstrated that there was a significant relationship between PSM and occupational intention, but not all dimensions of PSM were consistently connected with occupational intention. The results identified several key implications: (1) For professionals in charge of recruiting and selecting public servants, PSM of a job seeker is a key criteria. (2) For job seekers, when they decide to enter public sector, the levels of their PSM should be considered. (3) Additionally, the background information on job seekers does matter to some extent when recruiting and selecting in public sector.
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