Laws promoting equal employment opportunity (EEO) in favor of applicants from “protected groups” are commonplace in many countries. The present study compared graduate applicants from protected vs. unprotected groups. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior and on social cognitive theory we explored how intentions to apply for jobs are shaped by behavioral beliefs (internal factors) and protection status (external factor). Results from structural invariance analysis showed that, overall, beliefs influenced applicant intentions similarly in both groups. However, relative weights analysis revealed notable differences in the relative influence of attitude and norm beliefs. The findings suggest that recruitment practitioners and scholars may better understand how applicant intentions are formed if the role of protection status is considered in conjunction with applicant beliefs.

中文翻译：

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研究生申请意向和行为信念

在许多国家中，促进平等就业机会（EEO）有利于“受保护群体”申请人的法律。本研究比较了受保护群体和不受保护群体的研究生申请人。利用计划行为理论和社会认知理论，我们探讨了如何通过行为信念（内部因素）和保护状态（外部因素）塑造求职意向。结构不变性分析的结果表明，总体而言，信念在两组中对申请人意图的影响均相似。但是，相对权重分析显示态度和规范信念的相对影响方面存在显着差异。