Which job attributes attract individuals high in public service motivation and self‐efficacy to a public service job?

Abstract Which job attributes attract prospective high‐performing individuals to a job in the public sector? Research shows that the particular attributes of a job influence perceptions of job attractiveness. Moreover, public service motivation (PSM) and self‐efficacy are valuable individual‐level traits for public service performance. This article examines how variation within particular job attributes that are generic to many public service jobs may attract (or discourage) potential workers high in PSM and self‐efficacy—i.e., prospective high‐performers. We focus on eight job attributes encompassing total compensation, performance‐based incentives, job performance assessment, diverse service recipient characteristics, overtime commitments, and key job tasks. Using data from a pre‐registered conjoint survey experiment among 1501 US residents, we show how individuals higher in PSM and self‐efficacy (relative to their counterparts with lower levels of these traits) exhibit distinct reactions to the job attributes of performance‐based pay, service recipients’ resources and racial demographics, and key job tasks.