Examining the job search behaviors of higher education graduate unemployed individuals within the framework of social cognitive career theory: The example of Malatya province

Unemployment is a significant issue for graduates, impacting them on individual, social, and economic levels. This problem, intertwined with the process of employment, is complex and multifaceted, involving various dimensions and variables. Overcoming this complexity relies on effectively planning and managing job search behavior. In this context, models reflecting the second-generation behavioral economics perspective, such as the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) developed by Lent, Brown, and Hackett (1994) inspired by Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, become crucial. SCCT aims to comprehensively explain the job search process by integrating concepts from previous theories into a unified framework. The purpose of this research is to analyze the job-seeking behavior of unemployed higher education graduates registered with İŞKUR in the context of Malatya province using SCCT. Accordingly, the relationships between individuals' demographic characteristics, psychological states, and environmental factors were examined using the SCCT model. The study incorporated additions such as personality inventory, financial stress, and core self-evaluation into the SCCT-based Job Seeking Behavior Model, analyzing it within the contexts of "Turkey (Malatya) dynamics," "job-seeking behavior," and "higher education graduates." Conducted within a quantitative paradigm, the model created based on SCCT was tested using the structural equation method. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used in analyzing the demographic data. According to the results, the tested model partially explains the job-seeking behaviors of unemployed higher education graduates within the context of newly added variables and Turkey (Malatya) dynamics. This model demonstrates that psychological, cognitive, social, and economic variables must be considered for the successful completion of job-seeking behavior. In this context, recommendations for policy development and implementation at individual and societal levels are provided.