["Applied Psychology, Volume 75, Issue 4, August 2026. ", "\nAbstract\nThe transactional model of stress proposes that individuals appraise environmental conditions as stressful, irrelevant, or benign positive. Categorizing job resources as benign‐positive environmental stimuli, we explored the primary appraisal of job resources to identify related cognitive appraisal indicators and determined if these cognitive appraisals mediate the relationship between job resources and employee outcomes. We conducted three studies: Studies 1 and 2 used a 3‐month time‐lagged design and involved 309 and 1697 participants, respectively, whereas Study 3 used a weekly diary design with 233 participants. Confirmatory factor analyses, hierarchical linear modeling, and multilevel structural equation modeling provided robust support for most hypotheses. Cognitive appraisal of job resources was distinct from job resources and included perceived quantity, quality, and temporal fit. The cognitive appraisal of both autonomy and social support mediated their respective relationships with emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. For social support, the mediation was also supported for work engagement. In the weekly diary study, cognitive appraisal further mediated associations between job resources and need for recovery, although support was less consistent across levels of analysis for autonomy. The three studies highlight the significance of cognitive appraisal concerning two critical job resources. However, the specific sample of teachers and principals limits the generalizability of the results. We discuss extending resource appraisal to other job resources and the role of different time lags.\n"]