Evaluation of employer branding on hospitality and tourism management students\u27 perceptions of future employers

The present study examined potential employees\u27 (university students) perceptions of employer branding of companies they seek to work for upon graduation. An extensive review of the literature indicated a need for a better understanding of perceptions of hospitality and tourism management students regarding employer branding and the factors that affect those perceptions. A total of 559 (78.4%) students of hospitality and tourism management, in West Lafayette and Calumet campuses, at Purdue University were participated and completed the questionnaire among 713 students. The study investigated potential employees\u27 (university students\u27) perceptions of employer branding and the impact that demographic factors such as gender, academic level, grade point average (GPA), internship experience, work experience, leadership experience, and impressions of recruiters\u27 behaviors play on their perceptions. The results identified the factors that played had a significant influence on students\u27 perceptions of the three components of employer branding. Those factors were gender, GPA, level of leadership in student organizations, amount of work experience, and students\u27 impressions of recruiters\u27 behavior. However, the other variables including academic level and number of students\u27 internship experiences did not reveal any significant influence on students\u27 perceptions of employer branding. This study suggests practical implications for the hospitality and tourism industry in developing more effective marketing strategies to attract talented employees to the industry. The significance of the research lies for hospitality and tourism companies is related to helping them develop a competitive advantage in recruiting talent. A service organization\u27s long-term success in a competitive market is essentially determined by its employees and its employer brand image. Key words: human resource management, brand image, employer branding, recruitment, hospitality and tourism management student