Employer branding, what is the big deal? From graduate students perception of a preferred Employer

Employer Branding in recent years has become popular, particularly in strategically attracting talents to a company. This research was carried out using potential employees, students recently graduated from college and actively seeking employment. They are looking to choose an employer, and are looking for signals and information from these employers to help them decide. The focus of this research was on the effect of EB on potential employees’ perception of employer’s employer attractiveness attributes and their intention to apply for a job. Themes from previous studies on this topic were identified, research questions were based on these themes. Along with the main research question, there were five sub research questions answered. These were related to the five attractiveness dimension identified in the work of Berthon et al (2005). These are interest value, comprising of a company’s innovation, employee’s creativity and high-quality product/service; social value, a company’s work environment and the relationships within it; economic value, a company’s above average salary, good benefits, job security and promotions opportunities; development value, a company’s career enhancing experiences, recognition, develop self-worth and self-confidence; finally the application value, a company’s interaction with its environment and its people, socially responsible, customer-oriented, opportunity to use college degree. Six participants were interviewed from three different colleges in Dublin. The research found all participants were attracted to innovation, good work environment, compensation, recognition, and good relationship with superiors. However, little interest was displayed towards a company’s products/services and its social responsibility features. Overall findings were symbolic attributes had more influence over participants’ decision than instrumental attributes. The research findings suggest new directions for future research in EB as an attraction tool. Implications for employers were identified in the conclusion. The findings of this research are not generalisable across all potential employees