Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, which is the Fairest Employer of all? : A Study on the Relationship between Employer Branding, Employer Attractiveness and Application Intention Decisions

Mirror, mirror on the wall... in today’s fast-moving world, attracting and retaining outstanding employees is the basis of competitive advantage - and companies have to wonder how to become the fairest employer of all. A new strategic tool can help with that: Employer Branding. Emerged from relative insignificance a little more than a decade ago, there is still little research in the field. For this reason, the current study examines how the use of employer branding influences employer attractiveness and intentions to apply for a job. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships of the above elements, the study pursues a qualitative research approach. More specifically, a multiple case study, processed in two focus group interviews, is conducted to explore the topic and test the reviewed literature. The focus groups, consisting of 12 students from Luleå University of Technology, are interviewed concerning the two companies Volkswagen and BMW. The findings suggest to consider the fact that information asymmetry dominates the recruitment market not necessarily as a barrier in the assessment of a future employer. On the contrary, it can also imply the company’s exclusivity and a competitive advantage for applicants. Furthermore, the study revealed that good corporate reputation is the basis for employer brand, employer attractiveness as well as application intention decisions. Relating to the channel, through which an employer brand is communicated, Facebook should never be seen as the main one. It is not considered as important source of employment-related information for potential employees and in its current use mainly highlights the already existing corporate reputation, but hardly sends any employer brand signals. The conclusions concerning employer attractiveness indicate a new categorization to differentiate between employment and employer attractiveness attributes. Moreover, the newly created location value needs to be taken into consideration when assessing the attractiveness of possible future employers. Nevertheless, all these results advise further research in order to examine the relationships and new outcomes in more detail.Validerat; 20150624 (global_studentproject_submitter