Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

What do best employer surveys reveal about employer branding and intention to apply?

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Brand Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Employer branding is an effective marketing tool that helps organisations in projecting their distinct image in the minds of potential applicants and positioning them as an employer of choice. Recently, organisations are increasingly participating in various best employer surveys (BES) to project themselves as great places of employment and subsequently attracting larger and better talent from the labour market. The literature confirms a positive relationship between employer attractiveness (or other similar measures) and prospective employees’ intentions to apply to that organisation. In this article, we examine this relationship through the lens of BES in the Indian context. We measure the prospective applicant’s intention to apply in a sample of 12 firms that appeared either consistently or once in BES during 2007–2011. Findings suggest that firms with a consistent or recent listing in BES receive a significantly higher intention to apply than firms present only in one or an older BES. Furthermore, organisation familiarity is one of the major predictors of intention to apply. We suggest consistent efforts in building and sustaining employer brand by combining the efforts of marketing and HR managers in the design and execution of relevant activities and their communication to the target audience in emerging economies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agrawal, R.K. and Swaroop, P. (2009) Effect of employer brand image on application intentions of B-School undergraduates. Vision-The Journal of Business Perspective 13 (3): 41–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ambler, T. (2000) Marketing and the Bottom Line. London, UK: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ambler, T. and Barrow, S. (1996) The employer brand. Journal of Brand Management 4 (3): 185–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnold, D. (2000) Seven rules of international distribution. Harvard Business Review 78 (6): 131–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Backhaus, K. and Tikoo, S. (2004) Conceptualizing and researching employer branding. Career Development International 9 (5): 501–517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balmer, J.M.T. and Greyser, S.A. (2002) Managing the multiple identities of the corporation. California Management Review 44 (3): 72–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrow, S. and Mosley, R. (2005) The Employer Brand. London: Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berthon, P., Ewing, M. and Hah, L.L. (2005) Captivating company: Dimensions of attractiveness in employer branding. International Journal of Advertising 24 (2): 151–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borate, A. and Banerji, J. (2011) Building a great place to work. Great place to Work Institute India, http://www.greatplacetowork.in/storage/documents/Publications_Documents/building_a_great_place_to_work_-_learning_from_indias_best_companies_to_work_for_in_2011.pdf, accessed 1 April 2013.

  • Branham, L. (2001) Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business: 24 Ways to Hang on to Your Most Valuable Talent. New York: American Management Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Business Today (2011) Top of the list in ‘best companies to work for’ survey, 6 February, http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/toppers-in-the-best-companies-to-work-for-survey/1/12568.html, accessed 31 March 2013.

  • Cable, D.M. and Graham, M.E. (2000) The determinants of job seekers’ reputation perceptions. Journal of Organisational Behaviour 21 (8): 929–947.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cable, D.M. and Judge, T.A. (1996) Person-organization fit, job choice decisions and organizational entry. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 67 (3): 294–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cable, D. and Turban, D.B. (2001) Establishing the dimensions, sources and value of job seekers employer knowledge during recruitment. In: G.R. Ferris (eds.) Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management. New York: Elsevier Science, pp. 115–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cascio, W.F. (2010) If you must downsize, do it right. The Business School, University of Colorado Denver, http://www.employmentpolicy.org/topic/21/research/if-you-must-downsize-do-it-right#, accessed 22 March 2013.

  • Collins, C.J. (2007) The interactive effects of recruitment practices and product awareness on job seekers’ employer knowledge and application behaviors. Journal of Applied Psychology 92 (1): 180–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, C.J. and Han, J. (2004) Exploring applicant pool quantity and quality: The effects of early recruitment practice strategies, corporate advertising, and firm reputation. Personnel Psychology 57 (3): 685–717.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins, C.J. and Stevens, C.K. (2002) The relationship between early recruitment-related activities and the application decisions of new labor-market entrants: A brand-equity approach to recruitment. Journal of Applied Psychology 87 (6): 1121–1133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delgado-Ballester, E. and Munuera-Aleman, J.L. (2005) Does brand trust matter to brand equity? Journal of Product and Brand Management 14 (3): 187–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, M.J. (2007) 50 best employers in Canada 2007: In Love, L. (online) Employer branding for tomorrow’s Workplace, 11 June 2009, http://www.cch.ca/public/Branding-QA.pdf, accessed 20 March 2013.

  • Douglas, A.R., Hill, L.A. and Conger, J.A. (2008) Winning the race for talent in emerging markets. Harvard Business Review 86 (11): 62–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Economic Intelligence Unit (2008) People for growth: The talent challenge in emerging markets, May, http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=SAP_talent_wars&page=noads, accessed 10 May 2013.

  • Employer Brand Institute (2009) Employer branding global research study. March, http://www.collectivelearningaustralia.com, accessed 12 September 2012.

  • Ewing, M.T., Pitt, L.F., de Bussy, N.M. and Berthon, P. (2002) Employment branding in the knowledge economy. International Journal of Advertising 21 (1): 3–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franca, V. and Pahor, M. (2012) The strength of the employer brand: Influences and implications for recruiting. Journal of Marketing & Management 3 (1): 78–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gatewood, R.D., Gowan, M.A. and Lautenschlager, G.J. (1993) Corporate image, recruitment image, and initial job choice decisions. Academy of Management Journal 36 (2): 414–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilly, M.C. and Wolfinbarger, M. (1998) Advertising’s internal audience. Journal of Marketing 62 (1): 69–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gomes, D. and Neves, J. (2011) Organizational attractiveness and prospective applicants’ intentions to apply. Personnel Review 40 (6): 684–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greene, W., Walls, G.D. and Schrest, L.J. (1994) Internal marketing: The key to external marketing success. Journal of Service Marketing 8 (4): 5–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt (2009) Point of view, what makes a company a best employer? http://www.aon.com/attachments/thought-leadership/pov_Best_Employer_Position_Paper.pdf, accessed 25 March 2013.

  • Highhouse, S., Stierwalt, S.L., Bachiochi, P., Elder, A.E. and Fisher, G. (1999) Effects of advertised human resource management practices on attraction of African American applicants. Personnel Psychology 52 (2): 425–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoskisson, R.E., Eden, L., Lau, C.M. and Wright, M. (2000) Strategy in emerging economies. Academy of Management Journal 43 (3): 249–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joo, B.K. and McLean, G.N. (2006) Best employer studies: A conceptual model from a literature review and a case study. Human Resources Development Review 5 (2): 228–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohli, R. (2010) India: Labour market’s changing times. East Asia Forum, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/tag/structural-unemployment/, accessed 12 September 2012.

  • Lassar, W., Mittal, B. and Sharma, A. (1995) Measuring customer based brand equity. Journal of Consumer Marketing 12 (4): 11–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lemmink, J., Schuijf, A. and Streukens, S. (2003) The role of corporate image and company employment image in explaining application intentions. Journal of Economic Psychology 24 (1): 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lievens, F., Hoye, G.V. and Anseel, F. (2007) Organizational identity and employer image: Towards a unifying framework. British Journal of Management 18 (S1): S45–S59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lievens, F., Hoye, G.V. and Schreurs, B. (2005) Examining the relationship between employer knowledge dimensions and organizational attractiveness: An application in a military context. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 78 (4): 53–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Love, L.F. and Singh, P. (2011) Workplace branding: Leveraging human resources management practices for competitive advantage through ‘best employer suveys’. Journal of Business and Psychology 26 (2): 175–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miles, S.J. and Mangold, G. (2004) A conceptualization of the employee branding process. Journal of Relationship Marketing 3 (2/3): 65–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minchington, B. (2010) Employer Brand Leadership: A Global Perspective. Australia: Collective Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moroko, L. and Uncles, M.D. (2008) Characteristics of successful employer brands. Journal of Brand Management 16 (3): 160–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, G.N. and Goulet, L.R. (1996) Recruiters’ and applicants’ reactions to campus interviews and employment decisions. Academy of Management Review 39 (6): 1619–1640.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, P.S. and Clark, S.M. (2004) Win-win workplace practices: Improved organizational results and improved quality of life. Report to US Department of Labor Women’s Bureau, September 2004, www.choose2lead.org/Publications/Study%20on%20Win-Win%20Workplace%20Practices.pdf, accessed 25 March 2013.

  • Ritson, M. (2002) Marketing and HR collaborate to harness employer brand power. Marketing 24 (October): p. 24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberson, Q.M., Collins, C.J. and Oreg, S. (2005) The effects of recruitment message specificity on applicant attraction to organizations Journal of Business and Psychology 19 (3): 319–339.

  • Roy, S.K. (2008) Identifying the dimensions of attractiveness of an employer brand in the Indian context. South Asian Journal of Management 15 (4): 110–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rynes, S.L., Bretz, R.D.J. and Gerhart, B. (1991) The importance of recruitment in job choice: A different way of looking. Personnel Psychology 44 (3): 487–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sartain, L. and Schumann, M. (2006) Brand from the Inside. San Francisco, CA: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slaughter, J.E., Zickar, M.J., Highhouse, S. and Mohr, D.C. (2004) Personality trait inferences about organizations: Development of a measure and assessment of construct validity. Journal of Applied Psychology 89 (1): 85–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SHRM Research (2010) Employer brand in India: A strategic HR tool, society for human resource management, http://www.shrm.org/research/futureworkplacetrends/documents/10-0028%20india_article_employer_brand_v5.pdf, accessed 10 September 2012.

  • Sullivan, J. (2004) Eight elements of a successful employment brand, http://www.ere.net/2004/02/23/the-8-elements-of-a-successful-employment-brand/, accessed 10 August 2012.

  • Taylor, M.S. and Bergmann, T.J. (1987) Organizational recruitment activities and applicants’ reactions at different stages of the recruitment process. Personnel Psychology 40 (2): 261–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Economist (2003) Economic and financial indicators. 17 May, pp. 112.

  • The Sydney Morning Herald (2013) ABC tops most attractive employer list. 27 March, http://www.smh.com.au/business/abc-tops-most-attractive-employer-list-20130327-2gtp2.html#ixzz2OsFLWXiD, accessed 30 March 2013.

  • (The) Conference Board (2001) Engaging employees through your brand, New York, http://www.conference-board.org/publications/publicationdetail.cfm?publicationid=461, accessed 12 August 2012.

  • Thompson, L.F., Braddy, P.W. and Wuensch, K.L. (2004) E-recruitment and the benefits of organizational web appeal. Paper presented at the 19th annual meeting of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Chicago, IL.

  • Turban, D.B. (2001) Organizational attractiveness as an employer on college campuses: an examination of the applicant population. Journal of Vocational Behavior 58 (2): 293–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turban, D.B. and Greening, D. (1997) Corporate social performance and organizational attractiveness to prospective employees. Academy of Management Journal 40 (3): 658–672.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, N. (2002) Happy companies make happy investments stocks from our best companies to work for list trounced the S&P 500. 27 May, http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2002/05/27/323684/index.htm, accessed 31 March 2013.

  • Wilcock, R. (2005) Employer branding is key in fight for talent. Personnel Today 17 (May): 4, Publication online 17 May 2005, http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/17/05/2005/29929/employer-branding-is-key-in-fight-for-talent.htm4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilden, R., Gudergan, S. and Lings, I. (2010) Employer branding: Strategic implications for staff recruitment. Journal of Marketing Management 26 (1–2): 56–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Management and Labour Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, V.N. Purav Marg, Deonar, Mumbai, 400088, Maharashtra, India

    Gordhan K Saini

Authors
  1. Gordhan K Saini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Purvi Rai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Manoj K Chaudhary
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gordhan K Saini.

Additional information

2has completed her Masters in Human Resource Management and Labour Relations from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She completed her B Tech in Information Technology from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida, and later she worked with Accenture Services Pvt. Ltd. for 11 months in SAP capability.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saini, G., Rai, P. & Chaudhary, M. What do best employer surveys reveal about employer branding and intention to apply?. J Brand Manag 21, 95–111 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2013.10

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2013.10

Keywords

Search

Navigation