Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

3-2003

Abstract

This study adds a new marketing-based angle to the study of the attractiveness of organizations in the early stages of the recruitment process. Drawing on the instrumental-symbolic framework from the marketing literature, we expected that the meanings (in terms of inferred traits) that prospective applicants associate with employing organizations would play an important role in applicants' attractiveness to these organizations. Two groups of prospective applicants (275 final-year students and 124 bank employees) were drawn from the applicant population targeted by the bank industry. These applicants were asked to rate a randomly assigned bank in terms of job/organizational factors and to ascribe traits to this bank. In both samples, trait inferences about organizations accounted for incremental variance over job and organizational attributes in predicting an organization's perceived attractiveness as an employer. Moreover, it was easier to differentiate among organizations on the basis of trait inferences versus traditional job and organizational attributes. Practical implications for image audit and image management are discussed.

Discipline

Human Resources Management | Organizational Behavior and Theory

Research Areas

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources

Publication

Personnel Psychology

Volume

56

Issue

1

First Page

75

Last Page

102

ISSN

0031-5826

Identifier

10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00144.x

Publisher

Wiley: 24 months

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00144.x

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