Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
submittedVersion
Publication Date
9-2022
Abstract
This study draws from brand positioning research to introduce the notions of points-of-relevance and points-of-difference to employer image research. Similar to prior research, this means that we start by investigating the relevant image attributes (points-of-relevance) that potential applicants use for judging organizations' attractiveness as an employer. However, we go beyond past research by examining whether the same points-of-relevance are used within and across industries. Next, we further extend current research by identifying which of the relevant image attributes also serve as points-of-difference for distinguishing between organizations and industries. The sample consisted of 24 organizations from 6 industries (total N = 7171). As a first key result, across industries and organizations, individuals attached similar importance to the same instrumental (job content, working conditions, and compensation) and symbolic (innovativeness, gentleness, and competence) image attributes in judging organizational attractiveness. Second, organizations and industries varied significantly on both instrumental and symbolic image attributes, with job content and innovativeness emerging as the strongest points-of-difference. Third, most image attributes showed greater variation between industries than between organizations, pointing at the importance of studying employer image at the industry level. Implications for recruitment research, employer branding, and best employer competitions are discussed.
Keywords
employer branding, employer image, industry image, organizational attractiveness, points-of-difference, points-of-relevance, recruitment
Discipline
Human Resources Management | Organizational Behavior and Theory
Research Areas
Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources
Publication
Human Resource Management
Volume
61
Issue
5
First Page
525
Last Page
541
ISSN
0090-4848
Identifier
10.1002/hrm.22105
Publisher
Wiley: 24 months
Citation
Van Hoye, Greet; LIEVENS, Filip; Weijters, Bert; and Cromheecke, Saartje.
Employer image within and across industries: Moving beyond assessing points-of-relevance to identifying points-of-difference. (2022). Human Resource Management. 61, (5), 525-541.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/7016
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22105