Captivating company: dimensions of attractiveness in employer branding

Abstract

The internal marketing concept specifies that an organisation’s employees are its first market. Themes such as ‘internal advertising’ and ‘internal branding’ have recently entered the marketing lexicon. One component of internal marketing that is still underdeveloped is ‘employer branding’ and specifically ‘employer attractiveness’. Employer attractiveness is defined as the envisioned benefits that a potential employee sees in working for a specific organisation. It constitutes an important concept in knowledge-intensive contexts where attracting employees with superior skills and knowledge comprises a primary source of competitive advantage. In this paper, we identify and operationalise the components of employer attractiveness from the perspective of potential employees. Specifically we develop a scale for the measurement of employer attractiveness. Implications of the research are discussed, limitations noted and future research directions suggested.